NEW DELHI: “Nations are not merely geographical entities. In the design of this universe, nations have to carry out a duty. Swami Vivekananda said, Every nation has a message to deliver. Every nation has a mission to accomplish. Every nation has a destiny to fulfil,” said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat at the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’ at Madison Square Garden, New York on August 29, 2026.
“We are here to celebrate the oneness. It is very apt that we have gathered here in New York to do that. And I have come here from Nagpur in Bharat to share with you today’s joy and today’s spirit, he said.
He further said, there are two tendencies. One tendency is: live and let live. Another tendency is: live, and let only those live who obey us. He further said, those who say, If you obey us, we will protect you – protection is raksha in Sanskrit, in Hindi. So, those who protect only those who obey are Rakshasas. And there are others who say, “No matter whether you obey or not, hear me or not, what is your opinion, what you think about me, or how useful you are to me-these are very minor things. The major thing is that we are all human beings. We have to sustain life, and so we have to live with fraternity.
Atman is the truth that connects us all. In spite of our different bodies, different attires, different verses, everything being different, like the beads in a necklace woven through single thread. This Atman is in everybody and it connects us all,” Dr Bhgawat said.
“You will die, your body will die, but something lives permanently. Some believe it lives till Judgment Day. Some believe, no, it goes through many cycles of birth. But something is there inside that lives. That is permanent. That doesn’t get destroyed in the tide of time. And therefore, whatever exists in our world, when we are living, we are seeing it, we are experiencing it as a different collection of different entities. But in them also I live, and they also live inside me. We belong to each other,” he said.
“Human life is given to give this knowledge to everybody and live that knowledge for our own liberation, for the betterment of the world. That is the mission Bharat has to accomplish. That is the message Bharatiyas world over have to give by their own example, not by preaching, by practice. That is the destiny of Bharat,” Dr Bhgawat said.
“The principle, which unites everything, which upholds everything, which doesn’t cause a rift -let not that happen- and which balances everything, which is the middle path, that is Dharma. Our destiny is to give that to world, and the solid foundation on which this dharma is perceived is the oneness, unity of existence. That is our truth. Dharma is not religion. It is not a worship. It is beyond all this. It is the rule through which universe is sustained. It is the rule through which human beings can manage dualities of life. It is the balance which sustains everything at once, simultaneously. And simultaneously everyone can progress,” he said.
Dr Mohan Bhagwat further said that, “nowadays we celebrate Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. Why? Because we remember our duty towards them. We remember our duty towards the environment.”
“Bharatiya diaspora in the US should be loyal to their Karmabhoomi, after doing that obligatory duty if you have urge to do something for your Janmabhoomi, then live with the values that Bharat has imparted to you,” Dr Bhagwat added.
“We owe everything to someone else; we have to give back. Before you eat, there has to be agriculture in the world. That is why you can eat. If farmers stop farming, what will you eat? You are wearing your clothes because there are mills, labourers are working, and cotton-growing farmers are still there. We owe everything to someone else. So we need to give back,” Dr Bhagwat said.
More than 6,000 people from 39 US states, 853 cities, 250 students from various universities, 250 organisations have attended the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’.
The gathering brought together participants from 85 cities, with nearly 200 organisations partnering for the programme, according to event organisers.
The scale of participation from different parts of the United States has been a key feature of the programme, which has drawn representatives of Hindu-American organisations, temples, yoga groups and cultural organisations. The event is being organised during the RSS centenary year and has the support of 135 Hindu-American organisations, according to organisers.
“This event is a celebration of the Indian philosophy ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which is that the world is one big family,” they said.
The programme has been planned with interfaith, cultural and spiritual components, with organisers positioning it around themes of unity, service, dialogue and harmony.
The programme also includes cultural and spiritual presentations, including an a cappella performance by Indian-American youth and the chanting of hymns.
Ahead of the event, digital billboards featuring Dr. Mohan Bhagwat were also displayed at Times Square in New York.
The programme was organised by the AHEAD Forum, with participation and support from Hindu-American organisations across the United States.
