NEW YORK: “In America one word is discussed pluralism, for Bharat it is unity in diversity which is in our DNA. Every nation has a destiny to fulfill. What is the destiny given to Bharat? Bharat is there to realise, and from time to time make the world realise this unity in diversity. We are one, and due to diversity, that oneness is decorated. So, diversity has to be celebrated, has to be respected, has to be accepted. And at the same time, we must keep in mind this feeling of oneness,” 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.
“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,” Dr Bhagwat said.
“Many times, we may think that how can we say that we are one? We appear different. So many nationalities, so many languages, so many religions, so many styles of living. We appear different. We are different. Scientifically we learn how we are different. How are we different? Each of us has to take his meal separately. If I am not hungry, it doesn’t mean you are not hungry. If I have satisfied my hunger, if I had my lunch, that doesn’t mean you had your lunch. You have to lunch separately. You have to earn separately. You have to spend separately,” Dr Bhagwat said.
“Human beings can think, and that is a quality. That is a blessing but in what way you think, that is important. Thinking human beings who know right and wrong have the responsibility for sustaining the entire world. If you think in the right way, you go nearer to God. If you think in wrong way, you go nearer to animal kingdom. Nar karni kare to nar ka Narayan ban jaaye, (When a human performs noble deeds, a human can become divine). The direction is important. And the man who shapes his life according to the right direction becomes a responsible citizen of this kingdom of God,” Dr Bhagwat stated
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,” he 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 Bhagwat 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, ” Dr Bhagwat said.
He 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 said.
“Those who live in America or other countries (Bharatiya diaspora), they will work for the Karma. If they find time, if they find means, they can care for Bharat. But Bharat doesn’t expect that. Bharat expects you to live as Bharat has given you the idea of life,” Dr Bhagwat said.
“Atmano Mokshartham Jagat Hitay Cha – self liberation for the welfare of all. Bharat expects you to lead a life in this foreign land with sustainable values and lifestyle,” he further said.
“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 added.
“What our Saints say about wicked persons, sinners, enemies? They say such persons are there. That is a fact of life, physical life. But they don’t pray for their destruction. They say, let their evil buddhi go away. Because we know even our enemies and we are one, and that enmity is not a permanent thing. It is a man-made thing, or the play of different situations with the world,” Dr Bhagwat added.
He further said that,” today, celebrating this Raksha Bandhan, we have to remember that we tie the rakhi, that bandhan, that binding. What is that binding? It doesn’t limit you. When you take the responsibility of others, it liberates you.
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.
