Unity is hidden in diversity, says RSS chief Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday absence of light leads to darkness and called upon people to live in "oneness" and respect diversity.

He said one may think that today's atmosphere has been vitiated, but this feeling comes from lack of light in our hearts.

Bhagwat said despite their differences, all human beings are members of one family and this bond is based not on selfishness but close family ties.

Speaking at the programme of a local college, Bhagwat said all should understand that unity is hidden in diversity.

What we understood was that the entire world comes from one and in the language of the world it is said unity in diversity...the emotion behind is good.

"But I feel there is a need to make some changes (in this slogan) and it should be Ekta ki hevivivdhata hain aur isliye vivivdhata mein ekta hain usko jaano aur saari vivivdhata ka sweekar karo...samaan karo (unity is diversity and hence diversity lies in unity... accept all diversities and respect them," the RSS chief said.

Referring to the prevailing atmosphere in the country, Bhagwat said some may talk about pervasive darkness, but that is not reality.

When oneness (apnapan) comes into the world then no darkness can stand before it. Love removes all darkness. The earlier speaker said days are very bad, dont know what will happen in the disturbed atmosphere.

"But there is no need to fear, darkness is there, but we cannot hit darkness and turn it away because there is no such thing like darkness in reality," he said.

The RSS chief said darkness does not have its own strength and it can be overcome by light.

"Lack of light is called darkness and when someone brings light, darkness starts to fade away.

"If we look at the atmosphere prevailing in the country then one thing comes to notice, there are those who have seen the pre-independence era and those who are seeing the current situation.

"With experience of life, we say the atmosphere has become very bad, today also we may think like that. But it is lack of light in us, which is making this atmosphere come into our hearts, he said.

"What is this light in us...it is oneness (apnapan), what is Bharatvarsh, it says you may be born at any place, in any caste, region, language.

"You may have any habit, eating habits, rituals... you may worship or not worship any God or Goddess. All these in you is respected by me, and you also accept it and respect it," the RSS chief said.

He said due to lack of oneness, darkness spreads and narrated a story from Panchatantra about friendship between a lion and a buffalo.

Their friendship was broken by jackals who envied the closeness between the lion and the buffalo due to their own self-interest, Bhagwat said.

He refereed to the split between the lion and the buffalo and said this what happens in politics.

"Selfishness becomes obstacle in love. Jackals instigated both the tiger and the buffalo against each other for selfish motives and the same thing has been happening in politics since the British era," he said.

"The tiger and the buffalo got misled by the jackals and fought with each other. Instead, the tiger and the buffalo should have deliberated with each other and fallen to the machinations of the jackals," the RSS chief said.