India needs to nurture knowledge of Vedas, says RSS chief Bhagwat

India needs to nurture the knowledge of the Vedas and the ancient language of Sanskrit to become a 'vishwa guru', Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Sunday.

He said Indian culture was not orthodox but changed with time and was not one that told us "what to eat and what not to eat".

India was created on the values of the Vedas, which have been followed by generation after generation, Bhagwat said at the 'Ved Sanskrit Gyan Gaurav Samarambh' event organised by Shree Bhagwan Yagyavalkya Vedtatvagyan Yogashram Trust in Mudeti village here.

"Therefore, today's India has to grow but not to become a superpower like America, China and Russia that wield power. We have to become a country which can offer answers to the problems plaguing the world today. We have to become a country which can show the world the path of peace, love and prosperity through right conduct," Bhagwat said.

India is a country that believes in propagating 'dharma', uniting everyone and becoming a vishwa guru, he said, adding "victory means dharma vijay".

"That is why it is necessary to nurture the knowledge of the Vedas or Ved vigyan and culture (sanskriti). All this knowledge is in Sanskrit. Therefore, it is necessary to have the influence of Sanskrit. If we know to speak our mother tongues well, then we can learn 40 per cent of Sanskrit," he claimed.

Bhagwat also said experts believe many concepts of science as well as mathematics are easy to learn if one has the knowledge of Sanskrit and music.

Hailing India's stand in the war between Ukraine and Russia, the RSS chief said both nations want India on their side, but India maintains that "both of you are friends" and, therefore, we will not take sides now.

This is not the era of war, hence, stop it, India has maintained, Bhagwat asserted.

"The India of today has the strength to say this to the world's superpowers, something it lacked in the past," he said.

Sri Lanka was once a friend of China and Pakistan and kept India at a distance, but the island nation turned towards India when it was in trouble (economic downturn).

"Because the country (India) which believes in Dharma does not take advantage of anyone. We take advantage of each other for mutual existence, but it is an exchange of love and not a bargain," Bhagwat said.

Whenever anyone needs what belongs to us, the country will offer it because this is what our forefathers have directed us to do as a duty, Bhagwat added.

"For a country to perform its duty, it will need a culture that is based on the unity of the world. Our culture, our dharma is not orthodox. It is something that changes with time. Our culture will not tell us what to eat and not to eat. But it will tell us not to consume food that spoils our health," Bhagwat said.