Nagpur:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said India will certainly become a ‘Vishwaguru’ and guide the world, and nobody should harbour any doubts about the country’s future.
He also said that earlier, people doubted if the Ram temple would ever be built, but it came into being. In the same way, India becoming a ‘vishwaguru’ (teacher to the world) is certain to happen.
Bhagwat was speaking after laying the foundation stone of ‘Bharat Durga Shakti Sthal’ temple coming up on the premises of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the Jamtha area on the outskirts of Nagpur city in the evening.
The vision of India becoming a vishwaguru would be realised through consistent efforts and collective discipline, he said, expressing confidence that such a transformation could be witnessed in the present generation.
Doubts about India’s future should be abandoned, the RSS chief said.
“Don’t doubt India’s future. Live with courage and self-reliance and practise these values in daily life. India will be strong and will guide the world. People doubted if Ram temple would be built, but it happened. Similarly, India becoming a vishwaguru is certain,” he said.
“There should be no confusion whether it will happen or not. What is destined will happen,” he said, citing the Ram temple movement as an example of perseverance leading to eventual success.
“If we act according to our resolve step by step, India will become strong, virtuous and a global guide,” he added.
Bhagwat said that to truly understand India, people must first understand Bharat deeply and then begin to practise it in their everyday lives.
“To worship Bharat Mata, we must become Bharat ourselves,” he said, adding that the country must be understood from its own civilisational values rather than through a colonial or Western lens developed over 150 years.
The RSS chief urged citizens to shed “layers of Western thinking” and reconnect with Indian traditions in thought and conduct.
This transformation would begin with small but meaningful changes in daily life, such as language, clothing, food habits and cultural practices, he said.
“India must be known, accepted and lived in daily life,” he said, stressing that only through such a process of self-realisation can the vision of a strong and confident India be achieved.
The idea of worshipping Bharat Mata is not limited to rituals, but requires individuals to transform themselves into Bharat in their own lives, he said.
He said that the idea of a ‘Bharat Mata’ temple in Nagpur was conceived by the late Moropant Pingle.
The idea emerged when the idols of Bharat Mata were carried across different routes in India during the unity journey, according to him.
“At that time, the idea of a Bharat Mata temple in Nagpur came to Moropant Pingle. It was not my imagination,” he said, adding that one of the four idols from the journey eventually came to Nagpur, but other national movements kept people engaged for decades, delaying the project.
He said the present hospital now includes the Bharat Mata temple, which symbolically represents strength, knowledge and wisdom.
“Inspired by ‘Vande Mataram’, I felt that Bharat Mata should be in the form of Durga, the ten-armed goddess of strength. Without strength, truth alone cannot prevail in the world,” he said.
While India may be rooted in truth, the rest of the world often follows the principle that whoever has power is right, he said.
Religious leaders, including Shree Gurusharanji Maharaj, Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj, Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, Swami Mitranandaji Maharaj, Sadhvi Ritambhara and Dhirendra Shastri, were present on the occasion along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Fadnavis thanked the RSS chief for his vision of the ‘Bharat Durga Shakti Sthal’, saying it is a statue of power which will awaken a new consciousness in the country and inspire everyone.
Gadkari said that the bhoomi pujan of the temple was a moment of fortune for everyone.
“The inspiration behind this initiative is nation-building. It will give the entire country motivation for nation-building,” he said.
Swami Avdheshanand Giri praised Bhagwat for his gentle nature and extraordinary leadership.
“Bharat is just not a land, but is a goddess, hence it should be worshipped,” he said.
“It is God’s will that India is moving towards the vision of ‘Akhand Bharat’ and that India will reclaim its lost boundaries and restore its lost glory after some time,” he said, adding that the country will lead the world in the coming centuries.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri praised the RSS volunteers for their contribution to social work.
He urged Indian citizens to have four children and dedicate one of them to the RSS.
Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj said that Nagpur is a centre of inspiration for him and everyone. He stressed the need to establish “Ram Rajya” and expressed concerns over “love jihad”, saying it was also visible in the corporate world now.
Sadhvi Ritambhara expressed happiness over the temple and called for unity in society.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)