New Delhi:
In a veiled message after the Pahalgam terror attacks in which 26 people were killed, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said non-violence is India’s religion and a key part of its values, but so is teaching a lesson to “oppressors and hooligans”.
Speaking at an event to mark the release of the book ‘The Hindu Manifesto’ in New Delhi on Saturday, Mr Bhagwat also gave the example of Ravan and said he was killed not to harm him but for his own good.
“We never harm or disrespect our neighbours but if someone is bent on being evil, what is the cure? The king’s duty is to protect the people and he will do his duty. The Gita teaches non-violence, but the teaching is to ensure that Arjun fights and kills… because he was confronted with people whose development could only be done this way,” Mr Bhagwat said in Hindi.
“Non-violence is our nature, a key value,” Mr Bhagwat said, asserting, “our non-violence is to change people and make them non-violent too. Some people will change, seeing our example, but others will not… they won’t change no matter what you do and cause disorder in the world. So what will you do?”
The RSS chief then cited the example of Ravan and said he was a devotee of Lord Shiva who had knowledge of the Vedas and knew how to govern very well.
“He (Ravan) had all the qualities required to be a good person. But the body and intelligence he accepted did not allow the good qualities in. So, if he wanted to be good, the only option was to end that body and intelligence. So, God killed him. That killing is not violence, it’s still non-violence,” Mr Bhagwat said.
Degrees Of Punishment
“Non-violence is our religion, but not getting beaten by oppressors and teaching hooligans a lesson is also our religion. In Western thought, these two things can’t go together because the thought that you should assess whether your enemy is good or not does not exist… We see it, though, and punish some a little, others a lot and still others none at all to reform them. But those that cannot be reformed are sent, for their own good. to places where they need to be sent to get basic material,” he added.
Speaking at an event in Mumbai on Friday, the RSS chief had also said that the current fight is between ‘dharma’ (righteousness) and ‘adharma’ (unrighteousness), rather than just a conflict between sects and religions.
Referring to the Pahalgam attack, he said, “The fanatics who killed people by asking about their religion, Hindus would never do this. That is why the country should be strong,” he had said.
