Bhagwat Reasserts: ‘RSS Runs on Guru Dakshina and Dedication’

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday once again addressed a question that has long followed the organisation - how is the Sangh funded? Speaking in Jaipur, Bhagwat reiterated that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is sustained chiefly through Guru Dakshina, the voluntary contributions of its own members.

He said the explanation had been given countless times, yet "some people still find it difficult to believe that the Sangh runs purely on the dedication and contributions of swayamsevaks."

Funding Questions Resurface

Bhagwat was delivering the Deendayal Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Ekatma Manavdarshan Research and Development Foundation, when he noted that all major questions about the RSS had been answered repeatedly - except the one about finances.

He insisted that the organisation operates through the "spirit of dedication" of volunteers. "People find it hard to accept that members run the Sangh at their own expense," he said, emphasising that Guru Dakshina is offered out of commitment, not obligation.

'India Growing Mile by Mile'

Turning to India's global standing, Bhagwat said the world increasingly looks towards India for answers to pressing international challenges. The country, he said, is no longer progressing "inch by inch" but "mile by mile."

He added that India possesses both the intellectual resources and the respect needed to play a vital role in global problem-solving.

Thoughts on Nationalism and Conflict

Reflecting on the history of global conflicts, Bhagwat said wars often arise from nationalism taken to extremes. Although world leaders have discussed internationalism as a corrective, many nations still prioritise national interest above everything else, he observed.

At Jaipur Book Launch: 'For a Volunteer, RSS Work Comes First'

On Sunday, Bhagwat attended another event in Jaipur to release a book titled "...Aur Yeh Jeevan Samarpit" - a tribute to 24 late RSS pracharaks from Rajasthan.

Here too, he returned to the theme of selfless service. For an RSS volunteer or pracharak, he said, "the Sangh's work is always supreme." Recalling his own appointment, he said the Sangh had asked him to become Sarsanghchalak, and he had agreed without hesitation. "If tomorrow the Sangh asks me to step down and sweep the floors, I will do that too," he said.

Pracharaks Don't Seek Fame, Says Bhagwat

A true pracharak, Bhagwat insisted, does not aspire to recognition. "A pracharak gives everything-time, energy, life-without expecting even a mention of his name," he said.
He added that previous generations of pracharaks faced far more hardship and that many remained unsung despite their contributions. "We did not join the Sangh to show our faces to the world," he said.

Those who do not understand this spirit, he added, may continue to question or criticise the RSS - but volunteers remain steadfast.

A Century of Growth Despite Scrutiny

Bhagwat noted that despite recurring doubts, criticisms and questions from outside, the RSS has grown steadily over the last hundred years. "If circumstances and fate allowed, every RSS volunteer would become a pracharak," he said, returning once again to the ideal of lifelong dedication.

The Jaipur events underscored Bhagwat's renewed effort to counter persistent speculation about the RSS's financial model while highlighting the ethos of selfless service that he said continues to shape the organisation's expansion.