Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 NAMASTE Alexandra, RSS is short for RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGA which means the National Selfless Service/Volunteer Association. It was founded in the 1920s by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1889 - 1940) He believed that India will never progress unless the Hindus,85% of Indians, united and overcame the burdens of casteism, foriegn rule and western isms like marxism and capitalism. Founded with very few members it is now the worlds largest volunteer org with over 350 million members. Because Hindus have so many forms of spirituality, languages and customs, the RSS has made an effort to highlight similarities and create an awareness of a common Indian civilizational ethos. In the eyes of the RSS, all Indians are Hindus inc Mulsims and christians. They have adopted the word hindu to unite all indians and see Hinduism as a way of life ratehr than a religion. The current leader is Sri Sudarshanji. Many RSS members have taken vows of celibacy in order to focus all their energy towards the advancemnet of the Hindu cause and the development of the nation. former PM vajpayee took a life long vow of celibacy but a majority of RSS members take 5 to 10 years vows and then become Grihastas or married men. all in all the RSS is a national carachter building organization. It has also been active in preserving ancient vedic scriptures and has spent years recording the authentic vedic metric chantings. There are very few poeple left in the world who have retained the ancient rythmn and proper metric tones of vedic chanting. fortunately, the rg veda chanting has been recorded and the effort is ongoing. Because the RSS has acheived remarkable political success in recent years thru its politcal branch, the BJP, those opposed to an indigenous Inidan based politcal system, have been demonizing the RSS as a muslim-hating fundamentalist org. I personally have met the leaders of the RSS 5 times in the past 2 years and was very honored to participate in many important conferances with them. One of these conferences was co-chaired by the head of the RSS, Sudarshanji and one of India's great Muslim leaders. At this meeting they both called for the Indianizing of India's education system and for the ban on cow killing. The RSS is doing wonderful work in India and unknown to most they have opened hundreds of schools, hospitals and cultural centers. They do not demand conversion or payment and help all regardless of religion, caste or race. they have done tremendous work in the tribal areas as well and have re-enthused them in their identity as the people of the Ramayana and Mahabharat who have always been an integral part of Vedic civilization. Here are two of their websites. I hope I answered yr question. At yr service Vrin Parker http://www.rss.org/New_RSS/index.jsp http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/ vediculture, alexandra_108 <alexandra_108> wrote: > Please, what is RSS? > > Alexandra > > vrnparker <vrnparker> wrote: > VFA-family, friend vijai <friend_vijai> > wrote: > "The Sangh is my Soul" > (by Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee) > > I came in contact with the RSS in 1939 through Arya Kumar Sabha, a > youth > branch of Arya Samaj, in Gwalior-then a princely state which was not > part of any province. I came from a strong 'sanatani' family. But I > used > to be at the weekly 'satsang' of Arya Kumar Sabha. Once Shri Bhoodev > Shastri who was a senior worker of Arya kumar Sabha, and a great > thinker > and an expert organiser, asked us: "What do you do in the evenings?" > "Nothing", we said, because the Arya Kumar Sabha used to meet in the > morning on every Sunday. Then he recommended us to go to the shakha. > Thus I started going to the Shakha in Gwalior. It was my first > association with the RSS. At that time the shakha in Gwalior had just > begun. It had only Maharashtrian boys, and naturally all the > swayamsevaks used to speak only Marathi. I started going to the > shakha > regularly. I liked the games played in the shakha as well as the > weekly > 'bauddhiks' (intellectual discourses). > > A pracharak, Shri Narayanrao Tarte had come from Nagpur to start the > shakha. He was indeed a superb human being; a very simple man, a > thinker > and an expert organiser. What I am today is the making of Shri Tarte. > Next to him I was inspired by Deendayal Upadhyaya and Bhaurao Deoras. > Gwalior was then not within the field of Bhauraoji. But once he had > come > to Gwalior with Shri Balasaheb Apte who was the then Bauddhik > Pramukh. > Apteji was very soft-spoken. We were soon drawn towards him. I had > talked with him for only a few minutes. But the same year (1940) > when I > went to see the first year Officers' Training Camp (OTC), I came in > close contact with him. I went there just to attend the valedictory > function of the camp, not for training. Dr. Hedgewar had also come > there > for the some time. I first saw him there. When Doctorji was ill I > went > to see him. In 1941 when I was in High School I did my first year > OTC. > In 1942 when I was in Intermediate class I did my second year OTC, > and I > did my third year in 1944 when I was doing my B.A. > > When I wrote 'Hindu Tan-man Hindu Jeevan' I was a student of class X. > After completing my graduation from Gwalior I did my M.A. from the > DAV > College in Kanpur, because there was no post-graduate college in > Gwalior. I then got State Government's scholarship also. Owing to > Partition, I could not complete my Law. And then in 1947, I decided > to > give up my studies to come out as a whole-time worker of the RSS. > Till > 1947 I did the RSS work at the shakha level and carried on my > studies. I > also participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942 and was jailed. > I > was then studying for my Intermediate examination. I was arrested > from > my native village Bhateshwar in Agra district. I was then 16. > > My father was not attached to the RSS, but my elder brother was. He > would go to the shakha. Once he went to the winter camp where he > created > a problem. He said: "I cannot take my food with the other > swayamsevaks. > I shall prepare my food myself." And see how deftly the RSS handled > the > situation. The 'sarvadhikari' (superintendent) of the camp complied > with > his request and provided him all the necessary thing for preparing > his > food. After taking his bath and properly adjusting his sacred thread, > etc., he started cooking his food. On the first day he prepared the > food > for himself. the next day, however, he could not prepare it and > joined > the queue of all swayamsevaks for partaking of the food. Within 44 > hours > he was changed. > > The RSS does not change only individuals. It changes also the > collective > mind. This is the beauty of the RSS ethos. In our spiritual > tradition an > individual can attain a great height. Even self-realisation is > possible > if one undertakes the right 'sadhana' and also attain 'nirvana.' But > what about the society? Nobody thinks about his obligation to the > society in general. Now for the first time the RSS thought about it > and > concluded that by changing individuals we shall change the society. > Had > the sarvadhikari at the camp scolded him and not allowed him to > prepare > his food himself his spiritual development would have been thwarted, > whereas in the RSS within 44 hours he was a changed boy. This is the > "secret method" of the RSS. That is how society is changed. It is > true > that it is a long process but then there are no short-cuts, no > instant > recipes. > > Gandhiji had praised the RSS for the absence of untouchability in the > organisation. Only the RSS organises the society. Other movements > only > divide the society by emphasising distinct 'identity', different > 'interests', special 'status', etc. They only encourage > untouchability > by constantly reminding the so-called untouchables of their > "separateness.You are being insulted. You have no place in > society." > > The RSS has a two-fold task before it. One is to organise the > Hindus. To > build a strong Hindu society, well-knit and rising above caste and > other > artificial differences. Some differences will persist but then > variety > is the spice of life. Like, we have the differences of the language. > We > don't want to destroy this diversity. The other task is to assimilate > the non Hindus, like Muslims and Christians in the mainstream. They > can > follow the faith of their own conviction. No one can object to it. We > worship trees, animals, stones, and what not. We have hundreds of > ways > of worshipping God. They can go where they want. But this country > must > be looked upon as the Motherland for them. They must have a feeling > of > patriotism for this country. But the Islamic division of the world > into > 'Darul Harab' and 'Darul Islam' comes in the way. Islam has yet to > learn > the art of existing and flourishing in a country where Muslims are > in a > minority. They cannot convert the whole of India to Islam. After all, > they have to live here. So they have to recognise this fact. And > today > it has become a matter of grave concern and deep thinking in the > Muslim > countries. Because Quran offers no guidance in this regard. It only > talks of killing kafirs or converting them to Islam. But they cannot > do > it always and everywhere. How can they do it where they are in a > minority? If they try to do it, a major clash will take place and > only > the members of the minority will be killed. But Muslims themselves > have > to change this state of affairs. We cannot change it for them. > > Congress has not correctly understood the Muslim problem. They > continue > to carry on their policy of appeasement. But to what effect? The > Muslims > of this country can be treated in three ways. One is 'tiraskar' which > means if they will not themselves change leave them alone, reject > them > as out compatriots. Second is 'puruskar' which is appeasement, i.e., > bribe them to behave, which is being done by the Congress and others > of > their ilk. The third way is 'parishkar' meaning to change them, that > is, > restore them to the mainstream by providing them samskaras. We want > to > change them by offering them the right samskaras. Their religion will > not be changed. They can follow their own religion. Mecca can > continue > to be holy for the Muslims but India should be holier than the holy > for > them. You can go to a mosque and offer namaz, you can keep the roza. > We > have no problem. But if you have to choose between Mecca or Islam and > India you must choose India. All the muslims should have this > feeling: > we will live and die only for this country. > > I wrote "Hindu Tan-man Hindu Jeevan" when I was studying in the tenth > class. I had then said, "koi batlaye Kabul mein jaakar kitni masjiden > todin." I still stand by my words. But we (Hindus) did pull down the > structure in Ayodhya. In fact it was a reaction to the Muslim vote- > bank. > We wanted to solve this problem through negotiation and legislation. > But > there was no puraskar for burai (evil act). We change burai also with > parishkar. Now I think, the Hindu society has been regenerated which > was > the prime task of the RSS. Earlier Hindus used to bend before an > invasion but not now. This change in Hindu society is worthy of > welcome. > So much change must have come with the new-found self-assertion. > This is > a question of self preservation. If the Hindu society does not expand > itself it will face the crisis of survival. We have to expand > ourselves. > We have to take others along with. Now the Yadavs and the so-called > Harijans are going with us. After all we have to live as Hindus. > Once a > Yadav leader came to me and said: "Don't condemn all Yadavs. All > Yadavs > are not with Mulayam Singh and Laloo Prasad. A 'samskrit' (cultured) > Yadav does not like them. There can be sections of Rajput, Kurmi and > Gujjar Muslims but you cannot find any Yadav Muslim anywhere. The > Yadavs > never accepted Islam. This talk of "Yadav-Muslim" Unity - MY card - > is > nothing more than an empty slogan for votes." > > The simple reason for my long association with the RSS is that I like > the Sangh. I like its ideology, and above all I like the RSS attitude > towards people, towards one another which is found only in the RSS. I > remember an incident, when I was in Lucknow. The Socialist movement > was > its peak. Suddenly a senior socialist activist fell ill. He was lying > alone in his house, and nobody went to enquire after his well- being. > Then Acharya Narendra Deo came to know and he went to his house to > see > him. The Acharya then said, "What fraternity is this in the Socialist > Party? Nobody has come to see you. It can never happen in the RSS. > If a > swayamsevak does not go to the shakha only for one day the same day > friends will promptly reach his house to enquire about his well- > being." > > When I was ill during the Emergency, my family members did not turn > up > to see me. They were afraid of being arrested for any such action. > Only > the RSS workers helped me. See, how much living contact and fraternal > feeling is in the RSS. Actually the Sangh is our family. We are all > one. > > In the beginning we could not spread our work in all sections of the > society because we did not have enough workers. "Man-making" is the > prime job of the RSS. As we now have more workers, we are covering > all > sections of the society in all fields of life. Changes are taking > place > in all spheres. But the work of man-making will not be discontinued, > it > will go on. It must go on. That is what the RSS movement is. > > > > > Post message: hssnj > Un: hssnj > > > > > > Links > > > hssnj/ > > > hssnj > > Terms of > Service. > > > > > > > Mail is new and improved - Check it out! > --- End forwarded message --- > > > > > This is an information resource and discussion group for people interested in the World's Ancient Vedic Culture, with a focus on its historical, archeological and scientific aspects. Also topics about India, Hinduism, God, and other aspects of World Culture are welcome. > Remember, Vedic Culture is not an artificial imposition, but is the natural state of a society that is in harmony with God and the environment.Om Shantih, Harih Om > > > > Sponsor > > > > Links > > > vediculture/ > > > vediculture > > Terms of Service. > > > > > > Mail is new and improved - Check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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