Ahmedabad: In a comprehensive and reflective address, Mukunda C R, Sah-Sarkaryavah, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), paid tribute to Madhav Sadashiv Rao Golwalkar (Guruji Golwalkar), the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, who led the organisation for an extraordinary 33 years after the demise of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. Translating his thoughts from the original text, the speech delved deep into Guruji’s life, philosophy, and the enduring expansion of the Sangh’s thought and activity under his guidance.

Mukunda C R was speaking at the second day lecture of a four-day lecture series organised by Bharatiya Vichar Manch from November 11 to 14, 2025, focusing on the ideas, leadership, events, and historical documents associated with the 100-year journey of the RSS.

The Life and Contemplation of a Visionary

Mukunda C R began by noting that while Guruji’s birth (February 19, 1906) and passing (June 9, 1973) are well known, his life’s inner dimensions, his spiritual grounding, intellectual rigor, and organizational foresight deserve deeper reflection.

Before assuming leadership of the RSS, Guruji came in close contact with the Ramakrishna Ashram, where he underwent diksha (spiritual initiation) from Swami Akhandanand ji, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Mukunda C R pointed out that this was a unique aspect in the life of any Sarsanghchalak, as the revered Guruji had traversed a serious spiritual path before dedicating himself fully to national service.

“Among all the Sarsanghchalaks,” Mukunda C R observed, “this spiritual grounding distinguishes Guruji’s journey and prepared him to lead with both conviction and compassion.”

Guruji: From Hedgewar’s Heir to Architect of Expansion

Describing Guruji’s three-decade leadership as a period of ‘unique and exceptional leadership under difficult circumstances,’ Mukunda said that Guruji not only protected the Sangh through adversity but also transformed Dr. Hedgewar’s “seed of thought” into a “banyan tree” of organizational life.

The period following Guruji’s appointment was turbulent. The Quit India Movement, the Partition of India, and the ban on the RSS after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination all posed existential challenges. Yet, under his firm yet measured leadership, the Sangh not only survived but grew stronger.

“When Guruji took charge, there were fewer than a thousand Shakhas,” Mukunda ji said. “By the time of his passing in 1973, that number had expanded to more than 20,000.”

This exponential growth, he said, was the result of steady discipline, strong organizational systems, and unwavering adherence to the Sangh’s founding principles.

Mukunda also recounted how Yadavrao Joshi, a senior Pracharak, had described the moment Dr. Hedgewar named his successor:

“When Doctor Saheb handed over the responsibility, I saw Madhav in Keshav,” he had said referring to the spiritual and ideological continuity between the two.

Even in his humility, Guruji recognized the lineage of thought he inherited. When a journalist once asked him about his “greatest contribution,” he replied, “I have not contributed anything other than what Dr. Hedgewar gave.”

Similarly, Appaji Joshi, one of Dr. Hedgewar’s closest associates, had remarked: “I was Doctor Saheb’s right hand, but Guruji was his heart.”

Contemplating Expansion: The Birth of the Sangh’s Diverse Activities

Mukunda noted that Guruji’s vision of diversification the emergence of different social, cultural, and educational initiatives was conceived as early as the 1940s. This phase, he said, laid the groundwork for the Sangh’s evolution into a “thought family” (Sangh Parivar), encompassing varied spheres of national life.

He recounted three key moments that captured this early contemplation:

1. Post-Independence Discussions:
   Guruji, along with Balasaheb Deoras and Bhayya ji Dandile, reflected on what kind of institutions might be needed for national reconstruction after independence. Even though the Sangh was banned at the time, this dialogue revealed Guruji’s foresight for structured diversification.

2. Anand Parvat Meeting, Delhi (circa 1950):
   Intellectual discussions were held on whether the Sangh should enter politics or continue as a purely cultural movement. Guruji’s stand was clear,  the Sangh must remain rooted in its cultural mission, providing the moral base upon which all other institutions could grow.

3. Sindi Meeting (1954):
   A week-long meeting in Sindi village focused on Sarvangin Unnati (holistic progress) and Swa (selfhood). Guruji emphasized that true independence was not just the transfer of political power, but the revival of India’s spiritual, cultural, and civilizational identity Swarashtra in the truest sense.

Guiding the Founding of Key Institutions

Mukunda detailed Guruji’s guiding role in the genesis of several major national organizations that emerged from Sangh thought:

Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), 1951

When Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee approached the Sangh for help in forming a political party, Guruji provided dedicated workers but maintained a crucial distinction.
During a 1952 interview with The New York Times, Guruji cautioned journalist Lucas not to conflate the Sangh and the Jana Sangh in one story, warning “You will only add to misconceptions if you present both together.”

Guruji believed political activity alone could not bring holistic national development that cultural awakening (Sanskritik Utthan) and values-based transformation were equally vital.

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), 1955

Guruji advised Dattopant Thengadi to first gain experience within existing trade unions before founding a new organization. Upon realizing the limitations of that space, Thengadi founded BMS in 1955, under Guruji’s guidance.

He urged them to integrate economic justice with Rashtriyata (national identity) and Matrubhakti (devotion to the motherland), proposing Vishwakarma as the ideal icon of the working class, a symbol still revered within BMS today.

Vidya Bharati / Saraswati Shishu Mandir, 1952

Guruji’s educational vision was discussed extensively with Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Nanaji Deshmukh, leading to the establishment of the first Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gorakhpur. He emphasized that education must combine truth, culture, and national perspective, a philosophy that continues to influence India’s New Education Policy (NEP) today.

Guruji’s Thought: Timeless and Universal

Mukunda emphasized that Guruji’s philosophical reflections remain profoundly relevant in today’s global context from questions of individualism to ethics, technology, and social harmony.

1. Happiness and Collective Joy

Guruji’s definition of Sukha (happiness) and Ananda (joy) rejected hyper-individualism. True joy, he taught, is experienced when one’s well-being is aligned with the collective welfare of society (Samashti). Dattopant Thengadi once illustrated this by describing a worker who risked his life to save a child from a manhole  an act of spontaneous Ananda through service.

2. Ethics and Technology

Guruji foresaw the dilemmas of technological advancement. While accepting that progress is inevitable, he warned that its use must always be guided by Dharma (righteous conduct). Mukunda noted that these reflections are “startlingly relevant today in the global debate over the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence.”

3. Truth in Education

Recounting Guruji’s narration of the story of Satyakama Jabala, Mukunda explained how Guruji considered truthfulness the foundation of learning. “Education must be rooted in Satya,” Guruji said, teaching that the moral quality of truth is more important than any formal qualification.

4. Social Equality and Untouchability

Mukunda recalled Guruji’s landmark address at the 1969 Vishwa Hindu Parishad convention in Udupi, where he urged Dharmacharyas and Mathadhipatis to unite against untouchability.

Guruji declared that “untouchability is filth (kashmal) in the minds of those who consider themselves superior.” The saints, responding to his appeal, collectively announced that there should be no discrimination within Hindu society, a turning point in social reform led by spiritual authority.

A Legacy Rooted in Continuity

Concluding his address, Mukunda encapsulated Guruji Golwalkar’s role as the bridge between thought and action, “Dr. Hedgewar sowed the seeds; Guruji nurtured the tree. Doctor Saheb was the Sutrakar, and Guruji, the Bhāṣyakār, he who interpreted, elaborated, and institutionalised the vision for generations to come.”

He said Guruji’s leadership exemplified how ideas, when grounded in spirituality and national vision, can outlast time and transcend challenges. “Through his contemplation and work,” Mukunda said, “Guruji ensured that what was once a seed of thought became a living banyan, deeply rooted in India, and spreading shade across the world.” DeshGujarat