There is a big difference between “you don’t rape somebody because of fear of law”, and “you don’t rape somebody just because you don’t want to be violent and you don’t want to enter into somebody’s space”. You don’t want to rape somebody because of Law & Order is “hard power”. You don’t want to rape somebody because you don’t want to enter into somebody’s space, or you don’t want to be violent, or you don’t want to be abusive into somebody’s space is “soft power”.

Order which comes by “soft power” is the permanent eternal order. Understand, order never comes by “hard power”; it comes only by “soft power”.

May be, Law & Order can come by “hard power”, but order can come only by “soft power”. Actually, this will answer a lot of questions about what is secularism, why the concept of secularism evolved only in the western countries, and why the concept of western secularism is not going to suit India.

Please understand, Secularism in India should be respecting all the great things from all religions, not discarding all religions.

If Bhagavad Gita is introduced, if Suryanamaskar is introduced, immediately a few people cry, ‘Oh, we are losing our secular fabric, secular fabric!’ Relax! Respecting all the religions, respecting all the spiritual traditions as unique! Now I am making a statement. Please understand, earlier I used to make a statement: ‘All religions are unique’. Now I am reinventing myself and updating myself: ‘All SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS are unique! All SPIRITUAL COMPONENTS OF RELIGIONS are unique!’ I am no more attesting all religions. ‘ALL SPIRITUAL COMPONENTS OF RELIGIONS ARE UNIQUE, AND THEY SHOULD ALL BE RESPECTED AS SACRED’. Respecting all the spiritual components!

And if you come and tell me, ‘No, no, no, no! My religion itself should be respected. Why are you separating spiritual component and religion? In my religion, spiritual component is very less’, what can I do for that? It is up to you! One good thing with Vedic Tradition is, the whole Vedic Tradition, the whole religion is spiritual component! The way you brush in the morning, the way you wash yourself, everything is spiritual.

Listen! This contemplating and exploring on “hard power” and “soft power” will answer thousands of our questions. It will help us to think. Thousands and thousands of understandings we have in life, it will actually answer thousands of your questions, and it will question thousands of your answers, understand?

A Guru who only answers your questions will lead you to a cult.

A Guru who questions your answers also only will lead you to culture!

A Guru who answers only your questions will lead to you a cult. A Guru who questions your answers also only will lead you to culture! If I have to give a simple difference between spiritual component and religion, wherever the truths are given to you for you to assimilate and develop your thinking from Perception to Fact, Fact to Truth, Truth to Reality, it is “Spiritual”. Anything other than this is “Religion”. That’s all!

Understand, this “hard power”, “soft power”, thinking needs to be done a lot in the Vaakyaartha Sadhas; only then you will understand the uniqueness of Vedic Tradition and why we have so much of freedom; because, our religion was never used by its founders or its preservers to control people, understand? Religion was never a tool for us to control people. Rameshwaram to Kedarnath, morning till night, the actions of people are the same. But we had fifty-four “deshas”. Even a great personality like Shankaracharya never bothered to create the whole land under which his influence prevailed as one country. Actually, Shankaracharya, if he wants, he could have done it. And Jnanasambandhar, when he cured the Pandya, the Pandya offered the whole kingdom at the feet of Jnanasambandhar. Jnanasambandhar is from Chola Kingdom. He could have just said, ‘Alright!’ And, actually, the Pandya’s wife is daughter of Chola! Actually, Chola’s daughter was married to Pandya! Jnanasambandhar could have said, ‘Come on, after all the queen is from my kingdom. Let both kingdoms be merged together and I will be Rajaguru for the whole. He could have said it. He didn’t! Because, the whole Chola Kingdom was at the feet of Jnanasambandhar! He didn’t! He just said, ‘No, you continue to rule. I will appoint a Sannidhaanam who will be Rajaguru for you and guide you.’ That’s all! Understand, we were so clear! We are not interested in “hard power”. We are only interested in empowering, inspiring, raising human-beings. Even in my wildest dreams, I cannot imagine myself handling “hard power”; because, we are so clear, “soft power” means “DECIDING FOR LIFE”, “hard power” means “CONTROLLING”. “Hard power” is always about controlling. “Soft power” is always about life – inspiring, liberating, enlightening, freeing!

The concept of “God” society believes, is very important. That holds the key of the whole social structure, please understand. Don’t even think the concept of “God” is not that important. No!

One atheist fellow came and told me, ‘Hey, what is this? You guys, if you believe in Shiva, you have so many holidays, celebration, festival. If you believe in this god, you have so many holidays; that god, you have so many holidays. You have so much of festivals! If you believe in Vishnu, you have so many festivals! If you believe in Ganesha, you have so many festivals! Atheists don’t have any day to celebrate.’

I said, ‘Why? Who said? There is one important day dedicated to you: APRIL 1st! Celebrate it!’

Atheists always run behind “hard power”. Because they are so empty inside, they run behind “hard power”. And, brilliant guy, the most intelligent guy will be established in “soft power”, and he knows life runs by inspiration, life runs by inspiration, life runs by inspiration! Nothing else! NOTHING else! And NOTHING ELSE! I tell you, life runs by inspiration! You may say, ‘Oh, we allowed politically ourselves to be slaves and ruled by others!’ So many things we can say. But, I tell you, we are, and we were, and we will be the most stable society! Even after so much of attack! Because, we know the technology of “soft power”!

If you explore this one concept which I introduced today – “soft power” and “hard power” – you will understand the depth of Vedic Tradition. Thousands of your questions – Why secularism evolved in the West? And, why that concept of secularism is not the right thing for us in this country? And what kind of a secularism we need to evolve for ourselves? – all these questions will be answered, all these truths will be revealed to all of us. The “inclusive secularism” is what is going to work out for India, not using the word secularism “excluding”. No! Inclusive secularism!