‘Enemy Must Be Destroyed, Caste A Colonial Import': Swami Vigyananand's Book Offers New Civilisational Doctrine
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The monk, who heads VHP's international coordination division, said he drew information from ancient texts for a fresh Indic perspective
Swami Vigyananand's upcoming book, The Hindu Manifesto, is not a typical religious treatise. From 'the enemy should be destroyed" to 'caste is a Western construct," the book sparks a bold new narrative that challenges conventional ideas and proposes an assertive Hindu worldview grounded in ancient scripture.
The IIT graduate-turned-monk, who now heads VHP's international coordination division and holds the position of a joint general secretary in the organisation, said he drew information from ancient texts to offer a fresh Indic perspective—'an authentic civilisational blueprint for Bharat's future". The book will be released on Saturday by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
In an exclusive interview with News18, Swami Vigyananand opened up about the core ideas of his upcoming book, its political and geopolitical implications, and why he believed the time had come for Hindus to reclaim not just their faith, but their framework for governance, education, and global leadership based on the directions given on the ancient scriptures.
Speaking about the current geopolitical climate and on dealing with enemies in a time of crisis, he said: 'It is not a sin to use strategic deception against those who use deceit to harm others. Our scriptures have given us guidance and these are pointed and clear—when an enemy is committed to destruction, they must be destroyed without hesitation. This is not cruelty; it is a disciplined duty to protect the nation. In a time of crisis, even a weak enemy must not be ignored. We should not be playing tournaments with the enemy of win and loss, enemies must be destroyed."
Talking about the current caste narrative dominating the political discourse, he declared that caste was never a Hindu thing. 'What we call the caste system today is not rooted in our shastras—it is a distortion introduced by colonial administrators who misunderstood or deliberately misrepresented our varna and jati systems," he said.
'In the scriptures, these categories were never based solely on birth. They were flexible, functional, and tied to one's qualities, conduct, and contribution to society," he added.
His ideas and research on the caste system formed a key ideological plank of the manifesto which talks about reclaiming Hindu social philosophy from colonial and orientalist mis-readings.
For several issues related to national security, society and geopolitics, his book also presents the 'Hindu worldview' of economics, and about the link between economic power and global standing.
'We must realise that economic power is not just a domestic concern for a country—it is the very foundation of diplomatic influence, military capability, and strategic autonomy. A nation that is not economically strong cannot project strength internationally. Political power in the global arena is downstream of economic power, and these were written in our scripture. We need to read and understand the Hindu worldview," said Swami Vigyananand.
He elaborated on a certain section's idea of glorifying poverty. 'For too long, we have equated poverty with piety. But our tradition never celebrated deprivation or poverty—it celebrated balance, abundance, and dharmic prosperity. We must stop condemning prosperity and instead recognise that creating wealth, when done ethically, is a sacred duty," he said.
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Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 08, 2025, 18:38 IST News opinion Pakistan's Washington Outreach Against India Backfires: Public Humiliation, Zero Traction | Finepoint
