VIJAY DASHMI : ABOUT THE VICTORY OF GOODNESS OVER EVIL

Harbans

Oct 4

**LORD RAMA IS THE EPITOME OF TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS**

Good Karmic deeds leads us to the highest pedestal in our life but bad Karmic deeds brings about our downfall ultimately. The Truth and fair-play wins ultimately.

VIJAY DASHMI : ABOUT THE VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL

The most sacred day of all festivals we celebrate
With a lot of fervor
And learn lessons so exemplary
That evil in any form cannot have its sway always
Meaning, end of wickedness will come about
Indeed without a shred of doubt
However, powerful may be the perpetrator – an evil doer
Thus become a shining example for us all to follow at any rate
Even in situations seemingly desperate.

Lord Shri Ram, the embodiment of righteousness
With most adorable traits with immense prowess
A reservoir of humility with simplicity in abundance
Tolerance, harmony and for elderly immense reverence
That an offspring should profusely be possessing
For the subjects and the parents most adoring.

Lord Rama left for exile, leaving everything in Ayodhya
When his father King Shri Dashratha
Is constrained to act on the promises made in the past
To his wife Kakai – the mother of Shri Bharata
And step-mother of Lord Shri Rama
Who had saved Shri Dashratha's life once
By putting her own life in jeopardy
Consequently, extracting two promises for fulfilling
At a time and occasion of her own choosing.

Manthra – the courtier of Kakai too showed her true color
In making Queen Kakai realize the promises
And coaxed Kakai the crown for her son Shri Bharata
And 14 years exile for Shri Rama.

Shri Ramji, as expected
Accepted exile for fourteen long years
And that too without slightest reluctance
He embraced the simple life in the forest
Subsisting on the fruits and herbs that existed there
Truly speaking, that is the crux of a lesson
For today's younger generation
Maa Sitaji the consort of Shri Rama
Along with brother Lakshmana too accompanied Shri Rama.

The demon king Ravana
King of Sri Lanka
With an evil intent
And with utter deception, abducted Sita Maa
The loving consort of Shri Rama
Kept her in his garden called Ashok Vatika
Exhorting Sitaji to marry him
Sita Mata, being an ideal wife
Of an ideal husband – Shri Rama
Sita Maa spurned his proposal with a disdain it deserved above all
Ravana, despite his knowledge of Vedas
And one of the fondest Bhaktas of Lord Shiva
Ruined his name and fame
Along with the knowledge he had had thus attained
Over a period of time
With his acts so highly wicked
An immorality of highest order – by any imaginable yardsticks
A battle between the two armies ensued
Due to which Ravana lost his everything dear to him
His nears and dears and his forces perished
Including his brother Kumbkarna and dear son Methnada
And finally himself – the so called invincible Ravana!

By the sharp arrows of Lord Rama
There is eternal lesson for all of us from this epic Ramyana
Evil and the evil doers meet their doom
Burn it out, the sooner it is done the better for us humans
As we burn the effigies of Ravana
Along with Kumbkarna and Meghnada
Showcasing that evil meets its end.
Vijaydashmi should establish a kingdom of love
Overflowing with peace, full of tolerance, a feeling of goodwill for all,
A kingdom of love for everybody, leaving none
For it is a celebration for destruction of evil in all its forms
And a win for TRUTH an ultimate ONE.

HAPPY VIJAYADASHAMI / DUSSEHRA (5th October 2022)

Vijayadashami or Dushehra or Dushara or Dashara is one of the most prominent Hindu festivals of repute and is celebrated at the end of Navratri. It is an annual feature – on the 10th day of the Hindu month of Ashvin which falls in the month of September – October.

Vijayadashami personifies victory of goodness or righteousness over evil or wickedness. Vijay means victory and dashmi means falling on the tenth day.

Similarly, Dushara is derived from two syllables: Dus means evil or bad and hara means to destroy or to remove – by its combination, we deduce Dushara as a day which we observe as a sign of removal of evil from our midst. There is, in fact, a lesson for us all – the forces representing evil will lose ultimately.

Reasons for its celebration in the Eastern and Northern states of India:-

Dussehra Marks the end of Durga Puja wherein the devout remember Goddess Durga Maa after She ammojo;ated Demon king Maheshasur thereby restoring the law of Dharma. Maheshasura wanted to establish the rule of demons; for this, he killed many sages/sadhus and even defiled their Yajna fires besides killing general populace.

Dussehra also marks the end of Navratri, represented by Nine Devis with different traits with unlimited power and elegance.
In many parts of India Ramlila is enacted wherein different artists play various roles (Lord Rama, Lakshman, Bharat, Shatrugun, Sita Maa, Demon King Ravana, brother Kumbhkarna and Babishna, son Meghnadh etc) from beginning i.e. births of Rama and his brothers, Sita Devi is described as the daughter of Prithvi (the Earth) because she was found in a pot by Mithla King Janaka while ploughing the fields and was brought up by the king.. All the situations are enacted as though it was happening in real life till, of course, on a ninth day on the death of demon king Ravana who is symbolized as the personification of evil. On the tenth day, the effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnadh are burnt to show to the masses at large that the evil ends ultimately.

People also take out processions, carrying the statues of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha etc accompanied with the chants of songs and dances and immersed in the water. After immersion of statues, the devotees pray to Maa Durga for blessing them with her bounties for the entire year.

After Dusheshra people start preparation for Dipawali – another festival in connection with reception of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana by the Ajodhya gentry. They illuminated their homes and street for welcoming their beloved Lord Rama.

In Northern India, Dashara (ten days) is celebrated to pay respects to Lord Rama. The plays based on the life of Lord Rama and his humble and benevolent rule too Is also depicted in the form of plays and dramas with light and sound accompanied by music and dance. Finally, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbkarna, and Meghnatha are burnt for depicting the end of evil and supremacy of the goodness. In Kullu Valley, there is a big fair and people come to witness this fair with gaiety and enthusiasm to enjoy it.

In South India (Karnataka), Dashehra is celebrated with the worship of Durga Maa. In the south, the festival is dedicated to Lordess of Knowledge Saraswati and worship the books and musical instruments. Children are initiated to studies, it is considered auspicious to start new business ventures and new houses, cars and other properties are purchased.

In Western regions (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat), people install their deities and immerse the same on Vijaydashmi. Lord Rama and Goddess Durga are worshiped. The famous dandia dance known as Garba in traditional dresses is one of the wonderful attractions in Gujarat.

In Eastern regions, the Durga Maa statues are immersed in rivers. Vijayadashami has special significance in West Bengal. Besides worshipping Maa Durga they have singing and dance competitions besides competitions on other literary features.

LESSONS FROM VIJAYDASHMI

• However powerful the evil doers may be they all meet their end ultimately. Demon King Ravana was a most powerful one with knowledge of Vedas besides being one of the foremost devotees of Lord Shiva, yet, when he stooped low by abducting Sita Maa, he met his end due to bad Karmic deeds.

• We all should obey the laws of nature and live our life accordingly.

• Lord Rama personified righteousness, known for impartiality while imparting justice, obedient son of his parents (Accepts proceeding to 14 years exile when told by his father (Ayodhaya King Dashratha) and above all he did everything to end evil from the society and establish rule of justice and evenhandedness.

• Truth wins in the long run.

• Finally, the ultimate lesson which we get from VIJAYDASHMI is that we cannot escape from our KARMA. Good Karmic deeds bring us good tidings and bad karmic deeds takes away everything which we have earned by way of our good Karma.

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