dussehra or vijayadashami is one of the most popular indian festival. dussehra signifies the victory of good over evil, truth over false and dharma over adharma. the dussehra festival inspire us to follow the path of dharma (righteousness) and truth. it reminds us that in the end truth always wins. this year dussehra is falling on 22nd Oct, 2015.
dussehra festival is celebrated all over india, nepal, pakistan and west bengal with different names and rituals to mark the defeat of the demon king ravana by lord rama. it is also called as vijayadashami or durgotsav, as this day also marks the victory of goddess durga over the demon mahishasur.
other names of dussehra festival are dashahara and dasara. the word ‘dussehra’ is derived from the sanskrit word ‘dasha-hara” which literally means “removal of ten”. lord rama defeated the demon king ravana who is believed to have 10 heads. since this victory (vijay) happened on the 10th lunar day (dashmi) of the hindu calendar month, it is also known by the name ‘vijayadashami‘.
so every year when you celebrate the dussehra festival then remind yourself to follow the path of dharma, truth and righteousness. don’t allow ego to influence your decisions. listen to your inner voice and to the wise men.
7 teachings from dussehra festival:
1. victory of good over evil
no matter how powerful is the evil, it will come to an end one day. in the end truth, justice and goodness prevails.
2. on this day burn the seeds of passion inside you
this day the effigy of ravana, kumbhakarna and meghnaad are burnt. this is symbolic that you also burn the qualities which spoil the mind that is lust, anger, identification, greed, too much pride, jealousy, selfishness, injustice, cruelty and ego. according to one opinion, ravana ten heads represent these ten qualities.
3. truth and dharma always wins in the end
if you are on the side of truth then you will always win. at the most justice might be delayed but you will always get it. so have patience like lord rama and stick to the path of dharma. don’t cheat any one. don’t claim anything which is ethically not yours. don’t take bribe, don’t promote corruption and don’t be greedy.
4. don’t be egoistic
ravana became too much egoistic about his powers. he thought that no can defeat him. his super ego was the cause of his fall. otherwise ravana was one of the most wise and learnt person of his time. he is considered as one of the greatest devotee of lord shiva. he had mastered all the four vedas and shastras. he was a great veena player and master of astrology and ayurveda. but despite that he missed one thing that is to conquer his own ego before setting out to conquer the world. he conquered all the nine planets of astrology. he defeated the mightiest people of that time including devas (gods). but he didn’t defeated his ego. if he had attained to inner mastery then he would not have been led astray by his ego. so keep your ego in check and listen to your inner voice.
these days mankind is on the footsteps of ravana. we are out to conquer the whole world and sending mission to mars and to outer world. but we are not mastering our inner world. despite all these technological inventions, people are still miserable, sad and depressed. we are claiming rights over the whole earth. we forget that birds and animals also have equal right over earth. in our greed we are spoiling the natural resources of the earth.
5. never share your secrets
if vibhishan didn’t knew the secret of ravana death then it would have been difficult to defeat him.
6. don’t underestimate the power of common men
ravana always thought that human being and monkeys are too weak to do any harm to him. so when he asked boon from lord brahma for immortality and protection, then he didn’t mention the name of human. so as per the boon given to him by lord brahma, no devta, deity, yaksha, serpents, heavenly spirits, wild beasts etc can kill him. thats why lord vishnu have to take the birth in human form to kill ravana. so never be over confident. stay humble.
7. follow the path of dharma
vibhishana choose to follow the path of dharma instead of supporting his elder brother ravana. today also he is appreciated for his wise decision.