Dussehra - New Beginnings For Inner and Social Activism
News Peg
Last week, Indians from all over the world celebrated the Hindu holiday, Vijayadashami.
Also known as Dussehra, Vijayadashmi celebrates Lord Rama’s victory over the demon-king, Ravana.
According to the ancient Indian epic, Ramayana, Lord Rama, the selfless and dutiful king of Ayodhya, is sent to the forest for 14 years during the night of his coronation with his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshman. While in the forest, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the demonic and powerful king of Lanka, and Lord Rama, along with an army of forest-dwellers, rescues his wife and kills the evil Ravana.
Many Indians also celebrated Vijayadashmi as the final night of Navaraatri. According to this ancient story from the ancient Indian Puranas, the good-hearted gods were losing a battle against the evil demons led by Maishasura. It is said, the gods come together, meditate, and pray in unison, merging their energy into Lord Durga, the goddess of strength and protection. For nine nights, Goddess Durga fought Mahishasura and killed him on the ninth night.
Millions of Indians across the globe celebrate Vijayadashmi either by lighting their houses, performing the garba folk dance, and eating delicious food.
Together, they celebrate the victory of light over darkness, purity over evil, and truth over ignorance.
What This Means Today
Both of the briefly-described mythological battles from ancient India representing the auspicious date of Vijayadashmi speak to us even today symbolically.
Ravana, in the Ramayana, symbolizes the blinding ego within every individual for many people. As the story goes, Ravana was actually a very knowledgeable and intellectual king, but it was his ever-growing ego that made him do evil deeds.
Mahishasura, in the story of Navraatri, for many, represents the demons within us. The nine nights represent the arduous efforts and concentration it takes for us to truly defeat our inner demons with love, strength, and new beginnings.
Ultimately, in both tales, there is only vijaya - or victory in Sanskrit.
While there could be multiple interpretations and ways of looking at these stories, these are three things we learn from Vijayadashmi for us today:
The demons are within us, not externally - As we noticed even in the story of Mahisasura’s demise, the noble gods noticed that they were unable to defeat the demons infesting society because they were disunited. Realizing that through a united effort based in faith of the Supreme, victory is possible. Even today, we face the greatest demons around us - whether it be the pandemic, racial divide, or social and economic struggle. But at the core, there are the mental and psychological demons we face that folklore, religions, and scriptures for hundreds of years have metaphorically warned us about. These fears, egos, desires, and hatred try to eat us. They could be interpreted as the demons of kama, krodha, lobha, moh, and matsar (desire, anger, greed, ego, and jealousy) in Vedic literature. We must learn to fight them through accepting their existence and moving beyond them towards a life of self-respect, calmness, and purity in thought and action. This day calls for this.
What Needs to Be At The Center - These stories teach us that the greatness of our goals, ambitions, and actions lies in what is at the center of them or what is at the foundation. The greatness of our work is determined by what is at the roots of the work. Is it our ego? Is it based in wealth? Is it the goal of recognition? Is it selfish? Is it for pleasure? Or is it selfless? Is there an element of true service? Is there purity in intention? And a spiritual foundation in the action? The selflessness, divine unity was what make legends like Rama and holidays like Vijayadashmi memorable even today.
Celebrate New Beginnings - At the core, Vijayadashmi means a fresh start. It calls for a day to seek the blessings and strength for a restart in which one can improve on the mistakes or negativity in them, and take on new, positive goals and perspectives in life. The day calls for a new beginning where political, social, and economic divisions and hatred cease to exist. And only, truth, goodness, and unity prevail.
But such a positive change and vijaya (victory) can only occur when the individual learns to take action - whether that be an inner calling, new vows and steps in life, or...even something as simple as a vote to practice one’s social duty.