The festival of Dussehra or Vijayadashmi has a deep spiritual significance to it.
On this day, people burn an effigy of Ravana, who, according to Hindu mythology, was the demon king of Lanka.
The myth goes that Ravana had abducted Sita, the consort of Lord Rama. Supported by an army of monkeys, Rama defeated Ravana and rescued Sita. The slaying of Ravana by Rama is celebrated as Dussehra.
Dussehra stands for dus (ten) hara (conquer). Ravana is shown as a demon with ten heads, so Dussehra symbolizes the conquest of ten vices, of which five are in men and five in women. The five vices are lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego.
Just as Vishnu symbolizes the combined form of the perfect man and woman, Ravana represents the five vices in men and women. All men and women in this world today act on evil tendencies like lust and anger.
Ravana represents all that is evil and Rama symbolizes God, who is the epitome of goodness. Normally, people burn the effigy of a living person whose actions they dislike. There would be no need to protest or burn the effigy of someone who is dead. The fact that every year people burn larger and larger effigies of Ravana points to the subtle truth that Ravana is alive and evil continues to grow in the present Kaliyuga.
Interestingly, Dussehra is also known as ‘Vijayadashmi’, which commemorates the tenth (dashmi) day of victory (vijaya). The victory of Rama over Ravana is symbolic of the victory of virtue over vices in men and women who follow the path of self-purification and attain spiritual perfection.
True Dussehra will be celebrated when all human beings become pure, i.e. when the vices of lust, anger, greed, etc. are totally eliminated from human minds, and Ravana, the symbol of evil, is defeated forever. The great battle with vices is being led now in this present age of spiritual transformation by none other than Almighty God Shiva, who incarnates in a human medium named Prajapita Brahma.
The true knowledge that is imparted by God dispels all spiritual ignorance. He says that like Sita, all human souls have been enslaved by Ravana, i.e. by the five vices, today. Therefore, this world is like the kingdom of Ravana, where evil activities prevail in spite of so many religious teachings. But when incorporeal God, the true Rama, incarnates in the present age, He rescues the souls from the clutches of vices by giving them Godly wisdom and power.
He guides them to become pure and defeat the vices. Rajyoga meditation is the method by which the Ravana lurking in the human mind can be destroyed. It is a mental link with the Supreme, Almighty God, by remembering whom human souls regain their spiritual and moral power.
They regain their swarajya (self-sovereignty) i.e. control over their mind and senses and thus conquer the Ravana within.
© 2020, From The Purity Magazine