The festival of Dussehra or Vijayadashami celebrates the victory of good over evil, symbolized in Indian mythology by the slaying of the demon king Ravana by Rama, and by the killing of the monster Mahishasura by Goddess Durga.
Every year, effigies of Ravana are burnt on Dussehra, which falls on the tenth day of the month of Ashwin in the Hindu lunar calendar. Ravana is the personification of evil – a learned scholar who gave in to lust, anger, greed, and ego. Rama is the personification of virtue, the Marayada Purush. Vijayadashami marks the victory of virtue over vice.
We celebrate Dussehra every year, but are we really becoming free of vices, or are the celebrations just another empty annual ritual? When we look at the world, we find that far from overcoming vices, people are becoming slaves to them. Increasing corruption, immorality and materialism indicate a growing void that is being sought to be filled with possessions and physical pleasures. The increasing influence of vice in our lives is unwittingly reflected in the size of the Ravana effigies built for Dussehra, which grow taller each year.
Simply burning wood and straw effigies is not going to bring us victory over evil. That can be achieved only by spiritual effort. The story of the Ramayana is a parable of how God, personified by Rama, and humans represented by monkeys together can rid the world of negative tendencies.
The battle described in the Ramayana is an allegory for the struggle that goes on in the mind between our higher Self and our weaknesses. God helps us in this struggle by giving us the strength to resist evil and the wisdom to avoid deceptions created by ignorance of our true identity.
When we forget that we are spiritual beings, or souls, we begin to define ourselves in terms of our body and the labels that come with it – of race, religion, nationality, and gender, for example, We also measure our worth, and that of others, in terms of personal and professional roles, responsibilities, possessions, appearance and social and financial status. Such identification with the physical not only begets attachment but also brings sorrow when our gross identity suffers due to aging, declining social, financial or professional positions. It also makes us vulnerable to vice, the cause of suffering.
We need to remove veils of ignorance from the intellect, by becoming aware of our true identity as souls innately possessing divine qualities of peace, love, and cooperation. This awareness needs to be awakened to dissipate and sublimate acquired demonic traits, through the subtle fire of Raja Yoga meditation. With the collective practice of spiritual knowledge and meditation, not only our negative proclivities but even the polluted elements of nature can be purified.
Raja Yoga connects us to Divinity and empowers the soul to resist negative influences, sorrows, and sufferings. It is the ultimate stage of a yogi as described in the Gita – one who remains unmoved by victory or defeat, fame or notoriety, loss or gain. Such self-mastery is not only the prerogative of saints and sages but can be easily attained by any householder with a little awareness and effort.
To make our celebration of Vijayadashami meaningful, we must resolve on this occasion to take at least one step towards conquering our weaknesses, so that each year we move closer to attaining victory over them. This is the only way we can sublimate the negative propensities of Ravana living in our minds.