Dussehra

Marigold garlands,sona leaves, khoya barfi,boondi ladoos, many homemade savories, rangolis, and daylong get-togethers, This is what Dasra or Dussehra meant for me till recent times. Early morning washing of cycles, scooters, and cars with friends in society was so much fun. It was like whose bike shines the brighter. Then pooja of all the equipments in the home followed by a sumptuous lunch . Decorating the courtyard with rangolis and garlands and waiting for all guests to come with sona leaves in the evening, hosting them with lots of sweets and savories and then going to their homes too. Sona leaves had so much value. In some households, men used to cut the heads of demons made with rice with a sword or knife and then went to the temple far away. It symbolized simolanghan. Dasra was celebrated to mark the victory of Shri Ram and the victory of good over evil. It always filled my heart with anticipation of Diwali vacation too. Major important shopping was done on Dasra and any new activity used to start on this auspicious day. Visiting Ravan Dahan at the city center ground used to be fun too. This was it. Post marriage as we moved from one city to another the rituals were altered but more or less the essence remained the same.

Recently I came across the spiritual significance of Dasra.On this day Shri Ram killed the ten-headed demon king Ravana. Shri Ram epitomizes the perfect energy combination, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The ten heads signify the bad energies or qualities in us giving rise to bad energies namely lust, anger, jealousy attachment, selfishness, greed, pride, cruelty, ego, and injustice that hamper our growth. Another story is of Goddess Durga killing Mahishasura, a king with the head of a buffalo. Mahishahsura was blessed with his wish of not getting killed by a man or animal. He always believed that women could do him no harm. But then ultimately Goddess Durga, created by Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh together, fought Mahishasura for 10 whole days. The shape-shifting demon was no match for the radiant and strong goddess. Finally, she slayed him on the tenth day. The nine days of battle became what we celebrate today as Navaratri, and the tenth day, the day of victory is Vijaya Dashami or Dusshera. Mahisahasura symbolizes the animal instinct in us. We all have an animal instinct but we have progressed and our intelligence has developed. When animal instinct starts becoming powerful our intelligence needs to kill it. Also, feminity needs to be valued and worshipped to maintain a balance in nature.Devi Durga is culmination of strength,inner wealth and wisdom.

On a deeper thought isn't this an everyday phenomenon or shouldn't this be an everyday thing?

We all wish to be good human beings. We all wish to progress. But in this materialistic world, we just get lost sometimes. We may become competitive, self-engrossed, and self-centered. The moment when we wish to do some good deed, fix some mistake, ask for forgiveness genuinely, help someone out, empower someone, and wish someone luck we are already on the right path and need to celebrate it. The other day something caught my attention and despite knowing that thing had no utility for me I kept on trying to get it which is very unlike me. Eventually, I realized that it was a sheer waste of energy, time, and money that could have been utilized in a much better way. This self-realization and the lesson I learned was a small victory in itself. Do we all not go through such experiences at some point or other? Not judging people, not feeling jealous, not hampering anyone else's progress because of our insecurities in the workplace, being genuinely happy with the success and progress of fellow human beings, and contributing to making a positive change in someone's life or society in general, empowering women and respecting them, keeping ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally healthy are all like defeating the negatives and nourishing the positive energies. Understanding the purpose of our existence and working towards it in a happy, optimistic, and conscious way is truly a sufficient reason for an everyday celebration for sure. I feel the need is to be just a little more aware daily instead of waiting for special occasions.

Happy Dusshera -the victory of good over evil today and always!!!