VIJAYA DASHMI

DUSSEHRA

After the nine days of Navratri comes Dashmi, the tenth day, which is the day of the famous festival of Dussehra or Vijayadashmi (the tenth day of victory). This is the day Bhagwan Ram had killed Ravan, signifying the victory of light (knowledge) over darkness (ignorance).

Ages ago on this day Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram, after waging a virtuous war, defeated the King of Lanka, who had abducted his wife, Sita. The death of Ravan was both a personal victory for Sri Ram as well as a triumph of Dharma over Adharma. By all accounts, Ravan was a good king, learned, gifted with intellectual and physical prowess. And Lanka was not an impoverished, misruled kingdom with miserable citizens. Ravan was adored by his citizens. Poverty was unknown in the land. Yet Ravan erred in abducting Sita and had to pay for his adharmic deed with his life. Along with him, his brothers and sons also died. It was not an easy war to win. Sri Ram had to invoke the blessings of Durga, the embodiment of Shakti, before he could march into Lanka and slay Ravan. That invocation is recalled and commemorated every year when Durga is worshipped during Navratri. There's a lesson in that for all of us. No matter how powerful and accomplished an individual may be, Dharma transcends his (or her) power and accomplishments. In other words, unless infused with righteousness, temporal authority cannot uphold the principle of Dharma.

RAVAN DAHAN

Dussehra is also a time when Ravan Dahan is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Effigies of Ravan are burnt amid loud chants of "Jai Sri Ram," "Bajrangbali ki Jai" etc. The popular notion is that the celebration signifies the victory of 'good over evil,' that Ravan is burnt because he was evil, and in doing so, we are symbolically removing evil from our lives.

But we also acknowledge that Ravan was a very learned man, who had mastered the four Vedas and the Upanishads, he had mastery over music and the arts, he was a 'tapasvi', a great Shiv bhakt, he had control of his indriyas (his senses). Then why do we classify him as 'pure evil'?

It is interesting to note that there is no literal translation of the word 'evil' in Samskrit. There is no equivalent to Christian concept of 'evil' or 'Satan' in Hindu thought. But that discussion is for another day.

However, there is another reason why effigies of Ravan are burned.

In the war between Ravan's vast army and Sri Ram and his Vaanar sena, at the end of the war, when Ravan's whole army was defeated, Sri Ram called Sugreev, the King of the Vaanars, and told him, "now that the war is over, there is one last act that must be done as a mark of respect for all the people that lost their lives. During the war, the Rakshasas were our adversaries, but now they are just other human beings, towards whom we have no cause for enmity. They were someone's brother, son, husband, friend, and we respect them as such."

Ravan lay on his deathbed. Sri Ram was sad that such a great scholar, well versed in all the arts, was dying and all his knowledge would be lost. He sent his younger brother Lakshman to learn from him. Lakshman, not understanding Ravan's greatness, was skeptical, but since he could not disobey his older brother, he went grudgingly, sat near Ravan's head and asked him to teach him something. Ravan remained silent. After a while Lakshman gave up and went and reported to Ram that Ravan was too vain to tell him anything. Ram smiled and asked, "where did you sit when you asked him to teach you?" Lakshman replied, "near his head, of course." Ram asked him to go back, and this time sit at his feet and ask him with all humility, as befits a great guru. Lakshman did so, and Ravan imparted all his wisdom to him. Such was the greatness of Ravan.

By this time, all the male members in Ravan's army had been killed. Ravan's sons, his brothers, all the male members of his family were dead, except for Vibheeshan, and Ravan had already disowned him. Along with Ravan, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhkaran were also lying dead. All of them were great warriors, who also possessed great knowledge, not only of warfare but also of the Shastras. They were undefeated except for this last war.

Hindu tradition says that the last rites be performed by either the son, brother, father or husband of the deceased. In Ravan's case there were no living male members of his family. But the cremation had to be done!

In such a case, Sri Ram declared that it is the responsibility of the entire society to perform the last rites of someone who has nobody. That is why the whole population came together to perform the antim samskar (last rites) of Ravan. Along with Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad were also cremated with all due respects. And the many soldiers who had also perished without any male members in their family were also cremated.

That is why even today, an effigy of Ravan, along with Kumbhkaran and Meghnad, are burned in a public way. It is a reminder to all of us of our duty as a society towards someone who has nobody.

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