The eternal victory
Navratri, culminating in Dussehra, is a cultural festival of great significance for all. It is a festival that is all about the Goddess. In Karnataka, Dussehra is about Chamundi, in Bengal it is about Vijaya Dashami. Thus, it is about various goddesses in different parts of the country, but essentially it is about the feminine divinity.
Dussehra is replete with symbolism about vanquishing evil and wanton nature, and about having reverence for all aspects of life and for the things and objects that contribute to our wellbeing. The nine days of Navratri are classified as per the three basic qualities of tamas, rajas and sattva. The first three days are tamas, where the goddess is fierce, like Durga and Kali. The next three days are Lakshmi-related — gentle but materially oriented goddesses. These goddesses represent rajas. The last three days are dedicated to Saraswati, which is sattva. It is related to knowledge and enlightenment.
Investing in one of these three gunas will shape your life in a particular way. If you invest in tamas, you will be powerful in one way. If you invest in rajas, you will be powerful in a different way. If you invest in sattva, you will be powerful in a completely different way. But if you go beyond all this, it is no longer about power, it is about liberation. After Navratri, the 10th and final day of Dussehra is Vijayadashami — which means you have conquered all these three qualities. You did not give in to any of them; you saw through every one of them. You participated in every one of them, but you did not invest in any one of them. You won over them. That is Vijaya Dashami, the day of victory. So Dussehra brings home the message of how being in reverence and gratitude towards everything that matters in our lives leads to success and victory.
Of the many things that we are in touch with, of the many things that contribute in making and creating our lives, the most important devices that we employ in making our lives a success are our own body and mind. Being in reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon, towards the air that you breathe, the water that you drink, the food that you eat, the people that you come in contact with and everything else that you use, including your body and mind, will lead you to a different possibility of how to live. Being in a state of reverence and devotion towards all these aspects is a way of ensuring success in every endeavour that we partake of.
Dussehra is of tremendous cultural significance for all who live in this land — irrespective of their caste, creed and religion — and should be celebrated with total involvement, joy and love.
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