Vijaya Dashami

Vijaya Dashami (Victory of Bhagawan shri Ramachandra over Ravan)

On this day in the Treta Yug, Bhagawan Shri Ram killed the great demon Ravana who had abducted Shri Rama's wife Mother Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. Shri Rama, his brother Lakshmana, Hanuman, Jambavan and an army of monkeys fought a great battle to rescue Mother Sita. The entire narrative is recorded in the epic Ramayana, a Hindu scripture.

Shri Rama had performed "Chandi Yagna" and invoked the blessings of Godess Durga, who blessed Shri Rama with secret knowledge of the way to kill Ravana. On the day of Ashvin Shukla Dashami, Rama's party found Mother Sita and defeated Ravana. Thus it is termed as Vijaya Dashami. Based on the scriptural writings from Valmiki’s Ramayana, Kalidas’s Raghuvans, Tulsidas’s Ram Charit manas, and Keshavdas’s Ram Chandra Yas Chandrika as well as common perception in India, Shri Rama, Mother Sita, and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya on the 30th day of Ashvin (19–20 days after Vijayadashmi). To mark the return of Lord Rama, in the evening, the residents of Ayodhya lit their city with millions of earthen lamps (called Diya / Deepak). Since then, this day is celebrated in India as Deepawali or Diwali.

Some people perform "Aditya Homa" as a "Shanti Yagna" and recite Sundara Kanda of Srimad Ramayana for nine days. These Yagna performances are thought to create powerful agents in the atmosphere surrounding the house that will keep the household environment clean and healthy. These rituals are intended to rid the household of the ten bad qualities, which are represented by ten heads of Ravana as follows:

Kama (Lust)
Krodha (Anger)
Moha (delusion)
Lobha (Greed)
Mada (Over Pride)
Matsara (Jealousy)
Manas (Mind)
Buddhi (Intellect)
Chitta (will)
Ahankar (Ego).

It is also that on this day that Shri Maharaji our Gurudev (Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj Ji) starts the annual moth long sadhana programme from Vijaya Dashami to Kartik poornima. It is at this time that devotees practicing the path of Bhakti Yoga are able to come together under the guidance of a Shrotriya Bhramanistha Guru (Theoretically and practically God realised saint) to lean and experience the inner intricacies of Bhakti. With heavy emphasis of sewa (service – in 3 modes Than Man Dhan – Body mind and wealth) we get rid of the 10 vasanas like that of Ravan and truly surrender to a Guru’s Lotus feet. One may say that I have met Shri Maharaji and that you have His divine hands of protection over you, but it does not work that way as He will test and test and test the aspirant like putting gold through fire and making it pure so that only purity remains in the hearts of the devotee. When that happens yours antahakaran (inner- mind mechanism) is cleansed and ready for Bagawad Prapti (God realisation) until then. ………. A devotee or an aspirant will remain as a contaminated gold not knowing its full potential and keep rotating in this cycle of Maya.

Well we don’t have to perform the “Chandi Yagna” or "Aditya Homa" as a "Shanti Yagna" and recite Sundara Kanda of Srimad Ramayana for nine days but to make Sadhana as a daily part of our lives like when we are there in Mangarh India with our Gurudev, Shri Maharaji and bring that feeling that Hari and Guru are always with me as a conscious effort in our lives. Having that conscious feeling at every step of our lives will change and make us into true karma yogi’s who is practicing Bhakti towards Radha Krishna. The dilemma of how about this and that will not arise as we will learn to be trustees of this life and look forward to that Blissful state of being in love with God. Currently instead of being trustees of this life we are all behaving like owners of this life and as long as we behave like owners of this life, the pit falls of this life due to the karmic reaction and the shortfall of not truly understanding will pull us down into a false perception that this is a true life. As long as you behave that you are owners of this life you are liable for every action and reaction that follows suit. Let’s learn to become trustees of this life as what we are truly meant to be, we have had so many opportunities to become trustees but instead we have chosen to become owners of this life. Live a life were we carry out our duties as a father, mother, husband wife, child, and every other character that we are given as trustees, performing to what is truly required of us.

On this day of Vijaya Dashami let us take the active role of practicing sadhana if you are going to India have a blast with Gurudev, Shri Maharaji and bring that back with you and consciously practice that as a daily part of your life. If you are not going to India, join the satsang programmes in your area and practice daily.