Jammu, October 22: Vijayadashmi or Dussehra has perhaps more relevance today than it ever was as its real meaning and significance has real use nowadays for the destruction of the evil and victory of the righteousness which of late has seen a severe beating in the Indian sub-continent.
The festival has significance because it gives a message and encouragement to the common people that victory was not far away and evil cannot survive forever while the universal truth is that evil will be destroyed and Truth Shall always prevail.
The festival of Viajyadashami and Dusshera is celebrated with enthusiasm, pomp and show with people having fasted for nine days celebrating not only the culmination of the holy festival but also burning of the Ravana, Kumbkarna and Meghnath the three evils within and outside our body and society.
Vijayadashami means the tenth day of victory over evil after nine days of prayers and seeking of salvation for the nine days through Durga worship.
In Hindu dharma nothing is just for the sake of it or formality and everything that we call tradition or religious activity symbolizes the human life, its various activities and the way of life.
Similarly the Nine days of Durga Puja and fasting is to purify the soul from evil deeds and everything evil from body mind and soul as well as the society for our human body is a complete society in itself and if we can purify the soul we can purify the society.
The Vijayadashmi or Dessehra and the burning of Ravana does not signify only the burning of effigies to celebrate the victory of lord Rama over Ravana but also signifies that after nine days of salutations to Navdurga we must destroy and burn completely our evil thoughts, evil deeds, and evil actions from our body mind and soul an purify ourselves and dedicate ourselves towards the betterment of the society.
Hence on this Dussehra we have many responsibilities not only burning the Ravana within us but also the Ravana within our society and country that is hell-bent upon destroying this peaceful nation through various manifestations like communalism, corruption, moral degradation and gross materialism.
But like our Dharma we are confident that these manifestations of the Ravana within us and within our society and country would be overcome through our dedication, nationalism and sincerity to fight these evils and come out victorious.
Lets pledge to purify our souls and our society by making a beginning ourselves instead of waiting for someone else to take initiative as a little beginning makes a big difference.
We have to remain cautions from the provocations of communalists but at the same time be alert to foil their evil designs by taking the right steps at right time without falling prey to pseudo-secularism and selective communalism prevailing in the society which smacks of appeasement policy.
Instead we as Indians can rise to the occasion and unite for the betterment and development of the country by negating all the communal and other provocations by discoursing the attempts to polarize the society which shall be the true tribute to the Lord Rama on this Viajay Dashami or Dussehra by eliminating this hydra headed enemy spreading the tentacles in our society.
But we believe that truth shall prevail as it always prevails.