|*| Happy Vijayadashmi/Dussehra |*|

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supercool3

@supercool3

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Posted: 11 years ago

Today is the day that celebrates the victory of good over evil. The word "Dussehra" is derived from the words "Dus"(10)and "Hara"(Kill) which means removing ten, signifying the killing of the ten-headed evil king Ravana by Lord Rama. Vijayadashmi means Victory(Vijaya) on the 10th day(Dashmi).This day is also celebrated in honor of Mata Durga who put an end to the Demon Mahishasura and marks the end of Navratri.

C E L E B R A T I O N S
Dussehra is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm all over India.

N O R T H

Huge effigies of Ravana, his son Meghanad and brother Kumbhakaran are erected and set to fire at sunset. The Ramleela, the enactment of Lord Rama's life, is staged.
Kullu, in Himacha Pradesh is known for its unique Dussehra celebrations. Idols of gods and goddesses from nearby villages are carried by the worshipers on their head as they head out to see their main deity, Lord Ragunath. It goes on for 7 days. On the last day, the procession is taken to the Beas River where a pile of wood and grass is set afire; symbolizing the burning of Ravana's Lanka. One cannot miss the Rath Yatra.

S O U T H

In Mysore, Dussehra is a 10-day affair. On the last day, a traditional procession called the Jumbo Safari, is led by decorated Elephants. The Dussehra exhibition is not a sight to miss. This exhibition is filled of joy rides, food, shopping options and much more.
In Tamil Nadu, Dussehra is know as Vijayadashmi. It is an auspicious occasion for children to commence their education in classical music or dance and to pay homage to their teachers.

E A S T

In Bengal, Dussehra is the final day of Durga Pooja. Statues of Mata Durga are immersed in the river amidst fireworks and loud cheers signifying the goddess's return to her heavenly abode, Mount Kailash.
In Orissa and Assam, Goddess Durga is also worshiped as Mata Kali, a symbol of power.

W E S T

In Gujarat, Navratri is dedicated to the nine aspects of Maa Shakti and the devotees observe sunrise to sunset fast for 9 days and fast-breaking rituals. Dussehra is synonymous with the Garba dance.
In Maharashtra, Dussehra celebrations are related to various legends besides that of Lord Rama's killing Ravana. It is believed that it was on this day that the Pandavas, retrieved their weapons from the Shami tree, after completing 12 years of exile.

Temptations.|18shabbo|Yuvika_15|somergasm.|supercool3

Edited by supercool3 - 11 years ago

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Posted: 11 years ago

When good wins over evil, we all come together to celebrate and cherish the day. But what do we exactly learn from all this? How do we apply this to our daily life?
We see these events as great, magnificent occurrences and somewhat far from reality. The truth, however, is that these stories teach us morals and values that can still be implemented into our lives.

R A M A Y A N A

Lord Rama was ready to be crowned as the king of Ayodhya when his step-mother, Queen Kaikeyi feared that this would affect her own son Bharata's position in the kingdom. Her mind was polluted by her cunning maid Manthara, who always wanted to see Bharata as the King of Ayodhya. Thus, Kaikeyi demanded that King Dasaratha must banish Rama for 14 years of exile in the forest and make her son the king of Ayodhya. As the King had promised the Queen two boons, he had no choice but to send Rama into exile against his own turmoil. Lord Rama too accepted his father's demand and went into exile along with his wife Sita, and his other brother Lakshmana. During this exile Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, the ruler of Lanka. Lord Rama was determined to get his wife back. Sita also held faith that her husband would come to save her and she refused to give into the demands of Ravana. With the help of his friend who was also his avid worshiper, Hanuman , Lord Rama was able create an army that would be able to fight against Ravana. Finally, Lord Rama succeeded and he saved Sita and killed Ravana, diminishing demons from the earth.

Our parents, whom we regard as the most important people in our lives, may sometimes seem unclear about their role. They make not always make the best decisions, but we as their children are obligated towards them. That is why regardless of what the outcome is, we still support them because we believe that whatever they choose to do will eventually benefit not only us, but also everyone we are close to. Lord Rama proved to be a true son to his father by listening to his word and going into exile. The confidence that Lord Rama had in himself, along with the support he received from Hanuman ji is noteworthy. Lord Rama was ready to go to any length to save his wife from the clutches of evil.

Similarly, Sita held the belief that her husband will eventually come to her rescue. Her faith proved to be true as Lord Rama came for her. In our lives, we face many challenges on a daily basis. Some are short-term, while others last forever. In such situations, the best we can do is believe that we are capable of getting through any hardships. These problems can range from a variety of things, starting with issues in school such as homework, failed exams etc., to professional requirements at work. We just have to hold faith that things will get better, and the hardships we face are only a passing phase. If the Lord himself can cross boundaries to save his wife, then we too can hope to accomplish many things. Sometimes, we may think that no one is supporting our cause and everyone is turned against us. However, just like Hanuman ji's friendship with Lord Rama, there would be certain people in our lives as well who will always stand by us.

D U R G A M A T A

The demon Mahishasura had received a boon from Lord Brahma that he would not be killed by anyone. As time progressed, Mahishasura gathered a strong army of demons to win over heaven. He gained tremendous power and started to terrorize the world. As Indra and the others in heaven were not able to defeat him, they turned towards Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, and Lord Vishnu to destroy him. The three of them joined their energies together and created an entity known as Shakti and all the Gods blessed her with their powers: trident, discus, water pot and rosary, bow and arrow, a thunderbolt, a conch shell, the power of 10, 000 suns, a shield and sword, along with many other things. This form of Shakti came to be known as Durga Mata. Durga Mata promised that she would destroy all the demons. After Durga Mata descended onto earth on her lion, she began fighting against Mahishasura's demon army. The war went on for nine days. On the tenth day, Durga Mata defeated Mahishasura.

The beauty of Durga Mata's emergence is that she came as a hope for everyone who believed that she can defeat the demon. She lends strong support to those who hold faith in her and tries to help them solve their problems. In real life, there will always be that one ray of light that appears even in the tunnels of darkness. That light is what we need to focus on and follow. If we lock ourselves up in our room because something didn't exactly go the way we imagined it, we aren't really going to get anything out of it.

Furthermore, sometimes you just need to endure all the struggles and negativity that comes in your life. But there's also the belief that even if today is a struggle, tomorrow will provide fruitful results.
A common factor between Lord Rama and Durga Mata is that both refused to give up and were determined to make sure that the good wins. While Lord Rama was not ready to break Sita's faith, Durga Mata was determined that she will defeat Mahishasura as she had promised to do so. This brings up the aspect of keeping our word and making sure to fulfill our promises. It's really easy to go against what we had said earlier, but it takes that extra step to be able to live up to what we had promised. Thus it becomes necessary in today's world to live up to our words and not betray those who believe in us.

This auspicious Vijayadashmi/Dussehra gives us the opportunity to take a step towards change and teaches us about the morals and lessons that we still continue to follow. The portrayals of Lord Rama, Sita, Hanuman ji in Ramayana, and that of Durga Mata is something that we can refer to as we go through our daily lives. It gives us the strength and ability to fight through any challenge(s) that come our way while always remaining true to who we are . Furthermore, this day shows the importants of different virtues and how it will eventually lead to success. Associated with many fabulous events, this day gives everyone the hope for the future. For this reason, this day is considered special for any new beginning.

Edited by somergasm. - 11 years ago