Dussehra is a day when entire India
celebrates the conquer of truth over evil. It was on this day according to
the Hindu Panchang (calendar), when Lord Rama killed the great demon Ravana.
Every year in the month of September or October, the nine day Navratri is
followed by the festival of Dussehra, which falls on the tenth day of the
Navratri.
The Legend
The legend says, demon Ravana, abducted Sri Ram's wife Sita to his kingdom
of Lanka. Sri Ram was a great believer in the powers of Goddesss Durga, and
He prayed to Her for nine days before He Himself entered the battlefield on
the 10th day.
It is also believed that Ravana had 10 heads, which are probably symbolic
of the 10 evil facets of his character - Lust (kama), anger (krodha),
delusion (moha), greed (lobha), pride (mada), envy (maatsarya), the mind
(manas), intellect (buddhi), will (chitta), and ego (ahamkara).
The Saying Goes
The saying goes that, the word Dussehra comes from the word 'Dus' meaning
'Ten' and 'Hara', meaning 'annihilated'. So Dussehra is the day in which the
10 facets of Evil were destroyed.
It is also believed, that Ravana was a great scholar and a great worshipper
of Lord Shiva. His weakness 'that of wanting to possess Sita' destroyed him.
At the same time, it is also surprised to learn that His enmity and
therefore obsession with Sri Ram fetched him Liberation. Hindu Scriptures
claim that you may think of the Lord in whichever way you please, you may
pray to Him, complain to Him, talk to Him, Fight with Him...Your obsession
with Him will make you a candidate for a Release from the Wheel of Life and
Death. It is clearly mentioned in the Scriptures that Sri Ram Himself could
not wound Ravana while the latter had his mind fixed on Sri Ram. Ravana's
destruction came in, the moment that his concentration was distracted.








The Festival