Which Victory?

When we hear the word ‘Dussehra’, the first image that comes to mind is probably a burning effigy of Ravan — the age-old symbol of the victory of good over evil. But would one of the greatest epics of Indian culture really stop at a moral lesson?

If there is good in the world, the law of duality demands the existence of evil too. Burn one Ravan, and time will raise ten more.

Ravan’s gravest act, abducting Sita and separating her from Shri Ram, reveals who he truly is — the ego that separates us from the Beloved. It is true that Shri Ram defeated Ravan on Dussehra. But what we tend to forget is this: it was also the day Sita’s separation came to an end.

And Shri Ram? He doesn’t symbolise ‘good’. He is the embodiment of Love. A single arrow from Love is enough to burn this ego, this illusion of separation. That arrow is the Sadguru.

The armies and battlefields will keep changing, but good and evil are bound to fight forever. Yet this day is also called ‘Vijayadashami’, the Day of Victory. Which victory, then? The only one that ends your role in the battle — reunion with Ram.