The Times of West Mumbai - The Legend of Dussera, Features,

Dussera is celebrated as a day when Sri Ram killed the great demon Ravana, who had abducted his wife Sita to his kingdom in Lanka. Sri Ram was a great believer in the powers of Goddesss Durga. He prayed to her for nine days before entering the battlefield on the tenth day.

The word Dussera comes from the word ‘Dus’ meaning ‘Ten’ and ‘Hara’, meaning ‘annihilated’. So Dussera is the day that celebrates the destruction of the 10 facets of evil, which is usually represented as the ten heads of Ravana.

While Ravana has come to epitomize evil, he was said to be the equivalent of Rama in looks, valour and knowledge. He was a great scholar and a devout worshipper of Lord Shiva. His weakness ‘that of wanting to possess Sita’ destroyed him.

However his warfare with Ram has esoteric meaning. It is said that his enmity and obsession with Ram fetched him redemption. According to Hindu Scriptures, thinking of the Creator in any way or form - praying to him, complaining to him, fighting with redeems the devotees from the cycles of Life and Death.

It is mentioned in the scriptures that Ram, himself, could not wound Ravana as the latter had his mind fixed on Ram’s image. Ravana’s destruction came about when he was distracted from his image.

On Dussera day, people also worship weapons. Mother Goddess has been worshipped during the preceeding Navratras, which epitomized the fight against evils, in the forms of different Rakshasas.

On Dussera day, it is customary to exchange leaves of the Apta tree. There is a story connected with the above custom.

Ram’s ancestor was King Raghu, who was renowned for his generousity. After a great ‘yagna’ (prayer) the king distributed all his wealth among the poor, but he had nothing left to give a poor boy, who came to his doorstep asking for alms. Raghu attacked Kuber, the God of Wealth. As gold rained on earth, some of it fell on the Apta tree. Therefore, since then people exchange leaves of the Apta tree on Dussera day.

The leaves are also called ‘sona’ leaves on this day.

In Bengal the occasion is celebrated as the day on which Durga Ma killed the terrible demon Mahishasur.

The essence is the same — the festival is celebrated all over India as a symbol of victory over evil.

In Kulu Manali, however, Dussera is celebrated three days after the rest of the country does.

The reason: During ancient times the lesser powerful kings had to attend the celebration held at Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s palace in Lahore. It used to take them three days to return to their own kingdom to make celebrate the festival.

HEAD HUNTER

The many-headed Ravana has many stories and theories surrounding his ten heads. While many believe it stands for ten forms of evil. Others believe that it stands for the many strengths and weaknesses in humans. The ten heads stood for ten qualities, that are - Lust (kama), Anger (krodha), Delusion (moha), Greed (lobha), Pride (mada), Envy (maatsarya), the Mind (manas), Intellect (buddhi), Will (chitta), and Ego (ahamkara).

The learned however feel that the ten heads represent Ravana’s expertise in all branches of learning. He knew the four Vedas thoroughly, and was fully aware of the contents of the six shastras. This knowledge of the six shastras and the four vedas (totaling ten) is spiritual meaning of the belief that Ravana had ten heads. It is a symbolic way of saying that he was an expert in all the ten branches of knowledge.

According to the Ramayana, as a young man Ravana undertakes a terrible penance, lasting over 1000 years to please Lord Shiva. When Shiva does not appear before him, Ravana begins to cut off his ten heads one by one. He cut one head, took too meditating again for another thousand years. This went on till he was about to cut of his last and main head. Shiva, shaken by his devotee’s persistence appears in front of him, and grants him the boon of immeasurable strength and knowledge of weapons.

Ravana then undertakes another penance for 10,000 years, endeavouring to please Lord Brahma. Brahma tells Ravana that he cannot grant him complete immortality, as none who are created can be immortal. He grants Ravana invincibility against all living and celestial being, except Man.

While these being the many symbolic stories of Ravana’s head, to his beloved subjects in Sri Lanka it represents the greatness of their ruler. Ravana’s ten heads is said to represent the ten crowns he wore as a result of his sovereign rule over ten countries.