Vijaya Dashami is a festival for victory over senses; festival of arresting outgoing tendencies to retain the mind within the heart. Vijaya Dashami festival of victory of justice over injustice; festival of victory of divine-power and Sattva guna over Tamo guna (inertia, darkness); festival of overpowering bad deeds with good deeds; festival of victory of self-restraint and Yoga over hedonism; festival of victory of divine tendencies over demoniac tendencies; festival of victory of humaneness over animal nature; and festival of victory of Shivahood (the state of Self-realization) over Jivahood (the state of individualization). Our preconceived notions: ‘I am a Jiva (individual soul), I am a sinner or I am a virtuous person, I am happy or unhappy’ belonged to Jivahood but pains and pleasures come and go, our notions change from time to time. The Knower of them is Shiva (Self), That Hari is my Self. I am not a mean Jiva; but I’m an eternal portion of Lord Hari. I do not belong to any race or religion. I am not a body having a form. I am the immortal Self that exists even after death. I’m an eternal child of Lord Hari. Hari Om…Om…
Vijaya Dashami is a festival of crossing the border to enter the enemy’s territory to gain victory over him. Lord Rama had killed demon Ravana on the day of Vijaya Dashami. Chhatrapati Shivaji, a Maratha King had forced his enemy Aurangzeb into a tight corner on the day of Dashahara. An emperor Raghu, a king of this world, had changelled Kuber; the treasurer of gods living in heaven saying, “Kautsa Brahmin has come to me with a resolve to offer a gift of 14 crore gold coins to his Sadguru Varatantu. I want to fulfill the resolve of this Brahman. I’m a kshatriya (belonging to the warrior class). I don’t beg from you; rather I order you to give me 14 crore gold coins as tax; or get ready for a war.” As soon as the emperor Raghu set an arrow on his bow; Kuber, the celestial treasurer said, “No emperor Raghu! I’m going to shower gold coins right now.” So the emperor Raghu had fulfilled his resolve on the day of Dashahara.
Vijaya Dashami gives us the message to control five organs of action and five sense organs and repose intermittently in the antaryamin God during our daily chores; and to subdue the mind allured by petty sense pleasures.
The Day of Making Our Resolves fulfilled quickly
The day of Vijaya Dashami is day when you don’t need to choose a muhurta (an auspicious time for starting a venture). The entire day is highly auspicious. Your resolve of controlling anything or any situation becomes fruitful sooner on this day than other days. The stars of victory of this day help us to become victorious. Vijaya Dashami is a day for victory over the opponents. There are two types of opponents – external opponents and internal opponents. Opponents on account of possessing wealth, political status or power, having different ideologies and disputes are the external opponents, and it is not very difficult to win over these external opponents. The internal enemies are desire, anger, greed, attachment, ego, jealousy, despondency and sadness etc; which compel us to do actions against our wish by failing us morally. These are our internal enemies. External enemies spoil our life on earth only; but the internal enemies chase us even after death.
To win over the internal enemies take refuge in God; and do chanting of God’s name such as ‘Om’ in elongated way; and imagine that your internal enemies are coming out. Then kill them with the mace of self-effort or shoot them with the shafts of divine Name. There are only two root causes of the external enemies: attachment and aversion. So, resolve on Dashahara festival to get liberation from all bondages. ‘I will be free from attachment and aversion. I will be free from fear and anxiety.’ How will you do that? Contemplate: ‘All this is Vasudeva (the innermost Self). That is beyond the reach of attachment and aversion. That is beyond the reach of fear and anxiety. That is their knower. That remains unchanged. That remains with us even after they pass. Om Bliss… Om Peace…’ Then be calm. Your attachment and aversion will subside. One feels aversion to the other. When one beholds his own Self in all, there is no place for aversion in his life. One does not hate oneself, even if one is the ugliest person. One can hate the other. One feels attachment to the other. One does not love oneself, even if one is the most beautiful or handsome person. So it is the message of Dashahara to resolve for removal of the sense of duality. May you develop the auspicious vision and see auspiciousness everywhere.
VERSE
“Those who have God, who is auspiciousness personified, established in their hearts do not suffer from any misfortune in all of their works in all times.”
Such people, whose hearts are full of faith in the God abiding in heart, never suffer from any misfortune in all undertakings at all times. They have the conviction that Supreme Self beyond attachment and aversion is the only Truth. This body works due to the presence of Self-god. That Self-god is Truth. They believe that the body is unreal. Pains and pleasures are unreal. Pains and pleasures come and go, attachment and aversion come and go, but my Self is Truth that remains constant. For them, who have known this fact, there is no possibility of anything inauspicious in any of their works, because the auspicious God abides in their hearts. So you consider the auspiciousness personified God, the real Master of your heart, to be your own. Mentally chant the divine Name while inspiration and count the breath while expiration. Repeat the Mantra in a whisper for some time, then do Japa in the throat or kantha for some time, and then do it in the heart or Hridaya for some time (mental Japa). The knowledge of auspiciousness personified God will get revealed in your heart and divine joy will fill your heart, and there will be nothing but auspiciousness in your life.
You should resolve on the day of Dashahara festival: “Now from today onwards my life will be auspicious. Whenever the thought of hatred will arise in my mind, I’ll pacify it with the rememberance of Lord Hari’s auspicious Name. Whenever any thought of attachment will arise, I’ll think: ‘Of what use is the attachment to me? Many great emperors like Alexander and Dara came and left this world. Politician’s election promises of giving facilities to the people are of no use, if they do not remove attachment and aversion. Ravana had acquired golden city of Lanka, but he did not remove attachment and aversion from his mind, that’s why his effigy every year is burned. Ravana dies only once a year; but it reminds the society every year that if you do not transcend attachment and aversion to attain God-realization, even after acquiring the golden city of Lanka; you will not get happiness from it. How can your pains be removed by politician’s election promises and speeches? When a political leader says, ‘We will do this development and that development…’ The politician may do anything for development; but just ask him, ‘Can you give us houses made of gold like Ravana? Even Ravana, who had given houses of gold to citizens of Lakna, was not free from sorrows, when he departed this life; his people were also not free from sorrows, when they died. Then what will you give us? We will listen to the satsang of Lord Hari; which helps us transcend attachment and aversion, and we will work only for pleasure of God with devotional love.
Asaramji Bapu 
You must be logged in to post a comment.