Vijaya Dashami – The festival of Victory over the senses (3rd October 2014)

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.

 

Rama Ekadashi

Yudhishthira said,“ O Janardana ! Please tell me out of your love and favour for me the name of the Ekadashi that fall sin the dark half of the month of Kartika.”

Sri Krishna said, “ O King ! Listen. The supremely auspicious Ekadashi that falls in the dark half of Kartika (Ashwin according to Maharashtra and Gujarat) is well known as Rama.It is supremely great and removes grave sins.

Formerly there was aking named Muchukunda. He was a great devotee of Vishnu and true to his word. Chandrabhaga, the excellent among the rivers, was born as a daughter to the king who ruled over his kingdom with out any trouble. In due course of time she was married to Shobhan, the son of Chandrasena. Once Shobhan visited his father-in-law’s house on a tenth lunar day. As per the longe stablished practice of the kingdom, a formal announcement was made on be half of the king on that very day forbidding every body from taking food on the following day of Ekadashi. Shobhan heard the announcement and asked his wife to advise him on what he should do.

Chandrabhaga said, ‘ O Lord ! Not to speak of the humans, even the pets in my father’s house donot eat anything on the Ekadashi day. Lord ! If you eat any thing you will be severely censured. So you must make your mind strong.’

Shobhan said, ‘ O dear ! You are absolutely right. I too shall observe a fast. Let destiny take its own course.’

Shobhan thus observed the vow with a firm resolve but lost his life by dawn. King Muchakunda got him cremated with full state honours. Chandrabhaga performed her husband’s post-funeral rites and started stay in gather father’s house.

O great King ! By virtue of the religious merits attained through the observance of Rama Ekadashi, Shobhan reached a beautiful divine city on the peak of the Mandarachala Mountain. There, Shobhansh one like the great Kubera (the god of wealth). Once in the course of his pilgrimage, are nowned Brahmin called Somasharma, are sident of King Muchakanda’s city, happened to visit the Mandarachala Mountain, where he came across Shobhan. He recognized the King’s son-in-law and approached him. When Shobhan saw Somasharma, he quickly got up from his seat and saluted the excellent Brahmin. Then he asked Somasharma, one after another, about the well-being of his father-in-law, his wife Chandrabhaga, and also about the city.

Somasharma said,‘O King ! Everything is well and fine over there. It is a great wonder! No one has ever seen such a wonderful and beautiful city. O King ! Tellme, how did you obtain this?’

Shobhan said,‘O great Brahmin ! I have secured this city by virtue of observing the vow of Rama Ekadashi which falls in the dark half of Kartika. Opious Brahmin ! I observed this excellent vow without faith. Therefore I believe this city to be unstable. Do relate this entire account to Muchkunda’s beautiful daughter Chandrabhaga.’

So the Brahmin went to the city of Muchkunda and narrated the entire account to Chandrabhaga.

Somasharma said,‘O auspicious one ! I saw your husband with these very eyes of mine and also had a look around his unconquerable city resembling that of Indra. But it is unstable. Do that which makes it stable.’

Chandrabhaga said,‘O Brahmin Rishi ! I am eager to see my husband, take me there. By the merit of my vow I shall make the city stable.’

O King ! Accordingly, Somasharma took her to Sage Vamadeva’s hermitage near the Mandarachala Mountain.By combined power of the sage’s mantra and the merit of observing the vow of Ekadashi, Chandrabhaga’s body became divine and she obtained a divine state; where upon she approached her husband. Shobhan was extremely delighted to see his beloved wife there. He made her sit on his left side on the throne. Then Chandrabhaga said these loving wordsto her dear husband, ‘O Lord ! Listen to these beneficial words. I have been observing the Ekadashi vow since I crossed the eighth year of my life. By the power of the religious merits of all the Ekadashi vows observed by me till this day, this city will become stable and be affluent in all desired riches till the final dissolution of the Univers eat the end of this Kalpa.’

O excellent King ! In this manner endowed with divine pleasures, a divine form and be decked in divine ornaments, Chandrabhaga began to enjoy life with her husband on the peak of the Mandarachala Mountain by the sheer power of observing the Rama Ekadashi vow. O King ! This vow fulfils all one’s wishes just like Chintamani, the desire-granting gemor Kamadhenu, the desire-fulfilling cow.”