ll About Dussehra : Meaning And Significance
Dussehra the festival of victory holds the immense noteworthiness that dates back to the lore of Ramayana. It is also named as Vijayadashami as per the Hindu scripture. The day also marks the shattering of the bloated ego of Ravana and winning of good over evil. The word Dussehra originates from the Sanskrit language, where “Dus” stands for ten and “Hara” means Annihilated. Thus, these two words combine the meaning “Annihilating of ten evil faces with the hand of Lord Ramana ”. It is the festival that derives its origin from the great Hindu epic Ramayana which states that Lord Raman, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, killed the ten-headed satan Ravana in Satyuga. It is because Ravana abducted Lord Rama’s wife Sita while on his stint to rescue Devi Sita, followed by his brother Laxamana and his disciple Hanuman.
According to the Hindu text, the day is also marked as the culmination of the 9 days Navratri festival. The day when the goddess Durga had made the last assault on Mahishasur and liberated the world from the evil force. The word Navratri literally means Nine nights in Sanskrit, “Nava” means nine and “Ratri means Night. And During these nights and ten days, the nine from Shakti Devi are worshipped.
About Vijayadashami 2024
The day is not only remembered because of triumphing over the demon king Ravana but also for killing the buffalo incubus Mahashasur. On this same day, goddess Durga led a ferocious battle against the demon Maahishur for restoring Dharma and for marking the victory over evil. Thus, the worshipping of different manifestations of goddess Durga and celebrating Dussehra came into being and dedicated as Vijayadashami.
This year, Vijayadashami falls on Oct 12th, 2024.
Muhurat timings for Vijayadashami Puja
Vijay Muhrat: 02:49 PM to 03:34 PM
Afternoon Puja Time – 02:04 PM to 04:19 PM
Dashami Tithi Begins – 01:28 AM on Oct 12, 2024
Dashami Tithi Ends – 11:38 PM on Oct 12, 2024
Shravan Nakshatra Begins – 07:55 PMon Oct 11, 2024
Shravan Nakshatra ends – 06:57 PMon Oct 12, 2024
Deity of Dashmi Festival
Dussehra, the festival of victory is the occurrence of a phenomenon when Lord Rama defeated the demon Ravana and conquered his territory before reaching his hometown Ayodhya. It is estimated that Lord Rama took 20 Lunar Cycle to come back to Ayodhya after defeating the devil king of Lanka, Ravana from the exile of prolonged fourteen years.
Goddess Aparajita: In many regions, the Goddess Aprajita is worshipped as the deity of an odyssey. As per her name suggests, she cannot be defeated, and thus, Lord Rama sought the blessing of Goddess Aprajit before waging war against Ravana. However, in the age of Vedic, the worship of goddess Aparajita was restricted to only Kshatriya and Kings.
Shami Tree: Shami tree a very significant tree of an earlier era as it is believed that before hiding for a long one year Arjuna hid his weapons inside the Shami tree for its protection. Thus, in the southern part of India, the tree is worshipped as a symbol of goodwill. In southern states of India, the Shami Puja is also well-versed as Banni Puja and Jammi Puja.
Dashmi Rituals
The festival is celebrated differently across the state in india. In most of northern and western India, it is celebrated in honour of Lord Rama. Drama, Dance and Musical plays called Ramlila, based on the tale as described in the Ramcharitmanas are performed at fairs.
In Northern India, the Dussehra is also celebrated by burning enormous dummies of demon Ravana. It is celebrated twenty days prior to Diwali. On this occasion, the rituals of Ram Lila takes places where plays and music revolve around the tales of Ramayana attended by hordes of devotees in the days preceding Diwali. Many devotees also perform Astrological Tips and Rituals to make their Dussehra more notable.
In Kolkata, the day is commemorated with upholding Durga Puja, as Bengali called it.
In Southern India, the nine days of Navratri are observed with a display of Gods and Dolls called Golu. Sweets are also prepared on this special occasion of Dussehra to mark the festival.
Ravan Dahan The Victorious Journey Of Lord Rama
In some other places, the main attraction of Dussehra is Ravan Dahan. It involves the burning of towering effigies along with those of his brother Kumbhakaran and son Meghnad. Besides these, people also burst crackers and fest with their families. Colourful fairs and exhibitions are also put up in many places. Usually, the timing of Ravan Dahan is between 5 pm to 7 pm, i.e., evening time.
Importance Of Dussehra Celebration
The festival has its own importance in the Hindu Culture. The revenant day of Dussehra heralds the end of evil by the good and the day also marks the end of Ramlila and celebrates the Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana. Thus, they celebrate the day as a mark of a new beginning, the establishment of novel things in the society and freedom from negativity and evil that reside inside us. And also liberate us from the present-day evils and taboos that are not oblivious in front of us, instead personified as in the form of a human or demon. As per the Hindu Scriptures, it is also believed that on this day, by performing Durga Saptashati Puja or following other rituals goddess Durga blesses and protects us from all the malefic forces.
In Mysore, the celebration happens on a large scale where Dussehra honours the Goddess Chamundeshwari (another name of Goddess Durga) of Chamundi Hills, who killed the powerful demon king Mahishasura.
Have A Whale Of Time On This Navratri And Dussehra To Mark The Veracity Of The Festival
Triumphing of good over evil is a main ethos of the festival Dussehra and the Navratri. It is on this day when people pray for prosperity and good health and celebrate the day by indulging themselves in the delicious feast. Notably, this time due to pandemic the steak of festivals may lose its attractiveness, but precaution is must at this trying times. So celebrating these festivals in a much simpler way without a big gathering will be the best offering to the deities.
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With Ganesha’s Grace,
The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team
Astrologers trained by Shri Bejan Daruwalla.