Ravana Is Alive! Whom Are We Burning Every Year?

[Guest guest]

Ravana Is Alive!

Whom Are We Burning Every Year?

 

http://www.divyajivan.org/navaratri/index.htm

 

On Dussera

and Vijayadashami every year, we burn the effigy of Ravana.

There is a deeper meaning behind this action or ritual. The celebration,

arrangements, processions and rituals of Rama-Leela have become

commercial, and at times political, with a lot of hoopla goes around it. In that, we seem to have lost the real meaning behind it.

 

 

The State

of The Present Day Society

The vices such as selfishness, corruption,

and injustice have plagued our present day society. Our rulers are corrupt. The

rich and the powerful have bought our government. The scholars are driven away

from our educational institutions by vested interest. There is no regard for

truth and justice anywhere in our society or government. The present day

government finds definite parallel in Dhrutrashtra who was totally

blinded by selfishness, passion, power and complete disregard for justice. The

Lord took birth in the form of Lord Rama to get rid of Ravana, Meghanada

and Tadka in Treta Yuga and again the avatara is born in the form

of Lord Krishna in Dwapar Yuga to deal with Kansa, Putna and Shishupal. The

great irony of this Kali-Yuga is that when the society is replete with scores of

Ravanas, Kansas, Tadkas and Putanas, why are we not getting

avatara?

 

Embodiment

of Virtues and Embodiment of Vices

 

Ravana

is the personification of vices while Sri Rama is the embodiment of virtues.

Just as Ravana, Kansa, Putna, Shishupal and Duryodhana, they all

represented life of impurity, egoism, self-centeredness and covetousness. Rama

and Ravana are both living within us. When we live pure life in thought, words

and deeds, we express Rama within us but when we live in vain pride,

covetousness, and hypocrisy, we are expressing Ravana. So, whenever we see these

vices being expressed anywhere by anyone, know that Ravana is very much alive.

Burning effigy is symbolic of getting rid of egoism, pride, hypocrisy and other

vices from our daily living. Just as Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and Sri Hanumana are

also the embodiments of virtues.

Sri

Hanumana, the Fearless

 

In

Chapter, 16 of Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna enumerates virtues starting with

fearlessness, "Abhaya". How can one

be fearless? Let us take Sri Hanumana. Hanumana literally means,

he, who has killed his ego. Being egoless, he surrendered himself to Sri Rama

and he lived his life serving the Lord Rama, In turn, Sri Rama protected him.

What does he have to fear when Lord Rama is looking after him? When we live the

life, serving the lord, serving the lord in all the names and forms, we have

nothing to fear, the almighty Lord himself will take care of us. In chapter nine

of Bhagavad Gita, in the following verse, the Lord Krishna promises us, that he

takes care of his devotees.

 

 

 

To those ever-steadfast devotees, who always remember or

worship Me with single-minded contemplation, I personally take responsibility

for their welfare. (9.22)

Sabhaya,

Nirbhaya and Abhaya

 

In

Sanskrit language, we have three words, sabhaya, nirbhaya and abhaya.

Sabhaya is when one knows that there is a reason to be fearful

and he is fearful. In English, because of lack of word, abhaya and nirbhaya

both are translated as fearlessness. But there is a distinct difference between

the two. Nirbhaya is really an illusion of security that leads to

indolence. Abhaya is absolute fearlessness about anything in the world.

The person who is abhaya, knows that he is being protected by the almighty lord

and whatever happens to him it is only for his good and for good reasons. Such

conviction only comes from living the life of complete surrender, service and

sacrifice and once one develops such a conviction, there is nothing in the world

that one has to fear, not even death! Sugriva was sabhaya, he was

very fearful about being spotted out and slaughtered by Vali's entourage. Even

when he saw Rama and Laxmana in the forest he literally trembled with fear

thinking they could be Vali's men. Vali was nirbhaya. As such he was

not secured but he had illusion of security that lead to laziness and ultimately

to his demise. As elucidated earlier, Hanumana was abhaya. He was protected by

the Lord Rama because of his virtue of the self-surrender and service to the

Lord. Being mired by ego, passion, deceit, self-centeredness, one cannot even

think about Ravana being abhaya.

 

Develop

Virtues and Eradicate Vices

 

The life of a spiritual seeker is a

constant struggle for developing virtues and eradicating vices. Desires, anger,

greediness, delusion (moha), jealousy, etc. are some of the vices that

one has to eradicate and develop virtues like, compassion, love, truthfulness, ahimsa,

brahmacharya etc. Perfected being is the one who has attained complete

mastery over the mind, developed all the essential virtues and eradicated the

vices. He also has realized his real identity (atma-jnana).

Should

I Burn the Effigy or Not?

 

Question

obviously is not whether you should burn effigy of Ravana or not. The real

question is - Where do you stand in your natural evolution to attain the

perfection? When you reached the state of perfection, Ravana is already dead and

burning of effigy has a little meaning for you. But after close introspection,

you lack the above conviction and there are vices that creeps up in your

personality to disturb the peace of your mind, Ravana is very much alive for you

and you will have to burn that effigy year after year and life after life until

you reach the pristine state of glory and grandeur where there is bliss, bliss

and bliss absolute. I will go even further to tell you that burning it every

year on the Vijayadashami will not suffice, you will have to be vigilant every

moment of your life, and every unwanted emotion, every impure thought and every

questionable action you will have to uproot before even it manifest. There is a

popular analogy in the scripture and spiritual literature that if there are

seeds, they will manifest one day when the circumstances are conducive, and come

into being in the form of a plant, shrub or a tree. Once the seeds are roasted

or burned, they are incapable to expressing themselves.

So, my friends, in order to be sure, that you will never be the victim of

Ravana again, in the form of egoism, lust, greed, hatred, anger, jealousy or any

other vices for that matter, you will have to burn the seeds of desires and vasanas

in the fire of Aatma-Jnana and Bhakti.

 

Do Not

Despair

There is no need to be pessimistic. You are all blessed to have attained

the human birth. Now you have to make your life, divine life. Strive, Struggle

and move towards your goal of perfection in this very life. Make your Jivan,

Bhavya Jivan. Nothing is impossible but it is essential that Rama wins

over Ravana within you. It is victory of the virtues over the vices.