Dussera - Dasha-Hara

Dasha-Hara

Dasha-Hara, a Hindu Festival celebrated throughout India, marks Lord Rama’s defeat of the ten-headed demon king, Ravana. The word is derived from Dasha, meaning ten, and Hara meaning removal, therefore marking the overcoming of the 10 evils, which are symbolized by Ravana’s ten heads.

            As told in the Ramayana, (a well-known Hindu Scripture) on Dasha-Hara, many thousands of years ago, good triumphed over evil. Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu was brought onto earth to defeat the evil demon, Ravana. Although Ravana committed many atrocious acts throughout his lifetime, he was a devotee of the Gods and given boons by both Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. One of these boons ensured that Ravana could not be killed, by any man who knew that he was a Divine Being. Therefore, none of the Gods had the ability to defeat the demon because they were all aware of their divinity. So, when Lord Vishnu reincarnated himself as Rama, he ensured that Rama would believe himself to be an ordinary man as opposed to a heavenly being. That is the reason why Rama, unlike the rest of Lord Vishnu’s avatars, was extremely humble and the epitome of a perfect son, brother, friend, etc. Thus, when Rama’s stepmother, who wanted her own son to be the King instead of Rama, asked her husband to exile his first-born son, Rama complied and went into exile (in deference to the wishes of his step-mother). During Rama’s fourteen years of exile in the forest, his wife, Sita, was kidnapped by Ravana who wanted to exact revenge on Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, because they had cut off the nose of his demonic sister. Eventually, through a series of events and with the help of the monkey god, Hanuman, Rama fought Ravana in an epic battle and eventually killed the demon and rescued his wife. It is for this reason that on the festival day of Dasha-Hara, Hindus burn a large effigy of Ravana and perform ten ritual offerings, also known as yagnas. This is in order to rid their homes of the ten bad qualities which are represented by each of Ravana’s heads: Kama Vasana (Lust), Krodha (Anger), Moha (Attachment), Lobha (Greed), Mada (Over Pride), Matsara (Jealousy), Swartha (Selfishness), Anyaaya (Injustice), Amanavata (Cruelty), and Ahankara (Ego). Thus, Dasha-Hara marks Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana and the victory of good over evil. 

This festival also marks the defeat of the demon bull, Mahishasura, by Durga Mata. Mahishasura was a leader of a band of demons known as the Asuras. Their goal was to defeat the gods, the Devas, and to take over the Universe. Under Mahishasura’s leadership, the Asuras succeeded and created havoc on the universe. In order to take back what was theirs, the Devas compiled all their powers into the feminine energy, known as Shakti, and gave her the task of killing Mahishasura. Shakti took the form of the beloved yet fearsome Goddess Durga who defeated the evil bull and returned the universe back to the Devas. Hence, Dasha-Hara not only marks the defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama but it also commemorates the defeat of Mahishasura’a by the Deity Durga.

This illustrates that Dasha-Hara is all about the triumph of good over evil.

Written by Pallavi Chadha

                                                         Assistant Director HYSC 2015