On The Way With Analogs: On The Way With Analogs #039: Your slice of Dussehra wisdom !!!

VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL

A simple statement I have used ample of times during card making competitions in primary school days as a part of school activity for Dussehra each year. A festival celebrated every year according to Hinduism marked by victory of Lord Rama by defeating and killing Ravana.

Depiction of Rama and Ravana

Those days....tides of memories....Whilst that time it was more of yipeeeee - holidays......sweets.......more pocket money (elders give money as token of love to go to Dussehra celebrations and ENJOY), party.....relatives.....friends....crackers.....

That simple sentence had the simplest meaning in third grade *indeed* !!!................

now *I DOUBT IT* !!!

WHY ??????

Simply......what is good and what is evil/bad ! Here I am not talking of sure shot things : terrorism - EVIL; peace, benevolence, charity - definitely GOOD. I am talking of - how we handle each situation every time.

The meaning actually comes with permutations and combinations, agreeable, right ! Lets take few examples from Ramayana (an epic written by Sage Valmiki; dated 500BC - 100BC; portraying Rama's journey) itself :

A) Rama fighting for his wife Sita : Good

Rama after getting back to Kingdom and officially made King, abrogates Sita on request of his Kingdom: Bad

B) Soopnakha trying to lure Rama and Lakshman even on knowing they are married : Bad

Lakshman breaking Soopnakha nose when she tries to attack Sita : Good

C) Ravana (brother) on seeing Soopnakha's (sister) broken nose fills with anger: Justified

Ravana planning to kidnap Sita as a revenge: Bad

D) Ravana highly highly highly knowledgeable person with kingdom which prospers under his reign which was even termed as Kingdom of gold : Good

Ravana abducting and forcing Sita to marry him even on being already married : BAD

E) Sita portraying idealistic wife and a lady of high character : Good

Sita getting lured over to man turned fake golden dear and forcing Rama and then Lakshman to go for it. Bad/ ??

And so on...their are many such actions, reactions and situations described in Ramayana.....

Currently, their are crores who worship Lord Rama (including me) on Dussehra on killing Ravana but their are thousands and maybe lakhs who mourns on his death too.

What I am trying to say is : we all have had done good and bad. Good for me, may be good for others or bad for self or bad for some one else.....in some cases good for self and simultaneously bad for others or the other way round.

If we try to list it...it might be endless...Isn't it !!!!!

CURIOSITY QUOTIENT -

So is this statement "Victory of Good over Evil" justified ! What if Good wasn't that Good or that Bad wasn't that bad or may be more worst ?????

And secondly, how can we fit it in our lives !!!!

COMMENT

Let us examine like this : Rama did some things that were not good or not justifiable or bad according to the scenario, culture and society of that time and few not at all justifiable according to current times too but overall all he took the justifiable course. His good deeds overpowered his wrong deeds. If we take Ravana on the other hand, though he was master mind; he is displayed with ten faces which symbolizes that he had power of ten minds. He had all the wisdom and knowledge. Still, his one deed, one wrong deed and ego dismantled everything, tore apart everything.

Did it knock your mind ?

Reading it, what ever your sub conscious responded implies you got it !

Now, I will just end with a line from lyrics of movie 'Swades' (2004) enacted by Mr. Shah Rukh Khan; Lyrics by : Mr. Javed Akhtar and sung by : Mr. Vijay Prakash:

mann se raavan jo nikaale, raam uske mann me hai

( who removes Ravana from heart, is having Rama in his heart)

So, just burn away Ravana inside you & let the Rama prosper inside you

It would be great to know your suggestion and perceptions. Do comment and add on to all of ours knowledge. Till then keep enjoying and celebrating.