Celebration of Dashain: Joyful Moments with Family and Friends
We celebrated Dashain Yesterday in our house, Woodley Reading with family members and friends. Dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami, is a memorable Hindu festival celebrated with great enthusiasm and reverence. It signifies the victory of good over evil and reflects the rich cultural and religious heritage of the Sanatan tradition. This year, our household in Woodley came alive as around four dozen family members and friends gathered to celebrate this festival from dawn to dusk. It was a day of spiritual significance and shared blessings.
One of the most auspicious moments of the day was receiving tika from a remarkable 99-year-old Ama, who is the mother of our dear friend Nabraj Adhikari ji. Her presence added a unique touch to the celebrations, reminding us of the timeless traditions that Dashain represents. In our neighborhood, we also have Ama, a spiritual person well into her 90s who had been performing a havan, a fire ritual ceremony, for the last nine days while fasting. She extended her invitation to me every day, a tribute to the spiritual devotion that this festival inspires.
During Dashain, we visited the Hindu temple and joined our friend Laxman Shrestha ji, who had dedicated his home as a place of worship, where he and his family and friends recited the Ram Charitmanas for nine days. His dedication and fasting during this time underscore the deep significance of this festival in the lives of its observers.
Dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami, is one of the most significant and widely celebrated Hindu festivals in Nepal and India and among the Nepali and Indian diaspora.
Dashain symbolizes the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon king, Mahishasura. This festival symbolizes a reminder of the eternal struggle between good and evil and the ultimate triumph of righteousness. Hindus worship the divine power during this time, seeking blessings for prosperity, happiness, and protection from malicious forces.
This festival is celebrated for nine days and is known as Nava Durga. The significance of this duration is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology. According to Hindu beliefs, the goddess Durga fought Mahishasura for nine days and nights before achieving victory. Each day of Dashain is dedicated to a different form of the goddess, and it holds its own unique rituals and ceremonies.
The primary myth surrounding Dashain centers on the goddess Durga. In Hindu mythology, she is depicted as a fierce warrior goddess riding a lion and carrying various weapons. She embodies divine feminine power and the ability to combat evil forces. The festival is a tribute to her valour and the belief that invoking her blessings will protect one from evil.
In addition to the Durga legend, Dashain is also associated with the story of Bhagawan Shree Ram, who prayed to Durga and received her blessings before embarking on his epic battle against the demon king Ravana in the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana. Ravana, despite having the most beautiful wife, Mandodari, kidnapped Sita, which represents evil. The allegorical meaning is that everyone has an evil side and we must defeat such evilness within.
The Hindu scriptures, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas, emphasize the importance of Durga and her role in protecting dharma (righteousness). The overall theme of the triumph of good over evil, which Dashain represents, is deeply embedded in Hindu scriptures.
From a scientific perspective, Dashain is a time of year when the weather patterns in Nepal and India often undergo significant changes. The festival falls in the autumn season, marking the transition from the rainy monsoon season to the drier period. This shift in climate can be seen as a metaphorical reflection of the victory of light (good) over darkness (evil). Light represents knowledge, while darkness is ignorance, so everything evil happens due to ignorance.
Prominent figures such as Mahatma Gandhi have acknowledged the importance of festivals like Dashain in fostering unity and moral values among communities. Gandhi, a proponent of non-violence, found inspiration in the festival’s message of conquering evil through peaceful means.
The Bhagavad Gita, an essential text of the Sanatan Dharma, contains verses that resonate with the festival’s underlying theme. One such verse is from Chapter 4, Verse 7: “Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest myself on earth to protect the righteous and to annihilate the wicked.” This verse highlights the divine intervention to maintain righteousness and destroy evil, aligning with the essence of Dashain.
Dashain celebrated over nine days, is a festival deeply rooted in Hindu tradition, spirituality, and cultural heritage. It serves as a reminder of the eternal struggle between good and evil and the ultimate victory of righteousness. Dashain continues to be a source of unity, reflection, and spiritual growth for millions of people, carrying forward its rich traditions through the generations.
