Dussehra – The Victory of Dharma Over Adharma

The Victory of Dharma Over Adharma
Every year, as the festive season reaches its sacred culmination, something beautiful
happens across India.
The streets come alive with Ramlila. Towering effigies of Ravana rise into the night sky. The
sounds of celebration fill the air. In Bengal, devotees bid farewell to Maa Durga. In Mysuru,
the palace shines in celebration. Across homes and workplaces, books, tools, vehicles and
instruments are cleaned, adorned and worshipped.
The celebrations may look different.
The stories may be different.
But the prayer at their heart remains the same:
May Dharma prevail over Adharma.
This is Dussehra, or Vijayadashami—the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin and the
culmination of Navratri. It is a day of victory, but also a day of reflection, renewal and new
beginnings.

What Does Vijayadashami Mean?
The name Vijayadashami itself tells us what the day represents.
Vijaya means victory, and Dashami refers to the tenth lunar day.
For many, Dussehra is remembered through Shri Rama victory over Ravana. In the eastern
parts of India, Vijayadashami marks Maa Durga victory over Mahishasura.
Different stories, different traditions—but one timeless truth:
Dharma may be tested, but it ultimately prevails.

Shri Rama and Ravana: The Victory of Dharma
The story of Shri Rama and Ravana has been told for generations.
Shri Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, entered fourteen years of exile. During this period,
Ravana, the mighty king of Lanka, abducted Mata Sita.

With Lakshmana, Hanuman and the Vanara army beside him, Shri Rama journeyed to Lanka.
The battle that followed was not merely a war between two kings. It became a profound
confrontation between Dharma and Adharma.
Ravana was powerful.
He was a great scholar, a formidable ruler and a devoted worshipper of Shiva. He possessed
immense knowledge and extraordinary abilities.
And yet, none of it could save him from his own ego.
That is what makes Ravana story so powerful.
He was not defeated because he was weak.
He was defeated despite his strength.
His knowledge could not overcome his arrogance. His power could not restrain his desires.
His position could not protect him from the consequences of his actions.
Eventually, Shri Rama defeated Ravana.
And the lesson of Vijayadashami became eternal:
Power without Dharma cannot endure.

The Ten Heads of Ravana
Every year, we watch Ravana ten-headed effigy rise before us.
But perhaps those ten heads are not meant only to represent a demon from an ancient
story.
Over generations, they have also come to symbolise the destructive tendencies within
us—desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride, jealousy, selfishness, injustice, cruelty and ego.
The interpretations vary across traditions, but the thought remains powerful.
Because perhaps Ravana is not only someone we remember.
Perhaps he is something we must recognise within ourselves.
Our anger.
Our ego.
Our jealousy.
Our greed.

Our attachments.
Our need to always be right.
Our desire for recognition.
The parts of ourselves we know we should change, but continue to protect.
And suddenly, Ravana Dahan becomes much more than a spectacle.
The flames become a mirror.
What would our own Ravana look like?

Maa Durga and the Victory of Shakti
Vijayadashami is not only the story of Shri Rama.
In the tradition of Durga Puja, it is also the day on which Maa Durga victory over
Mahishasura is celebrated.
After nine nights of devotion, Vijayadashami marks the triumph of divine Shakti over a
destructive force.
In Bengal, beautifully adorned idols of Maa Durga are carried through the streets before
being immersed.
There is celebration.
There is devotion.
And there is also the sadness of farewell.
Yet even in that farewell lies faith—the belief that the Divine Mother may leave our sight,
but never our hearts.
Shri Rama defeats Ravana.
Maa Durga defeats Mahishasura.
Different forms of the same eternal message:
When Adharma rises, Dharma must rise with it.

Dussehra Across India
The beauty of Vijayadashami lies in the many ways India celebrates it.
North India

Ramlila brings the Ramayana to life, culminating in the burning of Ravana effigy.
And there is something beautiful about that sequence:
The effigy burns only after the story has been told.
The flames are the spectacle.
The Ramayana gives them meaning.
West Bengal
Vijaya Dashami marks the culmination of Durga Puja. Maa Durga is carried in procession
before immersion—a moment where victory, devotion and farewell meet.
Mysuru
Mysuru Dasara celebrates the victory of Goddess Chamundeshwari over Mahishasura, filling
the city with lights, processions, decorated elephants and grandeur.
Maharashtra and South India
Through Shastra Puja and Ayudha Puja, tools, weapons, vehicles and instruments are
cleaned, adorned and honoured.
There is something deeply Indian about this idea:
The things that help us perform our duty deserve our gratitude.
Even our work can become worship.
Even our tools can become sacred.

The Shami Tree
Vijayadashami also carries the beautiful symbolism of the Shami tree, associated with the
Pandavas in the Mahabharata.
During their exile, the Pandavas concealed their weapons within a Shami tree until the time
came to retrieve them.
The tradition connects the tree with strength, protection, preparedness and victory.
And perhaps there is a lesson here too.
Strength does not always need to announce itself.
Sometimes strength is patience.
Sometimes it is knowing when to wait.

And sometimes it is knowing exactly when the time has come to rise.

What Are We Really Burning?
Perhaps this is the question at the heart of Dussehra.
Ravana has already been defeated.
So why do we burn him every year?
Because perhaps we are not really being asked to burn Ravana.
We are being asked to burn what Ravana represents.
The anger we hold on to.
The ego we refuse to surrender.
The greed we justify.
The jealousy we hide.
The attachment that prevents us from moving forward.
The desire for power without responsibility.
The part of ourselves that knows better, yet refuses to change.
The Ravana outside us is easy to burn.
The Ravana within us is much harder.
And perhaps that is why the tradition has survived for so many generations.
Every year, the flames give us another opportunity to look within.
To ask ourselves:
What do I need to let go of?

A Festival of New Beginnings
Vijayadashami is not only about ending.
It is about beginning again.
After the battle comes peace.
After destruction comes renewal.
After letting go comes the freedom to build something new.

This is why Vijayadashami is considered auspicious in many traditions for beginning new
ventures, starting new learning and taking the first step towards a new chapter.
The journey of Navratri leads naturally here.
Nine nights of devotion.
One day of victory.
From prayer to purpose.
From reflection to action.
From the old to the new.

The Victory We Carry Within
Perhaps Dussehra is best understood through three things:
Mythology — the stories of Shri Rama, Ravana, Maa Durga, Mahishasura and the Pandavas.
Culture — Ramlila, Durga Puja, Mysuru Dasara, Shastra Puja and Ayudha Puja.
Philosophy — the eternal choice of Dharma over Adharma.
But beyond all of this is something deeply human.
Every one of us has something we struggle with.
An anger we carry.
An ego we protect.
An attachment we cannot release.
A habit we know is holding us back.
A fear that keeps us from becoming who we are meant to be.
That is why Dussehra still matters.
Because the battle between Dharma and Adharma is not only a story from the past.
It is a choice we make every day.

The Victory of Dharma
Every year, Ravana burns.
Every year, Maa Durga triumphs.

Every year, Vijayadashami returns.
And every year, we are given another opportunity to begin again.
Perhaps the true meaning of Dussehra is not simply that an effigy burns before our eyes.
Perhaps it is the hope that something within us burns with it.
Our anger.
Our arrogance.
Our fear.
Our attachments.
Our darkness.
So that something better can take its place.
Dharma over Adharma.
Light over darkness.
Wisdom over arrogance.
Righteousness over desire.
And ultimately, the courage to choose what is right.
As the flames rise into the night this Dussehra, perhaps we can carry one question home
with us:
What will I overcome this year?