24 Oct 2012
[Discourse on Vijayadashami Day] Vijaya Dashami is the festival indicating the victory of Knowledge over ignorance. If the sinner is punished, the attitude of sin is suppressed temporarily only because the punishment is external and not internal. We find this in the world that the thief is punished again and again in the police station. The real transformation of the soul takes place only when the internal ignorance is destroyed by knowledge. Therefore, such internal victory only is real and permanent. The word ‘Durga’ also means that the Knowledge protects you from the attack of ignorant thoughts like the fort protecting you from the attack of wild enemies. The word ignorance can be used in any context. You may be ignorant of mathematics. Somebody may be ignorant of the required address. In spiritual knowledge, the real context of the word ignorance should be analyzed because it relates to the permanent fate of the soul. This word ‘Ignorance’ is mentioned in the Gita in the context of Human Incarnation (Avajaananti maam…). This context is very important because it is concerned about the recognition of God, who came down in human form standing before you. What more important context can be than this in the life of a human being? The meaning of this verse is like this – “Whenever I come down in the human form, people insult Me due to the ignorance of the absolute God existing in Me”. People worship God when He is not before them and insult the same God whenever He appears before them. You are craving for Him in His absence and rejecting Him when He appears before you. The reason for this is the ignorance in the identification while seeing Him with the eyes due to the effect of ego and jealousy. There cannot be stronger ignorance than this situation. This is the most wonderful aspect of human psychology and hence, such scene can be really called as ‘Maya’. The meaning of the word ‘Maya’ is that which is wonderful. The Lord says in the Gita that nobody can cross this ‘Maya’ (Mama Mayaa duratyayaa…) except very few souls, who surrender totally to God (Mayaametaam taranti te…).
People refused to give some oil to [Shirdi] Saibaba to light the lamps. But, the same people are maintaining lakhs of lights in the temples in the world when Baba disappeared! People criticized Sita and were responsible for the continuous agony of Rama while He was alive. But, today when Rama left this world, people dance and sing songs in praise of Sita and Rama! People quarreled with complaints when Krishna stole some milk while He was alive. But, today people pour down pots of milk on the statues of Lord Krishna when the Lord has gone away from this world! This peculiar disease is the most wonderful one by which you refuse a person in person and praise in his absence. The Veda says that even angels are not an exception to this disease (Parokshapriyaah…). If this ignorance is overcome by the power of Knowledge, the soul is saved forever. Such victory of Knowledge over the ignorance saves you permanently and ‘Vijaya Dashami’ becomes meaningful if you try for such real victory.
We can remember some names of such victorious devotees. Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman and Gopikas must be remembered in this context. Lakshmana was younger to Rama and got married on the same day. While Rama enjoyed with Sita inside the cottage, Lakshmana wandered around it as a watchman for fourteen years. On no moment Lakshmana thought about his own wife. The attachment of the Lord to Lakshmana was highest, which surpassed even Sita. When Lakshmana became unconscious, the Lord asked to stop the war stating that Sita was not required when Lakshmana was lost. But, the wonderful test appears as if Rama was attracted to Sita ignoring the same family life of Lakshmana. The Lord sang a beautiful song on Lakshmana in this context, which is not known so far to anybody. The song runs like this -
Harimeva sevase he Adishesha!
(Oh! Adishesha! You are always serving the Lord only).
Swaartham Kimapi Naastivaa pannagesha!
(Oh! King of serpents! Don’t you have any single work, which is selfish?)
Deyam kimavashishtam te soumithre!
(Oh! Son of Sumithra! What is left over, which I did not give you?)
Atmaanameva Arpayaami Ahinayaka!
(Oh! Leader of serpents! Only I am left over and hence, I am dedicating Myself to you).
Apadamastakavapuriva Bhava Vasuke!
(Oh! Vasuki! From top to bottom I am in constant association with your body just like My soul is in constant association with this body. Hence, you are also like My body).
This excellent devotion was shown by Lakshmana while Rama is alive present before Him. This is the essential point that should be noted by all the devotees. We show such excellent devotion only in the absence of the Lord. While the Lord is present, we show either negligence or sometimes even enmity. Full recognition and the consequent excellent devotion are the characteristics of Sattvam-quality. Negligence is the characteristic of Rajas–quality, which is the result of concentrated ignorance. Enmity is the characteristic of Tamas–quality, which is the result of solidified ignorance.
Sita was proved to be pure through the fire test. But, still, Rama left her in the forest due to a rumor from the public. This is really the climax of injustice. Any other wife in such situation will either go to court of law or protest with the help of the members of associations of women! On hearing the news that Rama abandoned her, Sita sends the following message through Lakshmana “Oh! Rama! I am not committing suicide since your children in my womb stand as an obstacle. After the delivery, I will perform severe penance with the sole desire that You alone should be My husband without separation in my future life also” (Kimvaa tavatyanta viyogamoghe…., Saaham tapah…). Sita showed such extreme love in the life of Rama only and not in His absence from the world!
Hanuman approached the Lord without being married. But, the Lord always weept for His lost wife and engaged Hanuman always in the service of searching His wife. Anybody in the place of Hanuman will think about his foolishness in not performing his own marriage to search the wife of somebody else. But, Hanuman never thought like that and remained unmarried for the service of the Lord while the Lord was alive in front of His eyes!
Gopikas became mad when Krishna left Brindavanam and committed suicide by jumping into fire on hearing the death of Lord. They were unable to continue their lives in the absence of God, but we are unable to express the devotion when the Lord is alive!!
Such type of pure devotion is possible only when your life is devoid of selfishness through total surrender, which is called as Prapatti (Maamevaye Prapadyante… Gita). Selfishness disappears only when self disappears or forgotten. Bilhana was totally surrendered to his darling while walking in a forest and hit a sage unconsciously by his foot. The sage became angry to curse him. Bilhana asked that how the sage was conscious about the touch of his foot. In the memory of his darling, Bilhana forgot himself and hence, the leg belonging to himself was also forgotten. Similarly, selfishness belonging to self disappears only when the self is forgotten. Crossing the ‘I’ is said to be the crucifixion of self. In the work of God, Jesus forgot Himself and hence, underwent crucifixion. These are standing examples of total surrender by which the crucifixion of self takes place. These devotees should be remembered on this day to get the inspiration for achieving the real victory of knowledge over the ignorance in the context of our spiritual journey.
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