Today is Vijaya Dashami, commonly celebrated in the north as Dussehra, and as part of the festivities here at New Vrindaban, we witnessed the traditional burning of Ravana. Watching the towering effigy go up in flames, cracking and collapsing into a pile of smoking ash, I was struck by a deeply humbling realization about the sheer insignificance of our own worldly lives.
We often spend our days chasing after status, accumulating wealth, and building up our egos, believing these things make us permanent. But looking at the burning figure of Ravana, you are reminded of how fragile all of that truly is.
By all material and intellectual accounts, Ravana was a giant. He was a prominent personality of immense wealth, ruling over a golden kingdom. He possessed terrifying power and was one of the greatest scholars of the Vedas. Yet, for all his grandeur and invincibility, he was brought down and reduced to nothing.
Why? Because his vast knowledge lacked true realization, and his immense power was poisoned by arrogance. Ultimately, his downfall came down to one fatal flaw: he did not know how to respect a woman.
In his ego, he thought he could possess and disrespect Sita—the Divine Mother herself. That single act of adharma, that fundamental failure to honor womanhood, unraveled his entire empire. All his tapasyā (austerities), all his wealth, and all his physical strength could not save him from the consequences of his disrespect.
As the last embers of the effigy faded into the night, it left me with a clear thought. It does not matter how much we achieve in this world, how high we climb, or how prominent we believe ourselves to be. If our lives are not grounded in dharma, humility, and a deep respect for others—especially for the women in our lives and the Divine Feminine in the universe—our achievements are just waiting to turn to ash.
True victory on Vijaya Dashami is not just remembering the fall of a demon king. It is recognizing and burning the arrogance within our own hearts.