Fill your life with happiness and prosperity
HAPPY DASARA TO ALL
There are two important stories behind celebration of Dussehra festival in India. One story is associated with Lord Ram and another is associated with Goddess Durga. The festival of Dussehra signifies the victory of good over evil. Read on to know more about the significance and celebration of Dussehra festival.
Dasara also known as Vijaya Dashami, Dashahara, Navaratri, Durgotdsav… is one of the very important & fascinating festivals of India.
Word DASARA is derived from Sanskrit words “Dasha” & “hara” meaning removing the ten (10). This is the most auspicious festival in the Dakshinaayana or in the Southern hemisphere motion of the Sun. In Sanskrit, 'Vijaya' means Victory and 'Dashami' means 10th day.
Dussehra is also called Vijayadashami and is celebrated as victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasura.
In Hindu scriptures, Mahishasura was an asura.
Mahishasura's father Rambha was king of the asuras, and he once fell in love with a water buffalo (Princess Shyamala, cursed to be a buffalo); Mahishasura was born out of this union. He is, therefore, able to change between human and buffalo form at will (mahisha is Sanskrit word for buffalo).
The Devas and Asuras often wage wars against each other. In one such war, Rambha was killed by Indra. As Mahishasura grew up, he came to know how his father died. He collected a band of loyal soldiers and started terrorising Heaven (Swarga Loka). He invaded heaven, defeating Indra, and drove all the Devas out of heaven. Thus his revenge was complete.
The Devas formed a conclave to decide how to defeat this invincible asura. Since he was invincible to all men, they created his nemesis in the form of a young woman, Durga (a form of Shakti or Parvati). She combined the powers of all the devas in a beautiful form. After that, she marched against the demons on her mount, the Lion (wrongly depicted as a Tiger).
Mahishasura, upon hearing about her, sent his army to defeat and capture her. Durga kills all of the demons and challenges Mahishasura to a one-to-one fight. After nine days of fierce fighting (Mahishasura gave Durga a stiff opposition, as legend says of Durga re-gaining her spent energy by drinking honey), Durga finally manages to kill the powerful Mahishasura on the tenth day of the waxing moon. Durga is, therefore, called Mahishasuramardini (literally the slayer of the buffalo demon), the destroyer of Mahishasura.
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