Jaya: Victory over Oneself
"Prabhu! Save us!" The voice echoed in Vaikuntha (the abode of Sri Vishnu).
"What happened, my dear gatekeepers? Why are you so worried?" asked Sri Vishnu with his sweet and calming voice.
Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, replied, "Prabhu, we were cursed by the four Kumaras of Brahma to incarnate as humans on Earth, separated from you, simply because we didn't let them enter Vaikuntha!"
"And why didn't you let them come?" asked Sri Vishnu.
Vijaya responded, "Prabhu, how could we? We didn't know they were the sons of Brahma; we thought they were just curious children. When we stopped them from entering, they revealed their true selves and cursed us."
Sri Vishnu said, "Oh, is that what happened? I can't cancel their curse because it arose from their tapasya. Even Lord Shiva, who loves his devotees deeply, cannot nullify words spoken through austerities. But don't worry; I can modify the curse given by the Sanat-Kumaras. I have two propositions for you. The first is that you can be my great bhakts for seven lifetimes, loving me and carrying me in your hearts with every passing breath. The second is that you can each have three lives, but you will hate me with all your might and try to erase my name from people's hearts. The choice is yours."
Jaya instantly replied, "Nath, we will choose three lives hating you because we can't live without you for even a second. But, Prabhu, please grant us one benediction: that you will personally come to free us from the prison of separation and draw us back into your lotus-like heart."
Sri Vishnu, with an enchanting smile, said, "Are you sure? The world will mock and burn you forever in the form of a statue. You will become the lowest of beings who will try to insult me and even attempt to kill me."
Jaya responded, "If it means that we can once again return to you, we have no problem; being freed by your hands is a wonderful benediction in itself."
"So be it," Sri Vishnu declared.
In Treta Yuga, the lord of the universe came to Earth as Sri Ram when Ravana, the demon king and an incarnation of Jaya, caused terror for Mother Earth and the devtas in Swarg. During the exile of Lord Sri Ram, as he dwelled in the forest, the tyrant Ravana kidnapped Mata Sita.
Mata Sita cried under an Ashoka tree in Lanka, calling out the name of her husband Ram for months. Then, a beacon of hope arrived amidst the mental torture inflicted by the cruel Ravana—Hanuman!
Hanuman assured Mata Sita that he was a servant of Sri Ram and came to tell her, "Don't worry, Mata. Sri Ram and the Vanara Sena will arrive soon, and you will be reunited with Sri Ram." Mata Sita felt skeptical about how a bunch of forest dwellers could defeat Ravana's formidable army. Hanuman sensed her doubt and destroyed the garden of Ashoka trees, effortlessly killing many demons, including a son of Ravana, only to be captured intentionally to confront Ravana face to face.
"A forest-dwelling monkey with siddhis? That's the first I am hearing! Who are you, and why did you destroy my Ashoka Vartika?" said Ravana.
"I am a mere nobody, O Lord of Demons, just a messenger of Sri Ram. I was eating your garden's fruits peacefully when your demons attacked me. So I defended myself; it's not my fault they are dead," Hanuman replied with a smile.
"Do you even know who I am?" Ravana asked. Hanuman answered, "I know all about your feats. You wrestled with Kartavirya-Arjuna, and by befriending the previous Vanara king Bali, you became famous. You don't understand the gravity of the sin you have committed by kidnapping Mata Sita. But don't worry; if you surrender at the lotus feet of Sri Ram and return Mata Sita, you will be forgiven and can rule over Lanka without any fear. Speech doesn't possess beauty without the name of Ram in it; even a small snake can take on the mighty Garuda with that name! Don't make the mistake of becoming an enemy of my lord. A bunch of monkeys can destroy everything you've worked for. Surrender all your arrogance, Ravana, and let Mata Sita go."
Hanuman persuaded Ravana in many ways, but Ravana dismissed his words and attempted to punish Hanuman by lighting his tail on fire. Hanuman retaliated, burning the entire golden Lanka with the same flames of arrogance.
Hanuman returned to Sri Ram and informed him about Mata Sita and Ravana's army. Sri Ram embraced Hanuman with joy and proceeded to Lanka with the Vanara Sena. Sri Ram consecrated the Rameshwaram Jyotirling, and with the blessings of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati, the Vanaras built a bridge over the ocean to reach Lanka. They battled Ravana's army for ten days, defeating various generals and sons of the demon lord.
On the tenth day of the fierce battle between Sri Ram and the demon king Ravana, at the end of the conflict, Sri Ram shot thirty-one arrows with his mighty bow, cutting off Ravana's twenty arms and ten heads. The last arrow pierced his navel, where his life energy was stored.
Ravana screamed in his dying moments, "Where is Ram? I will slay him!" In his final moments, he chanted the universe's purest mantra, "Ram." At that moment, he was freed by his lord and died with a smile.
Understanding the entire Sundarkand and Yudhkand, one can derive various lessons, but what resonates with me is this: at death, you are nothing. At death, you have no arrogance, desire, or attachments; you become supportless and immortal. You merge back with the divine itself. So why not die right now and live again? Why not surrender every desire, ego, and the mind to the supreme divine, represented as flames that burn in a Yagya? By keeping those flames alive with consciousness as the Aahuti of ghee, you can start dissolving your ego. Instead of burning a demon statue once a year, the supreme divine will begin residing within you as joy and love for everyone and everything.
The Sanat-kumaras asked Jaya and Vijaya about the meaning of their names. They explained that Vijaya, the incarnation of Kumbhakarna, meant "Victory over an enemy," while Jaya, the incarnation of Ravana, meant "Victory over oneself." Dusshera teaches us how Sri Ram defeated his enemy, conveying the message of how one can also be victorious over the self. This is what Dusshera means to me.