Editorial- Ravana Will Certainly Perish!
Vijayadashami Thought: No matter how powerful Adharma may be, the ultimate victory always belongs to Dharma!
Hari Om! Shri Ram!! Ambadnya!!!
Heartfelt wishes on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami!
There is one certainty in this universe: Ravana always perishes! Ravana never wins the final battle. Whether it is Ravana, Kansa, or Mahishasura, who is regarded as one of the most powerful demons, their end is inevitable. This is because their conduct becomes overwhelmed by Adharma, cruelty, arrogance, injustice and destructive tendencies. Today, we celebrate Vijayadashami with great enthusiasm and joy. We exchange greetings and good wishes. Wonderful! But do we truly understand the spiritual message behind this festival?
Vijayadashami is not merely about burning an effigy of Ravana. It is a day to resolve to destroy the ‘Ravana-like tendencies’ that have arisen in our society, our institutions and within our own minds. Lord Shri Ramachandra defeated and killed Ravana of Lanka. But who was Ravana in essence?
Ravana is arrogance!
Ravana is the pride of power and wealth!
Ravana is the persecution of truth, virtue and honesty!
Ravana is the tendency to steal away the happiness, joy and devotion of others!
Ravana is the cruelty of behaving unjustly even towards one’s own parents!
Ravana is the audacity to deceive even God!
Ravana is the greed to seize another person’s wealth!
Ravana is the mentality of taking control, through conspiracies and deceit, of the very institution or system that helped shape and support you!
Ravana is the ungrateful tendency to work against the very institution in which one enjoyed position, prestige and authority!
How much more can one describe such a Ravana? This is not a glorification of Ravana. Rather, it is a reminder of the Vijayadashami message—to recognize Ravana-like tendencies and understand that their destruction is inevitable. Because no matter how powerful Ravana may be, no matter how much authority, wealth, manpower or influence he may possess, Adharma can never achieve permanent victory.
Dharma may take time, but it ultimately rises. Virtue may triumph late, but it ultimately proves its strength. Honesty may often stand alone. It may face trials and humiliation. Yet it is never truly defeated. Because truth may take time to prevail, but truth can never be destroyed.
Even in today’s world, we see the misuse of power, arrogance arising from position, financial self-interest, conspiracies, injustice, attempts to capture institutions and efforts to silence those who sincerely ask questions. In every such situation, the message of Vijayadashami becomes immensely relevant.
Ravana did not exist only in Lanka. The Ravana-like tendency still exists today. It may exist in an individual, within a system, inside an institution, or even in the arrogance of power. But there is another certainty just as profound: the end of Ravana is also certain!
The force that defeats Adharma is Dharma.
The force that resists injustice is virtue and righteousness.
The weapon that defeats deceit is honesty.
The force that humbles arrogance is truth.
The Supreme Being never grants eternal victory to evil, wrong or ignoble tendencies. Those who stand against injustice, those who oppose wrongdoing, those who stand by truth and righteousness, and those who make sincere efforts for the welfare of society—they are certain to receive the strength and support of the Divine. The path may not be easy. The struggle may be intense. A person speaking the truth may sometimes have to stand alone. But Vijayadashami gives us one eternal assurance: “No matter how powerful Adharma may be, it will ultimately perish; Dharma will prevail!
Therefore, while burning Ravana today, let us not merely set fire to an effigy. Let us resolve to burn away the arrogance, selfishness, deceit, injustice and ingratitude within ourselves. And those who have chosen the path of truth, Dharma, virtue and honesty should never lose hope. Because – No matter how powerful Ravana may be, Ravana will certainly perish!
Jai Shri Ram!
— Narendra Rajaram Hadkar