Vijaydashmi: A ray of hope to come out of the pulls and pushes of the material world

Every person who starts moving along the spiritual path faces occasions of pulls and pushes from the materialistic world. There are moments when he feels disillusioned from the world and there is a great push to move away from the world. As he moves away from the world, the worldly needs again pull him towards the world. This seesaw keeps going on and there is gradual progress along the path till his mind becomes pure enough not to get attracted by the worldly pulls.

What is wrong with these worldly pulls? This question comes again and again to our minds. To the best of my understanding, there is nothing right or wrong. There are consequences of each action. Each worldly pull has a cycle. The moment we start the same, we can not exit the cycle without finishing the same. For example, if we wish to marry, there is nothing right or wrong about it. It is a complete cycle. By marrying, we give a commitment to the other person to live together in spite of the circumstances and incompatibilities. Then we have kids and start accumulating resources for their education and well-being. So, by making one choice, we enter into a cycle. There is absolutely no problem in making a choice but then we are bound by the consequences. That is precisely what Krishna tells Arjuna. Arjuna decides to fight the battle of Kurukshetra and after looking at the relatives fighting from the other side, he gets disillusioned and wants to run away from the battlefield. Krishna tells Arjuna that once Arjuna has taken a decision to be a warrior, he has no choice left except to fight the battle.

So, there is no right or whorng. Every choice has consequences. Does that mean that once we have a made a choice, there is no option left? Definitely not. I do feel that we always have a free will. A crucial question here is whether we are anchored in the materialistic world or we are free from it. King Janaka was free from it even while living the life of a king and having a family. There are so many examples of Sanyasis leaving home to just form their Ashramas and be heavily attached to these Ashramas. 

So, what matters at the end of the day is the state of our Chitta, Mana, and Buddhi. If Chitta, Mana, and Buddhi are pure, they will remain so irrespective of the physical circumstances. A velcro tape, wherever it is placed will attract something or the other to get tied to. While a silky ribbon, wherever placed will remain free of ties. It does not matter whether one fights the battle on the battlefield of Kurukshetra or stays away from the same if one's Chitta is like a barren land, Mana is like a silky ribbon and Buddhi is full of wisdom.

Rama did not take a minute to decide to go to the forest obeying his father. Just a few moments earlier, he was declared to be the king of Ayodhya, and the very next moment, he gets the directions to go to the forest for 14 years. When Ravana kidnaps his wife, without any second thought about the consequences, he is ready to fight the battle. This is because of the simple reason that he has no like or dislike for any consequences. He is constantly aware of his true nature being pure consciousness and therefore is not afraid of any consequences. He knows that this entire world and all the happenings in this world are temporary. Not only does He understand this intellectually, but also he has realized the temporariness of all the samskaras in the domain of Chitta. That is why his Mana is so pure and non-attached just like a silky ribbon. On the other hand, Ravana, despite having all the materialistic pleasures is attached to each and everything just like a velcro tape. 

Just following the footsteps of Rama gives us immense rewards. Our Chitta starts becoming pure and we feel peace within. It is the samskaras of attachment inside Chitta that result in cravings and aversions. It results in greed and anger and makes us restless. When we move in the footsteps of Rama, these old samskaras start getting eradicated and to the extent of eradication, we become peaceful. The more we rest in a witness state, the more peaceful we become. As Chitta becomes pure, Buddhi also becomes free of the slavery of Chitta and acquires wisdom. Mana becomes free of the bondage of Chitta and regains its strength the way Hanumana regained his strength when he got united with Rama.

The Festival of Vijaydashmi reminds us every year of the victory of purity over impurities. During the hustle and bustle of daily life, running from pillar to post, we forget our true nature and get caught in the interplay of cravings and aversions, likes and dislikes, good and bad. These festivals remind us to come out of the cycle of a materialistic world. They motivate us to get free of bondage and live life full of freedom and bliss.