08/10/2019
Vijaya Dashami
Loving and divine souls,
Let the choicest blessings of God and the masters be upon all of you. I take this opportunity to pray for you, and I send my best wishes on the occasion Vijaya Dashami, the day of victory that falls on October 8 this year.
After nine days of worshipping Divine Mother Durga, the tenth day is called "the day of victory." Mother Durga is the destroyer of all weakness and misfortune. Our weaknesses are within us due to our wrong attitudes and improper living. Whether we experience physical or mental weaknesses, each one of us is the cause of it. We must change ourselves by changing our thinking, our communications, and our style of working.
We have ten sense organs, and they are extrovert. They look outside since they are on the outer part of the body. The mind, although an internal instrument, is roaming in ten directions. To discipline all of these facets, Mother Durga has ten hands ready to teach and train us to be more disciplined and active.
In the scriptures Mother Durga is described as Mahishamardini who destroyed the demon Mahishasura. This demon is present in each one of us in the form of anger. Anger is a demon hiding within us that creates much misery. It is said that no enemy is greater than anger (nasti krodhasamo ripuh). We keep this enemy within our hearts and minds. Day by day this enemy grows stronger and more powerful. Disease such as anger must be cured from its root.
We know anger is not good, but we do not want to get rid of it. Anger is a fire burning within that will hurt others and hurt us.
Anger is a friend of passion and desire. When desire is fulfilled, it comes to us in the form of greed, and when unfulfilled, desire comes to us as anger. Let us live with self-discipline and minimize our wants. Let us not live with expectations of our friends and relatives; instead, let us serve each other with love. If we truly practice living in the presence of God, we will feel the divine presence in all and in every situation. As a result, we cannot be angry with anyone; instead, we will become more thankful to God at every moment.
If we watch our thoughts, we can easily avoid anger and pride. If we are conscious of the words we utter, we can easily avoid unpleasant situations. Anger is fire; we must not ignite it with the fuel of jealousy and intolerance, or passion and possessiveness. When we do not provide fuel to the fire, it will naturally be extinguished.
When we achieve victory over our anger, this is the true celebration of Vijaya. On this special day I am praying to the Divine Mother that we all have inner strength, love, and devotion. Let us meditate and pray that we will change and transform ourselves. This will help us live happy and healthy lives.
Love & light