Brief Question: Why RAVANA DEHAN is celebrated on Vijaya dasami by burning a Gyani Ravana?
Actual Question:
Om harihar anna A question raised in my mind about dussehra. In india the ritual of Ravan Dehan celebrating every year but i want to ask that is it not wrong to watch Ravan Dehan when we dont able to kill Ravan inside us. Today a lot of crime against women is done in the world but no one say abt it. Ravan was a mahagyani n we r till now punish him by Ravan Dehan. I want to clear that fact why we till now doing RAVAN DEHAN on dussehra (vijaydashmi). Apologize if i hurt anyone’s feeling. Om Harihar..
REPLY:
Yes.
Ravana is a gyani who have learnt many scriptures.
He is also an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva.
He had performed many penances through which he had acquired power even to direct the Navagrahas to act in this way or that way.
He was able to travel all the worlds and meet the people there.
All these powers were received through serious penances.
As a king, he was ruling Sri Lanka nicely and the people were very happy during his rule.
He was also affectionate to his kiths and kins.
Everything is fine.
Now, see these examples:
(1) A person calls me for a feast.l I go. He serves so many delicious dishes to me one by one. But, finally, he is putting a piece of stool on my plate.
What will be the result?
All his feast goes waste just because he placed some stool at the end. I will not appreciate all his delicious dishes, but, will consider serving stool as offensive. Isn’t it?
(2) Let a married girl comes to a highly educated relative man seeking a help to restructure her loan. He gives all his support by talking to the banker and also by paying some financial assistance for settling a part of her loan.
When she thank him from her with her folded hands.
Now, imagine that man tells her:
“ Its alright. I did all that help because I like you. I need your company atleast once”
What will happen?
Will she be grateful for all his helps?
She will never forgive him for his cheap mentality.
Also read: DIWALI or DEEPAVALI – CELEBRATING PROCEDURE, RECIPES AND STORIES BEHIND IT
This is what Ravana did.
There are many crimes and sins. Out of all the sins, the foremost sin is looking at the wife of another man with lust and sexually assault her.
Ravana did that.
That too, he fell in lust on Sita devi herself who is the form of Lakshmi Devi.
There are some people who support Ravana for not touching Sita devi, but, was waiting for her consent and hence Ravana was a decent guy.
They forget one thing:
He was torturing Sita devi every day by coming to the Ashok Van and pressurizing her to accept his offer.
Only the power of purity of Sita Devi protected and saved her from Ravana.
Even after such a serious sinful act of abducting Sita devi, Lord Rama gave him many chances in many circumstances.
But, Ravana did not agree to the requests of Rama.
He was adamant in not relieving Sita devi.
Just because of abducting SIta devi, all his good qualities and knowledge has gone waste, as explained in my two examples above.
That is why, Ravana was killed.
The purpose of Ravan Dehan is that we should give up the RAVANA-LIKE lustful mind and we should not look the other women lustfully.
This is the symbolic reason for the Ravan Dehan.
Nothing wrong in it.
We celebrate the killing of the demon Narakasura as Diwali.
Ravana Dehan is also like that.
It is the sign of burning our bad thoughts and actions.
Of course, everyone should have purity in life. But, the people have the tendency of forgetting good advices.
These rituals are done just to remind them of this purity atleast once a year.
Let it be. Let it remind us about the need to be pure in life.
Hope you have understood now.
Also read: Is thinking of sinful acts equal to the sins in actions?