NEVER TO GET BOGGED DOWN BY MEAN FORCES








Pic.:Alwyn Mathias

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
It is about learning to dance in the rain.”
- Unknown

The day of Dassehra signifies the victory of good over evil. In other words, it signifies hope… It urges us never to lose our faith in humanity, the goodness of life and people… It urges us to be patient, keep doing the good work… never to get bogged down by evil forces…

Yes, that’s something very reassuring about Dassehra… That, the battle of good over evil has been there since origin of time… That, even Gods were not spared of this battle… That, no matter what havoc and destruction the evil forces unleash in our life, finally, it is the Good which triumphs…
On the one side, there is the Legend of Lord Ram destroying the demon king, Ravan. Now, if Lord Ram himself was not spared of the torture and trauma from evil forces, how can you and I expect a life free from evil forces? Life, therefore, cannot be free from evil forces… And, if it cannot be free from evil forces, the only option left for us is to fight it with our good force… and, the story of Lord Rama, does assure us that Gods will be our allies in this battle…
Thus, to me, Dasserha is a constant reminder of this divine assurance… The Good ‘will’ triumph, in the end!
On the other side, there is the Legend of Goddess Durga slaying the demon Mahishasur. When this demon had tyrannized the world, the Gods had galvanized their energies to bring forth Goddess Durga. She was blessed with ten hands and many Gods had armed her with weapons to help her destroy the demon Mahishasur. As the Legend goes, the battle between Goddess Durga and demon Mahishasur had raged on for nine days and nine nights… and, finally, on the tenth day – on the Dassehra day - she had destroyed the demon!

Today is Dassehra. On my one side, I have people celebrating the victory of Lord Ram over demon Ravan… On the other side, I have those celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over demon Mahishasur… Both are legends of triumph of good over evil… Both promise me hope… and fill me with strength to keep doing my good work… never to get bogged down by mean forces in life… never to be mean myself…
Happy Dassehra to you all… May the Good triumph in your life, too.

GERALD D’CUNHA

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