The spectacular Goshani Jatra of Puri
During the Navaratri festivities, I witnessed the stunning Goshani Jatra in Puri. It is a unique ancient tradition that is little known in the rest of India.
This year, Dussehra will be celebrated on 8th October.
Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is a renowned festival of Hindus as it denotes the victory of good over the evil. The word Vijayadashami is made up of two words– Vijaya meaning victory and Dashami meaning the tenth.
Meanwhile, the word Dussehra is also made of two Sanskrit words– Dasha meaning ten and Hara meaning defeat. Hence, Dussehra is celebrated on the 10th day. Dussehra signifies the day when Goddess Durga killed Mahishasur– the demon and thus, a day of happiness and celebration.
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Dussehra is also celebrated as the day when Lord Ram killed Ravana, hence celebrating Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana.
Vijayadashami is also known as the day of victory. The nine days of Navratri are classified as per the three basic qualities of tamas, rajas and sattva. The first three days are tamas, where the goddess is fierce, like Durga and Kali.
The next three days are Lakshmi related – gentle but materially oriented goddesses.
The last three days are dedicated to Saraswati, which is sattva. It is related to knowledge and enlightenment. Investing in these three will make you live your life in a positive way. But if you go beyond all this, it is no longer only about power, it is also about liberation.
After Navratri, the tenth and final day is Vijayadashami – that means you have conquered all these three qualities. You did not give into any of them, you saw through every one of them. You participated in every one of them but you did not invest in any one of them. You won over them. That is Vijayadashami, the day of victory. This brings home the message of how being in reverence and gratitude towards everything that matters in our lives leads to success and victory.
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