Day_16 - Dussehra

Hello everyone, welcome to my 16th blog. I hope you all are healthy and fine.

Before starting today's blog, let me wish you all a Happy Dussehra. May all your tensions dissipate as light awakens the dark room. As you may know, I am a Gujarati, and you must be aware that today, we enjoy a lot of Fafda and Jalebis.

But why do we do so? The reason is that in Hindu scriptures, it is a ritual that any fast must end by eating food prepared from gram flour (Fafda). The reason for Jalebi is, as per scriptures, Lord Ram loved a sweet called Shashhkuli (Jalebi), and Lord Hanuman loved items prepared from gram flour. I know many of you must be familiar with this, or like me, you might have just learned about it today.

Apart from this, we also celebrate the victory of good over evil. Lord Ram, after fighting for nine long days, vanquished Ravan on Vijayadashami. I always chant "Hey Ram, Hey Ram" because that's our Lord, our dharma, and our culture. Chanting his name  provides me with mental and moral support.

But here, I'd like to draw your attention to something. Yes, Ravan, the king of Lanka, the golden Lanka. While we may burn effigies of Ravan today, we shouldn't forget that he was the most learned scholar who ever lived. He was a Brahmin, a devout follower of Lord Shiva, and performed yajnas to please the gods. His knowledge was so profound that he could have achieved so much more, but as they say, it's not others who harm us, it's our arrogance that can be our downfall.

Before his demise, Ravan imparted some valuable knowledge to Lord Lakshman, which, if followed, can save many people and yourself. These are:

1. Do not make enemies of your charioteer, gatekeeper, cook, and brother, as they can harm you at any time.

2. Do not assume you are always a winner, even if you've been winning all the time.

3. Always trust the minister who criticizes you.

4. Never underestimate your enemy, thinking they are small or powerless, as I did regarding Hanuman.

5. Never think you can outsmart the stars; they will bring you what you are destined to receive.

6. Either love or hate God, but both should be immense and strong.

7. A king eager to win glory must suppress greed as soon as it surfaces.

8. A king must welcome the smallest opportunity to do good for others without any procrastination.

Life has always been a lesson; we can even learn from our enemies and need to be cautious around our friends. Maybe our biggest enemy is somewhere close by.

With that said, if you've read my entire blog, please share it with your family. ❤️