Bijoya Dashami Greetings
Śubhā Sat Rana
“Subha Sat Rana.” I composed the above phrase to greet others after Durga Puja – Akaal Bodhan and posted it on my website on 17th October 2021. This tradition links the proceedings of the Ramayana, where Lord Rama performed a puja of Goddess Durga for a victory in the battle against King Ravana. Over time, commemoration of this great event has become a part of the culture in Bengal (and elsewhere), with the celebrations of Durga Puja followed by Bijoya Dashami (or Vijayadashami; Vijaya means victory, and Dashami means the tenth day of the lunar fortnight). ‘Subho Bijoya’ is the phrase to greet someone on this occasion in Bengali (after Durga Puja). I have used the exact phrase to greet others from childhood to the recent past. However, on some occasions in different places, we witness celebrations of the ‘victory’ that seem more about ego than the true spirit of the festival. These egoistic and unjustified celebrations, often driven by reductionism, sometimes burn the effigy of a so-called demon equating it with one of the wisest beings, like Ravana, ignoring his true role in the cosmic game. Such acts devalue the cultures of both the then-distant territories. Although it is unrelated to the nature of the celebration I follow, it burns me too. To me, Bijoya Dashami, at large, is a celebration that is free from ego. So, I thought of composing a greeting phrase that would keep us free from ego, shifting our focus from the victory (outcome of the battle) to the act or fact of fighting the battle. In agreement with the same, without being egoistic and not being focused on the outcome, I tried to praise the glorious (Subha) ‘duty’ (Dharma) and ‘action’ (Karma), and with these, the ‘eternal’ (Sat) ‘battle’ or ‘competition’ (Rana) between the good and evil (or contradictory forces or purposes) honouring all who fought honestly as a part of the divine play or the cosmic game.
The complete phrase was “Subha Dharma – Subha Karma – Subha Sat Rana.” I shortened it to greet someone this time by saying “Subha Sat Rana” on Bijoya Dashami. The spiritual significance of the events remains independent of my observations.
The previous post, “My greetings to all”, is available here.