The festival of Dussehra is widely celebrated every year as the demon king Raavan was killed by Lord Ram for abducting his wife, Sita. Is a celebration of killing relevant? Isn’t it inhuman?Â
Why did Lord Ram kill Raavan?Â
According to Hindu mythology, every year “Dussehra” is celebrated as Lord Ram killed the Rakshasa Raavan. The Rakshasa king abducted Sita, wife of Lord Ram, to take revenge on her sister Surpanakha.Â
Attracted by the beauty of Ram and Lakshman, Surpanakha approached the brothers, first Ram and then Lakshman, for marriage, but they rejected her proposal. Â
Surpanakha couldn’t take this humiliation and attacked Sita in retaliation, for which Lakshman got infuriated, which resulted in Laxman chopping off her nose.Â
There is a question in my head that dwells upon how the human race can celebrate somebody’s death. No matter how bad a person is. Â
Is celebrating death not inhuman?
Still, is celebrating death not inhuman in itself? Life is priceless, and when someone loses a life, it is a big deal. Nobody has a right to their own life-taking. Then how can someone else’s life-taking be celebrated, if not mourned?
We are all grey in some sense. Ram is considered an all-white character. But even Lord Ram, the greatest of all men, did wrong to his wife.
He had abandoned his wife and wanted to test her purity through “Agni Pariksha, “as some people gossiped and doubted her chastity because she had spent so much time in Raavan’s palace.
This broke the devoted wife emotionally, who even accompanied her husband to the exile. She decided to not return to him. She ended her life by taking “Samadhi” within the mother earth.
We can’t deny what Ram did to Sita was not just unfair but shameful as well. No doubt, he loved her, but he failed as a husband who could have paid no heed to rumors but trusted his wife and supported her as she was abducted and didn’t go by choice. How could Sita even be blamed for anything at all?
On the other hand, Raavan, who is portrayed as an all-black evil character, had some really inspiring qualities. He came from a powerful and almighty family. He was the grandson of Brahma, the son of Vishra, and a sibling of Kubera.
He was a highly knowledgeable individual with extensive knowledge of Ayurveda, Political Science, Shastras, Vedas, and Medicines, etc. He was the biggest worshipper of Lord Shiva.
It is believed that he had a keen interest in music and was a highly accomplished veena player. I am no fan of Raavan, but I cannot deny the exceptional scholarly qualities he had.
Human, puppet of mistakes:
Everyone in this world makes mistakes. Therefore, a human is regarded as a “puppet of mistakes.”
Life, once lost, can never be brought back. We have all lost someone who we dearly loved. So, why kill someone and take their life? and not allow that to take place whenever nature allows?
Punishment for abduction in 2022:
Even today, in 2022, capital punishment is only meant for heinous crimes, and that too, in rare cases. Our lawmakers wouldn’t consider capital punishment for abduction.
Then how can we celebrate the one that took place long ago? Even today, there is imprisonment of up to 10 years for kidnapping as per Section 363A and life imprisonment for abduction with the intent of murder.
If it was so meaningful, why aren’t we adopting it today, in a more civilized society? Why aren’t people demanding capital punishment for abduction or kidnapping?
Other way round:
Instead of killing him, what if Lord Ram made him a prisoner for life? Would not that be greater torture? and his right to life would not have been violated.
Some people would say that it was long ago when that all happened. Then why are we still celebrating it? The killing of even the worst of worst people? How is that even relevant?
Instead of celebrating and spreading love, why are we celebrating hate?
Readmore- Special Dussehra Celebrations In Different Styles In Different Regions
