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On the fifth day (Lalita Panchami), it is traditional, to gather all books, light a lamp and invoke Saraswati. The eighth and ninth day, it is traditional to perform Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire) to honour Divine Mother.
All these Yagna Performances are to create powerful agents into the atmosphere surrounding the house so as to keep the household environment clean and healthy.
Gujaratis perform their traditional dances Garba and Dandiya-Raas during Navaratri. Garba and Dandiya is a community dance in which men and women dressed in festive clothes dancing in pairs with Dandiya or painted wooden sticks.
Apart from Gujarat, Garbas are performed in many other Indian states. Beautifully decorated 'mandaps' are set up for playing garba and dandiya by various cultural societies and youth social groups.
Vijaya Dashami
After the Navaratri, the 10th day is known as Vijaya Dashami (day of Victory over evils). In Sanskrit, ' Vijaya' means Victory and 'Dashami' means 10th day. 'Thus Vijaya Dashami' means victory on the 10th day. In fact the word dasara is derived from Sanskrit words "Dasha" and "hara" meaning removing the ten (10).
The day signifies the good winning over the evil. It is believed that on this day, Rama had killed Ravana. According to the legend, Ravana was the king of Lanka (some scholars disagree that the Lanka in Ramayana is same as today's Sri Lanka. But some claim it to be so. Unfortunately, there has not been any extensive study, aiming at finding any information on this subject).
He propounded a life of materialism. The kingdom was prosperous, well defended and did not have many enemies.
He was also a very learned and accomplished person and well versed in Vedas and other scriptures. His bravery, courage, administrative abilities and expertise in weaponry was admired by all.
It was said that he had great skills in using Mayawi-Shakthi (that let him fly in the air). Ravana is depicted in art with up to 10 heads, possibly signifying that he had knowledge spanning all the 10 directions.
Using his invulnerability and awesome strength, Ravana conquered and humiliated hundreds of kings across India, building his empire and dominion over the rest of the continent.
After gaining such immense powers Ravana became corrupt and selfish. According to the legend, it was soon deemed necessary to rid the world of his tyranny and therefore, became necessary for God Vishnu to come down to the world assuming human form.
He incarnated himself in his seventh avatar, Rama, a prince of Ayodhya. The story of the life and exploits of Rama (and indeed of Ravana) forms the operative part of the Ramayana.
Way of Rama
Ramayana (Sanskrit, "Way of Rama") is the shorter of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahabharata. Rich in its descriptions and poetic language, it consists of seven books. It was probably begun in the 3rd century BC, with the beginning and possibly the ending added later.
The Ramayana tells of the birth and education of Rama, and recounts his winning of the hand of Sita in marriage. Displaced as rightful heir to his father's throne, Rama goes into exile, accompanied by Sita and by his brother Lakshman.
While in there, Sita is abducted by the king Ravana. With the aid of the monkey general Hanuman and an army of monkeys and bears, Rama, after a long search, slays Ravana and rescues Sita. Rama regains his throne and rules wisely. In the probable addition, Sita is accused in rumours of adultery during her captivity.
Although innocent, she bears Rama's twin sons in exile, sheltered by the hermit Valmiki, said to be the author of the poem. The event of Rama killing Ravana is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil, and commemorated by the Dasara festival.
That is why the joy, festivities and sweets. The festival has special significance in the Karnataka State. People spend the day decorating the entrances of houses and shops with flower studded strings called 'Torans' (Floral Gateways).
At night, effigies of Ravana are stuffed with firecrackers and set alight. Children especially enjoy seeing this because of the beautiful fireworks on the ground. The Palace of Mysore is illuminated for a whole month during Navaratri and caparisoned elephants lead a colourful procession through the gaily decorated streets of the city.
This festival has immense mythological significance. As per Ramayana, Rama did "chandi-puja" and invoked the blessings of Durga to kill Ravana. Durga divulged the secret to Rama how he could kill Ravana. Therefore, the festival of Dasara is celebrated more in honour of Rama than Durga and recitations from Ramayana and dances and dramas depicting the exploits of Rama assume great importance.
Dasara day is considered a most auspicious day. It is a time-honoured belief that if any new venture is started on this day, it is bound to be successful. Hence, all the undertakings - be it laying-in of foundation of a new building, opening of a new commercial establishment or even initiating a child into the world of learning- are started on this day.
The most joyous celebration of Navaratri and Dasara is seen in Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bengal. In West Bengal, it is celebrated as Durga Puja where beautifully decorated images of the goddess are worshipped in specially erected Puja Pandals.
The modern philosophers say that the basic purpose behind this festival is to worship feminine principle of the Universe in the form of the divine mother to remind the teachings of the Taitareeya Upanishad, "Matru Devo Bhava."
Essence of the navaratri celebration at social level is to remind and respect all the women, who are the guardians of the family, culture, and national integrity, to take lead in times of crisis to guide humanity towards the path of social justice, righteousness, equality, love, and divinity.
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