Important Lessons of Vijaya Dashami

Ravan was...

a great scholar,

a master of Vedas,

a great chanter of Sam Ved,

a scholar of Astrology and Ayurved,

a controller of the planetary system,

a great musician and a prolific Veena player,

an efficient king who built a Golden Lanka,

a highly intelligent person,

an excellent warrior,

a great performer of severe austerities towards Lord Shiv,

However, he did some irreversible and unforgivable mistakes...

After pleasing Lord Shiv and having got blessed with His boon and powers, out of arrogance, he (failingly) tried to move the residence of Lord Shiv Himself that is Mount Kailash.

He underestimated the glory of Shree Ram as God Himself and considered Him as an ordinary man, just because He was in exile and was roaming in the forest with saffron clothes to fulfill the promise of His Father.

He tried to kidnap and torture the Mother of Universe and Adya Shakti Sitaji, considering Her a helpless and an ordinary woman.

He could not recognize Lord Shiv whom he used to worship, when He came as a messenger of Lord Ram; in form of Hanuman. Not only that he ordered to burn His tail and tried to give Him immense pain.

He could not even comprehend the sign of God who built a bridge over the huge ocean and crossed the ocean with the large army and finally reached Lanka, which is next to impossible for an ordinary man.

He could not understand the repeated requests from his maternal grand father, wife and younger brother, "to return Mother Sita and surrender to Shree Ram as He is a God Himself". He laughed at them thinking they are foolish.

These are the major mistakes he did because he was arrogant. Despite such great skills and powers, he kept on doing such major mistakes throughout the life and the only one reason for this was an absence of devotion to God in his life. Due to that absence of devotion, he was obsessed with his powers and considered himself invincible.

God does not please with skills, achievements, knowledge, opulence, powers, strength, reputation, austerities, etc. which are not accompanied by pure devotion. He sees only inner sentiments. The only things He doesn't like are arrogance and hypocrisy.

When Shree Ram returned to Ayodhya, Mother Kaushalya asked Him, "Have You killed Ravan?" 

Shree Ram gave a very thought-provoking answer, "Mother, I haven't killed the great scholar, a highly intelligent, a master of sciences, an excellent warrior, a great musician and a sadhak of Lord Shiv, Ravan... But, ...his "I" (ego) has killed him!"

On this victorious festival let us learn these two important lessons of Vijaya Dashami. 

1. No skills, achievements, knowledge, opulence, powers, strength, reputation, austerities, etc. which are not accompanied by pure devotion and surrendering, can please God and His eternal energy or even His associates.

2. One saintly philosopher has very nicely explained... 
"In Sat Yug, good and evil were in two different worlds-Dev lok and Asur lok. 
In Treta in the same world-Ram and Ravan. 
In Dwapar, in the same family-Pandava and Kaurava. 
In Kali Yug,in the same person.
As the Yug changes, the line between good and evil thins and blurs down."

Kill the ego residing within us and surrender to the ocean of mercy and compassion, Shree Ram!