Happy Dussehra!
This festival, also known as Vijayadashami (Vijay meaning victory and Dashami meaning the tenth day), marks the triumph of good over evil. It comes right after the nine days of Navratri, and for many of us, it has always been about Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana.
Where I grew up, the focus was on that victory. Every year, people would build huge effigies of Ravana, fill them with fireworks, and burn them at sunset. The sound, the light, and the crowd’s cheer all came together to celebrate the destruction of negativity. But over time, I began to reflect more deeply on what Ravana represents.
Maybe the real message of Dussehra is not only about the victory of one person over another, but about the inner victory we must each achieve — the victory over our own Ravana.
In yogic understanding, there are three granthis or psychic knots present within every individual. When energy becomes blocked in these knots, the free flow of prana (life force) is restricted. The kundalini energy cannot rise through the chakras, and we remain caught in limited patterns of consciousness.
The first knot is the Brahma Granthi.
It is located near the Muladhara (Root) chakra and affects the Muladhara and Svadhisthana (Sacral) chakras. When this knot is blocked, a person’s awareness remains tied to survival — food, sleep, and procreation. Life becomes centered around fear and basic security, and growth slows down.
The second is the Vishnu Granthi.
It lies between the Manipura (Solar Plexus) and Anahata (Heart) chakras. When the energy here is blocked, a person tends to become self-centered, overly attached to possessions or relationships, and driven by greed or power for its own sake.
The third knot is the Rudra Granthi.
This one is located near the Vishuddha (Throat) and Ajna (Third Eye) chakras. A blockage here manifests as pride and ego. The person begins to believe they are the sole doer, disconnected from the higher power. This leads to delusion and jealousy, the subtlest and most powerful forms of bondage.
These knots, when blocked, give rise to anger and its many branches like pride, jealousy, attachment, and illusion. That is why Ravana is said to have ten heads. They symbolize these many tendencies that arise from the same source.
Through spiritual practice, we learn to channel our prana (life force) correctly. This is where Hanuman, the Pawan Putra (son of the wind), comes in. When we use our breath and energy consciously, we begin to undo these knots and conquer the lower tendencies within us. This is how we realize our divine nature, our inner Rama.
So Dussehra, at its heart, is a reminder of this inner process.
At its heart, it is about understanding what that victory means for each one of us today.
Every time we overcome fear, ego, or attachment, we live the true spirit of Dussehra.
When we learn to balance our energy, direct our prana upward, and live with awareness, we participate in the eternal victory of good over evil within ourselves.
May this Dussehra inspire you to look within and reflect on what needs to be released. May the Ravana within each of us dissolve, and may the light of Rama shine brighter.
- Gaurav Chikara