Sahayak Gurukul: Investing Lessons from Dusshera

The festival of Vijay Dashami, or Dussehra, symbolises the victory of good over evil.

There are four yugas widely accepted in Hinduism, Satya yug, Treta yug (Ramayana), Dwapara yug(Mahabharata) and Kal yug(Present)

In Satya yug, the fight was between two worlds (Devalok & Asuralok). Asuralok being the evil, was a different World.

In Treta yug, the fight was between Rama and Ravana. Both rulers from two different Countries.

In Dwapara yug, the fight was between Pandavas and Kauravas. Both good and evil from the same family.

Kindly note how the evil is getting closer. For example, from a Different world to a Different country to the Same family.

Now, know where does the evil reside in Kaliyug?

It is inside us. Both good and evil live within us. The battle is within us.

Who will you give victory to, your inner goodness or the evil within?

The idea is how do we discipline ourselves and control the evil and demons within.

This Dussehra, how about first gaining victory over the financial demons of your life?

How about taking a pledge to get rid of the poor financial habits that damage your long-term wealth?

We all make several financial mistakes in our investment journey. Lets review our financial journey this Dusshera and take corrective action.

When Lord Rama along with Lakshmana and Sita were exiled for 14 years, they had to live a simple life, as opposed to the luxurious lifestyle of the royal palace; Lord Rama accepted his fate and maintained composure. Lets learn from Lord Rama, Even as a crown Prince, he did not mind sacrificing the luxuries and living a simple life during his period of exile.

You should also learn to be frugal in your spending. Learn to live in less than what you earn. By saving wisely, spending cautiously and investing smartly; you can apply financial discipline to cater to your current and future needs as well as your family’s needs. One way of inculcating and nurturing financial discipline within you is by firmly following a financial plan, avoiding overspending at all costs and investing in a regular manner.

After Sita's abduction by Ravana, Lord Ram didn’t act on impulse. The legend speaks of Lord Ram taking time out to plan his strategy. He had it all in his mind as to where and how they would proceed to Lanka and rescue Sita.

You need to do something similar when dealing with money. Earning returns on your investment is not an easy task unless you plan it well. Ensure, that you have it all written down or at least have a mental framework. Take into consideration all the costs and risk while making this plan as well.

Another important lesson to learn is the power of conviction. The entire Vanarsena had full faith in Lord Ram. That is how Ram Setu, the bridge connecting to Lanka was built by the Vanarsena. There is a famous tale of how they used to write the name of Ram on each stone or boulder they used to throw in the ocean and the stone used to stay afloat and not sink. This formed the foundation of the Ram Setu. This is the power of Conviction or faith. You need to also have a similar conviction in the Equity markets and your advisor. This conviction will take you across the ocean to victory and towards your financial goals.

Lord Rama fought the war with patience and perseverance and never thought of giving up or looking for short-cuts.

These incidents in the Ramayana signify the importance of being patient and perseverant in the hardest of times. In your life too, you may face financial hardships or you may find it difficult to avoid unnecessary expenditure. As an investor, you may get impatient while watching your money grow or market ups and downs can test your patience to its extreme. This may force you to quit investing any further and derail you from achieving your financial goals. Irrespective of the above mentioned incidents; you must be patient and perseverant at all times.

Lord Rama consulted his advisors regularly and made strategy in consultation with them. He did not fight all the warriors himself but had specialists for each of the opposition warriors. Similarly don’t fight the battle alone. Consult your advisor and specialists and deploy funds in different asset classes to meet different goals. Diversify to reduce the risks.

Burning the effigy of Ravan is symbolic of the victory of good over evil. In a similar fashion drawing analogy from this festival, we should get rid of our bad financial decisions. Review your portfolio and re-jig the same for a better financial plan than the one you have.

Credit card debt must be paid off, Expensive insurance can be replaced for cost effective and adequate Term policy. A home loan interest rate can be negotiated for competitive one. Or simply sell any bad investments in order to stop further loss. Whatever be the intensity of the bad financial decision, the essence is to let the bad be burnt so that good can prevail in our financial plan.

After defeating Ravana and rescuing Sita, Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya to start a new chapter of his life. You need to do the same with your finances. When your money comes back with returns at the maturity of its term, it is now on you to make a new beginning. You choose to use it or reinvest it will determine your future, so use it wisely.

The festival of Dussehra symbolizes the victory of good over evil. The mythological stories of Lord Ram killing evil Ravana and Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura teach us to curb our greed and throw away the bad intentions.

Draw some financial planning lessons from the auspicious occasion of ‘Dussehra’ and take charge of your finances while enjoying the festivities.