Phagwa or Holi will be celebrated on March 4th this year.
Holi is a wonderful, colourful celebration; one of its mythological origins stems from the story of Prahlad. In Sanatan Dharma, we normally find that there are multiple origin stories for our festivals. We also know that these stories contain a deeper message that offers practical advice for living. As human beings, we are all built for narrative or story. Stories are very effective ways of passing down traditions and their deeper messages. Hopefully, if we take these messages and we practise them, they would move us forward to realising the Supreme.
The story of Prahlad emanates from the Bhagwat Maha Purana. Hiranyakashipu was an ‘asura’ or demon king who did not wish to die. He prayed to the Supreme and he received a blessing where he could only die under certain conditions: he could not be killed by a human being or an animal; neither indoors nor outdoors; during the day or the night; not by any manmade weapon, neither on air nor on land. Hiranyakashipu requested all these conditions thinking that he had covered himself from all possibility of death. Hiranyakashipu had a son, Prahlad, who had been indoctrinated while in the womb into the worship of Shree Vishnu Bhagwan. Prahlad, as the highest type of devotee, even as a child, remained devoted to Shree Vishnu Bhagwan against his father’s wishes. No matter what King Hiranyakashipu tried, he couldn’t get rid of or destroy Prahlad. He even devised a plan with his sister, Holika, who possessed a special shawl that protected her from being burned by fire. Hiranyakashipu and Holika hatched a plan to destroy Prahlad: she would carry Prahlad to the fire but cover herself with her shawl so that only Prahlad would be burned to death. But, as was predestined, the shawl blew away; some say it blew on Prahlad and protected him, and burned Holika instead. It is said that afterwards there were celebrations and this is the origin of the Holi festival.
We’ve all heard that this story symbolises the triumph of good over evil. However, there is an even deeper meaning that can be unlocked by studying the meaning within the names. This is referred to as etymology or in Sanskrit, ‘nikruti’, which refers to the roots of words that give meaning to names. Applied to this narrative, Hiranyakashipu was an ‘asura’ or demon. But ‘asura’ really means powerful or mighty. An asura within us is a negative quality. ‘Hiranya’ means ‘gold’ and ‘kashipu’ means ‘a soft cushion or cover’. So, Hiranyakashipu means ‘clothed in gold’. Prahlad means ‘filled with natural joy’. Holika comes from the root ‘hool’ which means ‘to cover’, ‘to conceal’ and it also means ‘to kill’.
To analyse further, Hiranyakashipu clothed in gold represents the ego, which is caused by ignorance. To be clothed in gold means you are attracted to material things, to the world. Prahlad, on the other hand, is filled with joy that is self-effulgent, that is, joy from inside his ‘aatma’, his soul or true self. Holika is the covering over that soul, which is ignorance. There are five mental afflictions or coverings:
· ‘agyaan’ or ignorance or not knowing your true nature
· ‘asmita’ or ego
· ‘raaga’ and ‘dvesha’ – attraction and aversion
· ‘abhinivesh’ – fear of death
Basically we are all deluded and ignorant of our true nature; this is Holika. Now imagine what happened: Holika sits and places Prahlad on her lap and she draws the shawl over her. Prahlad represents the self and it is covered by Holika, representative of the five mental afflictions that cover the soul. However, Prahlad was a ‘gyaan bhakta’ or devotee of knowledge and he surrendered to the Supreme. The attitude of Prahlad was ‘sharanaagati’. With this attitude of surrender to the Supreme, the coverings of ignorance blew away and only Prahlad remained, the joy of the self, the Supreme bliss. Only when this takes place, can we celebrate Holi.
So, Holi is not just about the change in seasons and other cultural explanations. It is about destroying these coverings and finding our true self. We have to rid ourselves of these negative tendencies so that the true self can shine through.
Excerpt from a discourse by Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad
