“Holi hai bhai holi hai, bura na mano holi hai!” (do not feel bad if I apply colour on you because today is Holi). Remember that scene from the movie Sholay where a young Jaya Bhaduri is chasing Sanjeev Kumar who was returning to his village in a cattle cart? Certainly, why feel bad about this? But as I grew up, I had a different take on this – why not feel bad?
On this day, amid the rituals, so many bad incidents happen. People demonstrate indecent, immoral, and unethical behaviour. People in groups tease, taunt women and also men who are unwilling to be coloured due to some personal reasons. Bad touches on women happen with mischievous intentions in the name of Holi celebration. Unrestricted intoxication of various substances, forcing others to drink who do not want to. Even, dirty water from the sewage is thrown on people just for fun. Is that all? Is that the legacy of this holy ritual of Holi?
Let’s unravel the history behind Holi, how it started and what it is all about.
The History of Holi
Holika, the younger sister of demon king Hiranyakashipu received a boon from Brahma that fire would not burn her. Nonetheless, if she misused this ever, the boon would turn into a curse and fire would turn her into ashes.
Let us start from the beginning. As per Vishnupuran, Jaya and Vijaya, the chief security guards of Vaikuntha, the heavenly abode of Shri Hari Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, were cursed by four young and innocent Balak Rishis – Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanatkumar for cracking bad jokes for their innocence and purity.
The curse was that both Jaya and Vijaya would have to be born as Asur (demon) for three lifetimes and in each life, they shall be killed and attain liberation in the hands of Lord Vishnu himself.
In their first incarnation as Asur, Jaya became Hiranyaksha and Vijaya became Hiranyakashipu.
The power hungry and aggressively ambitious Hiranyaksha, who wanted to rule and enslave entire Earth was killed in a battle by Varah Avatar (a boar incarnation), the third incarnation of Vishnu.
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In order to seek revenge, his younger brother Hiranyakashipu worshipped Lord Brahma and received a dangerous boon. No human or animal like creature born according to the law of Brahma can kill him in day or at night, with weapons or without, not in the ground, not above the ground, not inside a room, nor outside of it, no disease can kill him, aging will not kill him. In short, he received a boon which made him invincible up to the extent that it was almost impossible to kill him or for him to be dead.
They had a demon sister Holika, who also received a boon that I mentioned earlier.
A pyre, representing the one on which Holika sat with Prahlad on her lap, it lit in many houses, localities and societies. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil. (Photo: Flickr)
But the story twisted when Prahlad, the son of Hiranyakashipu became an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu could not bear it, as Vishnu was his sole enemy, who had defeated his elder brother.
After making several attempts to kill his own son who was praying to his arch nemesis, a furious Hiranyakashipu ordered Holika to make Prahlad sit on her lap while fire would be lit up surrounding both. Everybody thought that Prahlad would burn because Holika was immune to fire. But things turned the opposite. Prahlad constantly kept chanting the name of Lord Hari. So, Agni did not harm him but turned Holika into dust.
Now, let us understand why Maharishi Vedvyas, the author of Vishnupuran, tells us this story. We celebrate Holika Dahan as a ritual to remember that undisputed bhakti can attain triumph over evil forces. We pay respect to each other by offering colours as a symbol of liberation against ego-driven oppression and tyranny.
However, I do not know who turned this ritual into practicing evil traits like teasing, taunting, and harming the decency of women and men, who do not like to be wrongfully coloured.
Religious rituals can be dangerous if inner meanings are not clear.
Hiranyakashipu was finally brought to death by Lord Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Hari, who emerged out of a broken pillar, thus not born according to the law of Brahma, who is a half lion-half man, who took him to the door between the inside and outside of a room, at the time of dusk which is neither day nor night, placed him on his thighs, not on or above the ground and pierced his belly with his finger nails, not with any weapon and killed him.
A painting showing Lord Narsimha in his pursuit to defeat Hiranyakashipu, while an innocent Prahlad looks on. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
No one can surpass death, except someone who was never born. Only almighty supreme Paramatman is immortal.
If we take this killing of a demon in the literal sense, then the entire intension of the author to tell the story has been compromised. Asur or demon is an evil trait. Tyranny, lie, oppressive behaviour etc are demonic traits that the rishi is trying to tell us to avoid. Both Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu were sons of Rishi Kasyap, and, thus, Brahmins. So, a person with apparently higher caste birth can have nasty evil traits too. He or she who claims that Asuras were Non-Aryans who had been oppressed by the Aryan invasion are equally unaware of Puranic facts like those who attempt for carbon dating to find out the historical existence of Devas and Asuras. Both the qualities of Devas and Asuras are present within us. It is up to what we choose to be, Hiranyakashipu or Prahlad.
In their next birth Jaya became Ravan and Vijaya became Kumbhkarana who were killed by Shri Ram.
In the subsequent birth they were Shishupal and Dantavakra, who had been killed by Shri Krishna.
After this, both Jaya and Vijaya were liberated from the curse of the innocent Balak Rishis and went back to Vaikuntha. Happiness was restored for all castes, creeds, genders, and belief systems in the form of Indradhanush (colours). Seems utopian, right? That is what Rishi Vyas expects us to aspire to—equal vision.
In twentieth century Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore used the ritual of Holi to spread a similar kind of message of respect and union to everyone. We must not forget that through nasty jokes.
