Ashutósh Várdhana: Why we celebrate Holi (28 March 2002).  Alternative title: The invincible boy Version 1: Full text: 1383 words, Version 2: 1211 words, Version 3: 962 words, Version 4: 771 words To download printable file (rtf file), click here. E-mail: ashutosh.vardhana@tudo.co.uk Return to list of articles

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Version 1: Full text: 1383 words

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Result: 962 words.

Version 4: Omit both these sections. This will bring the total length down to: 771 words = 3460 characters.
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Editorial introduction

On 28 March this year (2002) Hindus celebrate the festival of Holi. It is a boisterous occasion. Bonfires are lit and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip. Ashutosh Vardhana tells the story that gave rise to the festival.

Click above for larger picture

Version 1: 1383 words

Editorial introduction

On 28 March this year (2002) Hindus celebrate the festival of Holi. It is a boisterous occasion. Bonfires are lit and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip. Ashutosh Vardhana tells the story that gave rise to the festival.

Ashutosh Vardhana
Why we celebrate Holi,
or: The invincible boy

The story of Holi starts with an evil king, Hiránya-Kashípu. He was very powerful, ruled the whole world, but very badly. He rewarded criminals and persecuted good people. Most people on earth were terribly unhappy. The king hated God (Víshnu) with all his heart and did everything to spite him.

However, he had a son, Prahláda, who was a great devotee of Lord Víshnu. The king tried in vain to stop his son from praying and meditating. Since all his threats and punishments were of no avail, he decided to kill the boy. But the boy was so single-minded in his devotion to Lord Víshnu, that none of the normal ways of killing people worked on him. Weapons and poisonous snakes could not kill him. Elephants refused to step on him. He was to be burnt at the stake, but the fire did not harm him.

Meanwhile more and more people, seeing how Lord Víshnu protected his devotee, turned to Lord Víshnu - so the king's attempts to kill his son had the very opposite effect - almost as if a religious leader bans a book or a film because of blasphemy but thereby makes it really popular. It is better to behave like God, who regards blasphemy as a trifle, ignores it and treats it with the contempt it deserves. Then the blasphemers and mockers get bored with it and invent better pastimes.

The king exposed Prahláda to icy winds on top of a mountain and gave him poisoned food. A fiery woman with magic powers tried to pierce his heart (i.e. tried to seduce him) but could not harm him. The king dropped him from Blackpool Tower, tried to drown him, put him into bad company, but all this could neither kill the boy nor destroy his devotion to Lord Víshnu. He had already survived ten attempts to kill or to corrupt him.

Prahláda had an aunt called Holiká. The festival of Holi is named after her. She had obtained a boon that she could not be harmed by fire. At the instigation of the king, she sat down on top of a huge pile of wood (railway sleepers pinched from Railtrack), with Prahláda on her lap, holding him tight so that he could not run away, and had the bonfire lit. She trusted in her boon (God's promise), but Prahláda trusted in God just like that, promise or no promise. Because Holiká was using her boon for evil purposes, it did not work; but Prahláda's unconditional trust in God worked, even without a boon. Holiká was burnt to ashes, but Prahláda remained unharmed.

Eventually the king got his come-uppance. Prahláda had told him that everything is Víshnu and Víshnu is everywhere, in every human being, every animal, insect, microbe, in every tree, every rock, even in every sinner.

In the king's hall, there was a huge pillar. The king shouted: 'If your Víshnu is in this pillar, why doesn't he come out and show himself?', and he kicked the pillar, spat at it and struck it with his sword. The pillar burst open and Lord Víshnu came out, his lower body shaped like a man (nára), and his upper body shaped like a lion (símha). This form of Víshnu is called Nára-Símha, the man-lion. Nára-Símha grabbed the king, tore him to pieces, and installed pious Prahláda on his throne.

Lord Víshnu as Nára-símha and his wife Goddess Lákshmi on royal throne	Nára-símha tearing King Hiránya-Kashípu to shreds

Click above for larger pictures

In his next life king Hiránya-Kashípu was reborn as the monster Rávana, the great enemy of Lord Ráma.

To commemorate these events, we light bonfires, and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip - much like Christians in Catholic countries or cities (e.g. Germany [Cologne, Munich], Trinidad, Brazil) at carnival time, on the four days before the beginning of Lent (13 February this year). We throw coloured powders and squirt coloured water at each other, revel in the mess (as we all like to do from time to time, being little pigs at heart). We worship God who is present everywhere and who is represented by the fire, its purity and its warmth. There are many explanations for these customs and many variants of the story, and presumably all are true to some extent. The bonfire may be a reminder of the bonfire on which Prahláda was meant to be burnt, and the powders and mess we throw at each other may be a reminder of the ashes of that bonfire. Apart from that it is a good opportunity to have fun, and we all need much more of that than we normally get.

The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures	The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures

What can we learn from this story?

Note for readers unfamiliar with Hinduism:

Contrary to common perception we Hindus believe in one God, who is neither man nor woman, who is absolute, unchangeable and universal, who is 'existence - consciousness - bliss', and about whom we can say nothing else that is really valid. Unlike God - the - Absolute, the **many** gods that our stories talk about and that our pictures depict are changeable. Their purpose is to aid the different inclinations of each devotee and help him/her to move from the visible towards the invisible, concentrate his affection on god and to lead a life that brings him closer to the experience of god. Since God, in whatever religion, is everywhere, the Jewish, Christian and Muslim God, being one with our absolute God, resides also in our images. All of us therefore have good reason to be friends, worship God wherever we find him, and to support each other in our different ways of worshipping God, be it in mosque or mandir, for God is one by whatever name we call him and whether we 'depict' him or not.

Note: You can read a full version of this story on the web:
http://www.tudo.co.uk/hindustories/index.html

Email: ashutosh.vardhana@tudo.co.uk

© 2002 Ashutosh Vardhana

Written on 7 Jan 2002

Version 2: 1211 words

Editorial introduction

On 28 March this year (2002) Hindus celebrate the festival of Holi. It is a boisterous occasion. Bonfires are lit and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip. Ashutosh Vardhana tells the story that gave rise to the festival.

Ashutosh Vardhana:
Why we celebrate Holi,
or: The invincible boy

The story of Holi starts with an evil king, Hiránya-Kashípu. He was very powerful, ruled the whole world, but very badly. He rewarded criminals and persecuted good people. Most people on earth were terribly unhappy. The king hated God (Víshnu) with all his heart and did everything to spite him.

However, he had a son, Prahláda, who was a great devotee of Lord Víshnu. The king tried in vain to stop his son from praying and meditating. Since all his threats and punishments were of no avail, he decided to kill the boy. But the boy was so single-minded in his devotion to Lord Víshnu, that none of the normal ways of killing people worked on him. Weapons and poisonous snakes could not kill him. Elephants refused to step on him. He was to be burnt at the stake, but the fire did not harm him.

Meanwhile more and more people, seeing how Lord Víshnu protected his devotee, turned to Lord Víshnu - so the king's attempts to kill his son had the very opposite effect - almost as if a religious leader bans a book or a film because of blasphemy but thereby makes it really popular. It is better to behave like God, who regards blasphemy as a trifle, ignores it and treats it with the contempt it deserves. Then the blasphemers and mockers get bored with it and invent better pastimes.

The king exposed Prahláda to icy winds on top of a mountain and gave him poisoned food. A fiery woman with magic powers tried to pierce his heart (i.e. tried to seduce him) but could not harm him. The king dropped him from Blackpool Tower, tried to drown him, put him into bad company, but all this could neither kill the boy nor destroy his devotion to Lord Víshnu. He had already survived ten attempts to kill or to corrupt him.

Prahláda had an aunt called Holiká. The festival of Holi is named after her. She had obtained a boon that she could not be harmed by fire. At the instigation of the king, she sat down on top of a huge pile of wood (railway sleepers pinched from Railtrack), with Prahláda on her lap, holding him tight so that he could not run away, and had the bonfire lit. She trusted in her boon (God's promise), but Prahláda trusted in God just like that, promise or no promise. Because Holiká was using her boon for evil purposes, it did not work; but Prahláda's unconditional trust in God worked, even without a boon. Holiká was burnt to ashes, but Prahláda remained unharmed.

Eventually the king got his come-uppance. Prahláda had told him that everything is Víshnu and Víshnu is everywhere, in every human being, every animal, insect, microbe, in every tree, every rock, even in every sinner.

In the king's hall, there was a huge pillar. The king shouted: 'If your Víshnu is in this pillar, why doesn't he come out and show himself?', and he kicked the pillar, spat at it and struck it with his sword. The pillar burst open and Lord Víshnu came out, his lower body shaped like a man (nára), and his upper body shaped like a lion (símha). This form of Víshnu is called Nára-Símha, the man-lion. Nára-Símha grabbed the king, tore him to pieces, and installed pious Prahláda on his throne.

Lord Víshnu as Nára-símha and his wife Goddess Lákshmi on royal throne	Nára-símha tearing King Hiránya-Kashípu to shreds

Click above for larger pictures

In his next life king Hiránya-Kashípu was reborn as the monster Rávana, the great enemy of Lord Ráma.

To commemorate these events, we light bonfires, and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip - much like Christians in Catholic countries or cities (e.g. Germany [Cologne, Munich], Trinidad, Brazil) at carnival time, on the four days before the beginning of Lent (13 February this year). We throw coloured powders and squirt coloured water at each other, revel in the mess (as we all like to do from time to time, being little pigs at heart). We worship God who is present everywhere and who is represented by the fire, its purity and its warmth. There are many explanations for these customs and many variants of the story, and presumably all are true to some extent. The bonfire may be a reminder of the bonfire on which Prahláda was meant to be burnt, and the powders and mess we throw at each other may be a reminder of the ashes of that bonfire. Apart from that it is a good opportunity to have fun, and we all need much more of that than we normally get.

The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures	The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures

What can we learn from this story?

Note: You can read a full version of this story on the web:
http://www.tudo.co.uk/hindustories/index.html

Email: ashutosh.vardhana@tudo.co.uk

© 2002 Ashutosh Vardhana

Written on 7 Jan 2002

Version 3: 962 words

Editorial introduction

On 28 March this year (2002) Hindus celebrate the festival of Holi. It is a boisterous occasion. Bonfires are lit and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip. Ashutosh Vardhana tells the story that gave rise to the festival.

Ashutosh Vardhana:
Why we celebrate Holi,
or: The invincible boy

The story of Holi starts with an evil king, Hiránya-Kashípu. He was very powerful, ruled the whole world, but very badly. He rewarded criminals and persecuted good people. Most people on earth were terribly unhappy. The king hated God (Víshnu) with all his heart and did everything to spite him.

However, he had a son, Prahláda, who was a great devotee of Lord Víshnu. The king tried in vain to stop his son from praying and meditating. Since all his threats and punishments were of no avail, he decided to kill the boy. But the boy was so single-minded in his devotion to Lord Víshnu, that none of the normal ways of killing people worked on him. Weapons and poisonous snakes could not kill him. Elephants refused to step on him. He was to be burnt at the stake, but the fire did not harm him.

Meanwhile more and more people, seeing how Lord Víshnu protected his devotee, turned to Lord Víshnu - so the king's attempts to kill his son had the very opposite effect - almost as if a religious leader bans a book or a film because of blasphemy but thereby makes it really popular. It is better to behave like God, who regards blasphemy as a trifle, ignores it and treats it with the contempt it deserves. Then the blasphemers and mockers get bored with it and invent better pastimes.

The king exposed Prahláda to icy winds on top of a mountain and gave him poisoned food. A fiery woman with magic powers tried to pierce his heart (i.e. tried to seduce him) but could not harm him. The king dropped him from Blackpool Tower, tried to drown him, put him into bad company, but all this could neither kill the boy nor destroy his devotion to Lord Víshnu. He had already survived ten attempts to kill or to corrupt him.

Prahláda had an aunt called Holiká. The festival of Holi is named after her. She had obtained a boon that she could not be harmed by fire. At the instigation of the king, she sat down on top of a huge pile of wood (railway sleepers pinched from Railtrack), with Prahláda on her lap, holding him tight so that he could not run away, and had the bonfire lit. She trusted in her boon (God's promise), but Prahláda trusted in God just like that, promise or no promise. Because Holiká was using her boon for evil purposes, it did not work; but Prahláda's unconditional trust in God worked, even without a boon. Holiká was burnt to ashes, but Prahláda remained unharmed.

Eventually the king got his come-uppance. Prahláda had told him that everything is Víshnu and Víshnu is everywhere, in every human being, every animal, insect, microbe, in every tree, every rock, even in every sinner.

In the king's hall, there was a huge pillar. The king shouted: 'If your Víshnu is in this pillar, why doesn't he come out and show himself?', and he kicked the pillar, spat at it and struck it with his sword. The pillar burst open and Lord Víshnu came out, his lower body shaped like a man (nára), and his upper body shaped like a lion (símha). This form of Víshnu is called Nára-Símha, the man-lion. Nára-Símha grabbed the king, tore him to pieces, and installed pious Prahláda on his throne.

Lord Víshnu as Nára-símha and his wife Goddess Lákshmi on royal throne	Nára-símha tearing King Hiránya-Kashípu to shreds

Click above for larger pictures

In his next life king Hiránya-Kashípu was reborn as the monster Rávana, the great enemy of Lord Ráma.

To commemorate these events, we light bonfires, and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip - much like Christians in Catholic countries or cities (e.g. Germany [Cologne, Munich], Trinidad, Brazil) at carnival time, on the four days before the beginning of Lent (13 February this year). We throw coloured powders and squirt coloured water at each other, revel in the mess (as we all like to do from time to time, being little pigs at heart). We worship God who is present everywhere and who is represented by the fire, its purity and its warmth. There are many explanations for these customs and many variants of the story, and presumably all are true to some extent. The bonfire may be a reminder of the bonfire on which Prahláda was meant to be burnt, and the powders and mess we throw at each other may be a reminder of the ashes of that bonfire. Apart from that it is a good opportunity to have fun, and we all need much more of that than we normally get.

The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures	The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures

Note for readers unfamiliar with Hinduism:

Contrary to common perception we Hindus believe in one God, who is neither man nor woman, who is absolute, unchangeable and universal, who is 'existence - consciousness - bliss', and about whom we can say nothing else that is really valid. Unlike God - the - Absolute, the **many** gods that our stories talk about and that our pictures depict are changeable. Their purpose is to aid the different inclinations of each devotee and help him/her to move from the visible towards the invisible, concentrate his affection on god and to lead a life that brings him closer to the experience of god. Since God, in whatever religion, is everywhere, the Jewish, Christian and Muslim God, being one with our absolute God, resides also in our images. All of us therefore have good reason to be friends, worship God wherever we find him, and to support each other in our different ways of worshipping God, be it in mosque or mandir, for God is one by whatever name we call him and whether we 'depict' him or not.

Note: You can read a full version of this story on the web:
http://www.tudo.co.uk/hindustories/index.html

Email: ashutosh.vardhana@tudo.co.uk

© 2002 Ashutosh Vardhana

Written on 7 Jan 2002

Version 4: 771 words

Editorial introduction

On 28 March this year (2002) Hindus celebrate the festival of Holi. It is a boisterous occasion. Bonfires are lit and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip. Ashutosh Vardhana tells the story that gave rise to the festival.

Ashutosh Vardhana:
Why we celebrate Holi,
or: The invincible boy

The story of Holi starts with an evil king, Hiránya-Kashípu. He was very powerful, ruled the whole world, but very badly. He rewarded criminals and persecuted good people. Most people on earth were terribly unhappy. The king hated God (Víshnu) with all his heart and did everything to spite him.

However, he had a son, Prahláda, who was a great devotee of Lord Víshnu. The king tried in vain to stop his son from praying and meditating. Since all his threats and punishments were of no avail, he decided to kill the boy. But the boy was so single-minded in his devotion to Lord Víshnu, that none of the normal ways of killing people worked on him. Weapons and poisonous snakes could not kill him. Elephants refused to step on him. He was to be burnt at the stake, but the fire did not harm him.

Meanwhile more and more people, seeing how Lord Víshnu protected his devotee, turned to Lord Víshnu - so the king's attempts to kill his son had the very opposite effect - almost as if a religious leader bans a book or a film because of blasphemy but thereby makes it really popular. It is better to behave like God, who regards blasphemy as a trifle, ignores it and treats it with the contempt it deserves. Then the blasphemers and mockers get bored with it and invent better pastimes.

The king exposed Prahláda to icy winds on top of a mountain and gave him poisoned food. A fiery woman with magic powers tried to pierce his heart (i.e. tried to seduce him) but could not harm him. The king dropped him from Blackpool Tower, tried to drown him, put him into bad company, but all this could neither kill the boy nor destroy his devotion to Lord Víshnu. He had already survived ten attempts to kill or to corrupt him.

Prahláda had an aunt called Holiká. The festival of Holi is named after her. She had obtained a boon that she could not be harmed by fire. At the instigation of the king, she sat down on top of a huge pile of wood (railway sleepers pinched from Railtrack), with Prahláda on her lap, holding him tight so that he could not run away, and had the bonfire lit. She trusted in her boon (God's promise), but Prahláda trusted in God just like that, promise or no promise. Because Holiká was using her boon for evil purposes, it did not work; but Prahláda's unconditional trust in God worked, even without a boon. Holiká was burnt to ashes, but Prahláda remained unharmed.

Eventually the king got his come-uppance. Prahláda had told him that everything is Víshnu and Víshnu is everywhere, in every human being, every animal, insect, microbe, in every tree, every rock, even in every sinner.

In the king's hall, there was a huge pillar. The king shouted: 'If your Víshnu is in this pillar, why doesn't he come out and show himself?', and he kicked the pillar, spat at it and struck it with his sword. The pillar burst open and Lord Víshnu came out, his lower body shaped like a man (nára), and his upper body shaped like a lion (símha). This form of Víshnu is called Nára-Símha, the man-lion. Nára-Símha grabbed the king, tore him to pieces, and installed pious Prahláda on his throne.

Lord Víshnu as Nára-símha and his wife Goddess Lákshmi on royal throne	Nára-símha tearing King Hiránya-Kashípu to shreds

Click above for larger pictures

In his next life king Hiránya-Kashípu was reborn as the monster Rávana, the great enemy of Lord Ráma.

To commemorate these events, we light bonfires, and on this day the rules of respect are dropped and people are allowed to let rip - much like Christians in Catholic countries or cities (e.g. Germany [Cologne, Munich], Trinidad, Brazil) at carnival time, on the four days before the beginning of Lent (13 February this year). We throw coloured powders and squirt coloured water at each other, revel in the mess (as we all like to do from time to time, being little pigs at heart). We worship God who is present everywhere and who is represented by the fire, its purity and its warmth. There are many explanations for these customs and many variants of the story, and presumably all are true to some extent. The bonfire may be a reminder of the bonfire on which Prahláda was meant to be burnt, and the powders and mess we throw at each other may be a reminder of the ashes of that bonfire. Apart from that it is a good opportunity to have fun, and we all need much more of that than we normally get.

The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures	The joy of Holi Click above for larger pictures

Note: You can read a full version of this story on the web:
http://www.tudo.co.uk/hindustories/index.html

Email: ashutosh.vardhana@tudo.co.uk

© 2002 Ashutosh Vardhana

Written on 7 Jan 2002