Control Kaama and Eliminate Holika, Dhundhi and Pootana - Message of Holi

What do Holika, Dhundhi, Pootana and Kaama Deva have in common?

Well, one festival which connects all these is the festival of colors, Holi.

In this post we will look at all the legends associated with Holi.

1. Holika

The most ‘popular’ event associated with Hoil is the burning of the demoness Holika. Infact the name ‘Holi’ is a shortened version of the name ‘Holika’.

Legend has it that there was a great king of Asuras called Hiranyakashipu. He pleased Lord Brahma with severe tapasya and got a boon that he could not be killed 'during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or in the sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra'. He became so self obsessed that he forbid worship of any God and in fact declared himself as the ‘Master of one and all’. But such is Prabhu’s maya that his own son Prahlada turned out to be a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.

[caption id="attachment_699" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Hiranyakashyipu threatening Prahlad to stop worshiping Lord Vishnu[/caption]

Hiranyakashipu couldn’t digest the fact that his own blood was going against his wishes. After trying very hard to pursue Prahlad to stop worship of Vishnu, Hiranyakashyapu reached a stage where he thought that killing his son was the only solution to end this ‘revolt’.

[caption id="attachment_700" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Prahlad locked up with snakes[/caption]

He poisoned Prahlada; but the poison got converted to nectar in his mouth.

He ordered Prahlada to be trampled by elephants; but Prahlada remained unharmed.

He put Prahlada in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes; no damage was done to Prahlada.

He threw Prahlada down a cliff; Prahlada easily survived the fall.

Thus all of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son failed.

Finally, he decided to employ the services of his demoness sister Holika in order to ensure the killing of Prahlad.

Prahlad was made to sit on a pyre in the lap of Holika.

Now the logic behind this was that Holika had a boon that she couldn’t be burned by fire.

So the plan was to make Prahlada burn while Holika would be unaffected by the fire. Prahlada quietly went and sat on Holika’s lap. The only thing he constantly did was to take the name of the Almighty - 'Om Namo Narayana'.

[caption id="attachment_696" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Holika gets burnt in the fire and Prahlad remains unharmed[/caption]

When the pyre was lit, much against the expectations of people around, Holika  was affected by the heat of the fire and slowly her body perished. On the other hand Prahlad was untouched and unaffected by the fire.

This event is known as Holika Dahan.

[caption id="attachment_697" align="aligncenter" width="194"] Holika Dahan, on the eve of Holi[/caption]

Even today bonfires are lit on the eve of the Holi festival to commemorate Holika Dahan.

 

2. Dhundhi

In the kingdom of Prithu there was an ogress called Dhundhi.

Now Dhundhi, had a boon from Lord Shiva that she could not be killed by Gods, men nor suffer either from arms or from heat, cold or rain. These boons made her almost invincible. but there was a catch. She was also cursed by Lord Shiva that she would be in danger from young boys.

Because of this Dhundhi used to trouble little children in particular.

Prithu was alarmed by this terror of Dhundhi. He consulted a lot of people and a solution was arrived at. It was decided that on last full moon day of Phalguna, when the season of cold vanishes and summer begins, young boys with bits of wood in their hands would go out of their houses, collect a heap of wood and grass, set it on fire with mantras, clap their hands, go around the fire thrice, laugh, sing and by their noise and laughter Dhundhi would die.

The plan worked and since that day Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna.

 

3. Pootana

This legend is about Pootana. Pootana was summoned by Kansa, ruler of the Vrishni kingdom to kill Krishna, his nephew, as it was foretold to Kansa that Devki's 8th son i.e. Sri Krishna would kill him.

Just like Hiranyakashipu had tried numerous times to kill Prahlad, Kansa also made a lot of attempts to kill Krishna.

One such attempt was through Pootana. Kansa called Pootana and ordered her to go down to Gokul immediately. Pootana assumed the disguise of a young beautiful woman and entered Krihsna’s home town. Somehow she managed to distract all the women of the town and while they were away from their babies Putana made the babies suck her breast which had been smeared with poison. Thus slowly and slowly all the new born babies of Gokul died. Finally when Pootana came into Nand and Yashoda’s house and made Krishna suck her breast, she was in for a surprise. Krishna squeezed her breasts and sucked her milk as well as her life.

[caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pootana's life sucked by Krishna[/caption]

Pootana couldn't bear the pain and went back to her real demonic form. She ran out of the house with Krishna still clinging to her. When the people of Gokul arrived at the place where Pootana fell, they were stunned to see small Krishna still alive and the dangerous Pootana dead.

The people of Gokul were releived that no harm had been done to Krishna and decided to hold a special celebration. Since then this celebration has become a part of the many legends associated with Holi.

This legend is particularly famous in the state of Goa.

 

4. Kaama Deva

Sati and Lord Shiva were happily married to each other. Once Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagya, but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to attend the yagya, went even though Lord Shiva did not appreciate the idea. To here great anguish, Daksha ignored her presence and did not even offer a place for Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated herself.

Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava (dance of destruction) and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12 pieces and threw them on earth. It is said that wherever the pieces of Shakti’s body fell, there emerged a Shakti Peetha.

Lord Siva undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She also started performing penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention.

During this time a demon by the name of Tarkasur terrorized the Devtas and became the ruler of the world. Tarkasur had a boon that he could be only killed by the son of Lord Shiva.

[caption id="attachment_704" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Shiva opening Third-eye and turning Kaama Deva into ashes[/caption]

As Shiva was paying no heed to Parvati's tapasya, the Devtas requested Kaama Deva (also known as Madan) to accelerate the process of bringing together Shiva and Parvati. So Kamadeva shot his love-arrow on Shiva's heart. A deeply disturbed Lord Shiva opened his third eye and the fury of his third eye instantly turned Kamadeva into ashes. Kaama Deva's wife Rati requested Shiva  to restore her husband's life. Shiva agreed to Rati's request and granted immortality to Kamdev, but added that Kaamdeva would exist in a disembodied (free from a body) form. Since this day Kamadeva is also known as 'Ananga' or 'Atanu' (both meaning 'without body').

This event is celebrated as Kaama Dahan in southern parts of India.

 

Thus we see that Holi might be given any name, but the essence and message of Holi remains the same - eliminate and burn the negativities inside us (just like Holika, Dhundhi, Pootana and Kaama Deva were burnt) and lead a positive and colorful life.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Holi :)

 

 

 

 

 

Making men pay for the pranks of Krishna - Lath Maar Holi!

Every year around this time, Barsana, a small town in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh comes alive; tourists from around the world flock the city; everyone who sees the sight is mesmerised at this event which has no such parallel in the world.

I am talking about the Lath Maar Holi which takes place every year around Holi.

[caption id="attachment_683" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yashoda and Krishna[/caption]

According to mythological legends and stories, Lord Krishna who was dark in colour, was jealous of the fair-coloured Radha. He used to bring this up in front of his mother Yashoda all the time. (The sentiments are beautifully brought out in this super hit song from the 1978 movie Satyam Shivam Sundaram starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and sung by Lata Mangeshkar )

One fine day Yashoda maiyya lost patience and ‘advised’ Krishna that he could change Radha's skin by sprinkling her with colours.

Encouraged by the ‘idea’, Krishna along with his shepherd friends visited Radha and her cowherd girls in Barsana and teased her by throwing colours at her. Radha and the girls got back at the boys and chased them away with lathis (sticks).

[caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Holi at Barsana[/caption]

This practice has continued in the town of Barsana ever since. In the Lathmar Holi festival, the men from Nandgaon first come to the neighbouring village of Barsana to play Holi with the women there. But instead of colours, they are greeted with sticks. On the second day, men from Barsana travel to Nandgaon to play the game with their women.

[caption id="attachment_687" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bachke Rehna Re Baba[/caption]

Even after thousands of years, the women of Barsana are making the men of Nandgaon pay for the natkhat pranks of Krishna :)

The Great Night of Lord Shiva - Maha Shivratri

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

Meaning - We meditate on the Three-eyed reality which permeates and nourishes all like a fragrance. May we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality, even as a cucumber is severed from bondage to the creeper.

Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva.

Shivaratri literally means 'the great night of Shiva'.

It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar.

The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael or Bilva/Vilvam leaves to Lord Shiva, all-day fasting and an all-night-long vigil.

Numerous legends are associated with the origin of Maha Shivratri.

1. Marriage of Shiva and Shakti

[caption id="attachment_674" align="aligncenter" width="298"] Shiva and Shakti[/caption]

Legend goes that once Lord Shiva and his wife Sati (or Shakti) were returning from sage Agastya’s ashram after listening to story of Ram. On their way through a forest, Shiva saw Lord Rama searching for his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the King of Lanka. Lord Shiva bowed his head in reverence to Lord Rama. Sati was surprised by Lord Shiva’s behavior and inquired why he was paying obeisance to a mere mortal. Shiva informed Sati that Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sati, however, was not satisfied with the reply and Lord asked her to go and verify the truth for herself.

Using her power to change forms, Sati took the form of Sita appeared before Rama. Lord Rama immediately recognized the true identity of the Goddess and asked, "Devi, why are you alone, where's Shiva?" At this, Sati realized the truth about Lord Ram. But, Sita was like a mother to Lord Shiva and since Sati took the form of Sita her status had changed. From that time, Shiva detached himself from her as a wife. Sati was sad with the change of attitude of Lord Shiva but she stayed on at Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.

Later, Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagna, but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to attend the Yagna, went even though Lord Shiva did not appreciate the idea. To hre great anguish, Daksha ignored her presence and did not even offer Prasad for Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated herself.

Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava or the dance of destruction and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12 pieces and threw them on earth.

Lord Siva was now alone undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard to break Shiva’s meditation seeked help of Kamadeva - the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Kaamadeva shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking his penance. Shiva became extremely infuriated and opening his third eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. It was only after Kamadeva’s wife Rati’s pleading that Lord Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva.

Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able to lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism. Their marriage was solemnized a day before Amavasya in the month of Phalgun. This day of union of God Shiva and Parvati is celebrated as Mahashivratri every year.

2. Neelkantha and Samudra Manthan

[caption id="attachment_675" align="aligncenter" width="203"] Lord Shiva drinking Halahala[/caption]

During the Samudra Manthan, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. (detailed post here) This terrified the Gods and demons as the poison was capable of destroying the entire world, and they ran to Shiva for help. To protect the world from its evil effects, Shiva drank the deathly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This made his throat turn blue, and he was given the name Neelakantha, the blue-throated one. Shivaratri is the celebration of this event by which Shiva saved the world.

3. Lingam and the battle for 'Greatness'

Once the other two of the triads of Hindu Gods, Brahma and Vishnu, were fighting over who was the superior of the two. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Shiva assumed the form of a huge column of fire in between Brahma and Vishnu. Awestruck by its magnitude, they decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Brahma assumed the form of a swan and went upwards and Vishnu as Varaha went into the earth. But light has no limit and though they searched for thousands of miles, neither could find the end. On his journey upwards, Brahma came across a Ketaki flower wafting down slowly. When asked where she had come from, the Ketaki replied that she had been placed at the top of the fiery column as an offering. Unable to find the uppermost limit, Brahma decided to end his search and take the flower as a witness.

At this, the angry Shiva revealed his true form. He punished Brahma for telling a lie, and cursed him that no one would ever pray to him. The Ketaki flower too was banned from being used as an offering for any worship, as she had testified falsely. Since it was on the 14th day in the dark half of the month of Phalguna that Shiva first manifested himself in the form of a Linga, the day is especially auspicious and is celebrated as Mahashivaratri. Worshipping Shiva on this day is believed to bestow one with happiness and prosperity.

4. Lord Shiva's Favourite Day

After Creation was complete, Parvati asked Lord Shiva which devotees and rituals pleased him the most. The Lord replied that the 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is his most favourite day. Parvati repeated these words to her friends, from whom the word spread over everywhere.

On this auspicious day, lets bow down to Bholenath and seek his blessings.

Har Har Mahadeva :)

CERN and Lord Nataraja

[caption id="attachment_659" align="aligncenter" width="244"] Nataraja - The Lord of Dance[/caption]

"It is the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of."

[caption id="attachment_664" align="aligncenter" width="210"] Statue of Nataraja at CERN[/caption]

In June 2004, an unusual new landmark was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva — a 2m tall statue of Lord Shiva in his Nataraja form. The statue, symbolizing Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction acknowledged the profound significance of the metaphor of Shiva's dance for the cosmic dance of subatomic particles, which is observed and analyzed by CERN's physicists.

The man who started the discussion of the parallel between Shiva's dance and the dance of subatomic particles was Fritjof Capra, an Austrian-born American physicist and the founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. In an article titled "The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics" published in Main Currents in Modern Thought in 1972.

[caption id="attachment_660" align="aligncenter" width="195"] The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capara[/caption]

Shiva's cosmic dance then became a central metaphor in Capra's international bestseller The Tao of Physics, first published in 1975 and still in print in over 40 editions around the world.

"Fritjof Capra, in The Tao of Physics , seeks . . . an integration of the mathematical world view of modern physics and the mystical visions of Buddha and Krishna. Where others have failed miserably in trying to unite these seemingly different world views, Capra, a high-energy theorist, has succeeded admirably. I strongly recommend the book to both layman and scientist."

In the words of Mr. Capra -

"Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter," and that "For the modern physicists, then, Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter."

"Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics."