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HOLI
Also known as : Kamadahana in South
Religion : Hindu
In memory of : End of a Cannibal called Holika
In the month of : February - March
The Legends
IN THE DAYS of yore, there were communities of cannibals
living in India. They threatened the lives of many
innocent people and created havoc in their lives. One of
them was "Holika" or "Putana". She took immense delight
in devouring children. Lord Krishna destroyed her and
thus saved the little children. The effigy or figure of
Holika is burnt in the fire up to this day. In South
India, the figure of Cupid made of day is burnt. This is
the origin of the great festival of Holi.
Another legend has it that once upon a time an old
womans grandchild was to be sacrificed to a female demon
named Holika. A Sadhu advised her that abuse and foul
language would subdue Holika. The old woman collected
many children and made them abuse Holika with foul
language. The demon fell dead on the ground. The
children made a bonfire of her remaings.
Connected to this Holika - Legend is Bhakta Prahlads
devotion to Lord Narayana and his subsequent escape from
death at the hands of Holika. Prahlads father,
Hiranyakashipu (also spelt as Hiranya Kashyap), punished
him in a variety of rays to change his devotional mind
and make him worldly-minded. He failed in all his
attempts. At last he ordered his sister, Holika, who had
a boon to remain unburnt even inside lire, to take
Prahlad on her lap and enter into the blazing dames of
the fire. Holika did so. She vanished, but Prahlad
remained, laughing. He was not affected by the fire on
account of the Grace of Lord Narayana.
Enactment Of The Legend
This same scene is enacted every year to remind people
that those who love God shall be saved and they that
torture the devotee of God shall be reduced to ashes
When Holika was burnt, people abused her and sang
praises of the Lord and His great devotee, Prahlad. In
imitation of that, people even today use abusive
language, but unfortunately forget to sing the praise of
the Lord and His devotee!
The Varied Celebrations
Holi commences about ten days before the full moon of
the month, Phalgun (February-March), but is usually only
observed for the last three or four days, terminating
with the full moon. This is a spring festival of the
Hindus. In the spring season all the trees are filled
with sweet smelling flowers. They all proclaim the glory
and everlasting beauty of God and inspire you with hope,
joy and a new life and stir you on to find out the
Creator and the Indweller, who is hiding Himself in
these forms.
Holi is also known by the name of "Kamadahana" in South
India, the day on which Kamadev (Cupid) was burnt by
Lord Shiva.
In North India,on the eve of Holi, huge bundles of wood
are gathered and burnt at night. On the festival day
people play Holi joyfully with coloured water
andeverywhere one hears the shouts of "Holi-hai!
Holi-hai!"
People stand in the streets and pump coloured water over
the body and clothes of any man who passes by, be a rich
man or an officer. There is no restriction on this day.
It is like the April Fool day of the Europeans. People
compose and sing special Holi songs to mark the
occassion.
During the festival, people clean their houses remove
all dirty articles around the house and burn them. The
disease-breeding bacteria are thereby destroyed. The
sanitary condition of the locality is improved. During
the festival boys dance about in the streets and people
play practical jokes with the passers-by.
Concluding Festivities
A bonfire is lit towards the end of the day as the
closing ceremony of the festival. Games representing the
frolics of the young Lord Krishna take place around the
fire.On the last day of Holi, people take a little fire
from this bonfire, to their houses. They believe that
their houses are rendered pure and free from disease.
The Essence Of Holi
Festivals like the Holi have their own spiritual value.
Apart from the various amusements, they create faith in
God when properly observed. Hindu festivals always have
a spiritual significance. They wean the man away from
sensual pleasures and take him gradually to the
spiritual path and divine communion. People perform
havan and offer the new grains that are harvested to the
gods before using them.
There should be worship of God, religious gatherings and
Kirtan of the Lords Names on such occasions, not mere
pumping of coloured water and lighting bonfires. These
functions art to be considered sacred and spent in
devotional prayers, visiting holy palace bathing in
sacred waters, Satsang with great evolved souls, doing
charity to the poor, etc. Then only can Holi be said to
have been properly celebrated. The devotees of the Lord
remember & delightful pastimes of the Lord a such happy
occasions.
Celebrating The Harvest Season
All great Hindu festivals have religious, social and
hygienic elements in them. Holi is no exception. Every
season has a festival of its own. Holi is the great
spring festival of India. Being an agricultural country
Indias two big festivals are at harvest time when the
barns and granaries of our farmers are full and they
have reason to enjoy & fruits of their hard labour. The
harvest season is a festive season all over the world.
Man wants relaxation and change after hard work. He
should be cheered up when he is depressed on account of
work and anxieties. Festivals like these supply him with
the real food and tonic to restore his cheer and peace
of mind.
The religious element in the Holi festival is the
worship of Krishna. In some places it is also called the
Dol Yatra. The word dol Literally means "a swing". An
image of Krishna as a babe is Placed in a little
swingcradle, and decorated with flowers and painted with
coloured powders. The innocent frolics of little Krishna
with the merry milkmaids (Gopis) of Brindavan are
commemorated. Religious people chant the name of Krishna
and sing Holi-songs relating to the frolics of little
Krishna with the Gopis.
The social element in Holi is the uniting or "embracing"
of the great and the small, of the rich and the poor,
and also amongst the equals. The festival teaches us to
"let the dead bury the dead". Forget the outgoing years
ill-feeling and begin the New Year with love, sympathy,
co-operation and equality with all. Try to feel this
oneness a unity with the Self also.
Holi also means "sacrifice". Burn all the impurities of
the mind such as egoism vanity, lust, etc., through the
fire of devotion and knowledge.. Ignite cosmic love,
mercy, generosity, selflessness, truthfulness and purity
through the fire of Yogic practice. This is the real
spirit of Holi. Get up from the mire of stupidity and
absurdity and dive deep into the ocean of divinity.
The call of Holi is to keep always the blaze of God-love
shining in your heart. Inner spiritual illumination is
real Holi. The spring season is the manifestation of the
Lord, according to the Bhagavad Gita. Holi is there said
to be His heart.
KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI
Celebration : The Birthday of Lord Krishna
Birth place : Lord Krishna
Religion : Hindu
In the month of : August - September
This is the birthday of Lord Krishna, ths eighth Divine
Incarnation. It fails on the 8th day of the dark half of
the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This is one
of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Lord Krishna was
born at midnight. A twenty-four hour fast" observed on
this day, which is broken at midnight.
Temples are decorated for the occasion. Kirtans are
sung, bells are rung, the conch is blown, and Sanskrit
hymns are recited in praise of Lord Krishna. At Mathura,
the birthplace of Lord Krishna, special spiritual
gatherings are organised at this time. Pilgrims from all
over India attend these festive gatherings.
The Lord appeared when the moon entered the house of
Vrishabha at the constellation of the star Rohini on
Wednesday the 8th day of the second fortnight of the
month of Sravana, which corresponds to the month of
Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha according to the
Barhaspatyamana, in the year of Visvavasu, 5,I72 years
ago (from I945), which means 3227 B.C.
Study the Bhagavatam and the Pancharatras, which are
equal to the Upanishads. You win know an about the glory
of Lord Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds, The
eighth Avatara, Krishna, who has become the Beloved of
India and the world at large, had a threefold objective:
to destroy the wicked demons to play the leading role in
the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
(where he delivered His wonderful message of the Gita)
and to become the centre of a marvellous development of
the Bhakti schools of India.
There is no true science except devotion to Lord
Krishna. That man is wealthy indeed who loves Radha and
Krishna. There is no sorrow other than lack of devotion
to Krishna. He is the foremost of the emancipated who
loves Krishna. There is no right course, except the
society of Sri Krishnas devotees The Name, virtues and
Lilas (divine pastimes) of Krishna are the chief things
to be remembered. The Lotus Feet of Radha and Krishna
are the chief objects of meditation.
Sri Krishna is the ocean of bliss His soul-stirring
Lilas, which are the wonder of wonders are its waves.
The honeyed music of His flute attracts the minds of His
devotees from all three regions. His unequalled and
unsurpassed wealth of beauty amazes the animate and the
inanimate beings. He adorns His friends with His
incomparable love.
His palms bear the signs of a lotus and discus the right
sole of His feet of a flag, lotus thunderbolt, an iron
goad, barley seed, and the Swastika. His left sole has
the rainbow, triangle, water-pot, crescent, sky, fish,
and a cows footprint. His Form is composed of condensed
universal consciousness and bliss. His Body pervades the
entire cosmos.
Devotion is the only means of attaining Lord Krishna.
Bhakti kindles love for the Lord. When love is directed
towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the
world.
Though Lord Krishna appeared in a human body, He had a
divine body not composed of the five elements. He did
not take any birth here in the usual sense of the term.
He did not die. He appeared and disappeared through His
Yoga Maya as He has declared in the Gita. This is" a
secret known only to His devotees, Yogis and Sages.
His enchanting form with flute in hand is worshipped in
myriads of homes in India. It is a form to which is
poured out devotion and supreme love from the hearts of
countless devotees not only in India but also in the
West. Millions of spiritual seekers worship Him and
repeat His Mantra, Om Namo Bhuguvate Vasudevaya.
Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion,
great in action, all at once. The scriptures have not
recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime
and grander than the life of Sri Krishna.
Krishna has played various roles during His stay in the
world. He was Arjunas charioteer. He was an excellent
statesman. He was a master musician; he gave lessons
even to Narada in the art of playing the veena. The
music of His flute thrilled the hearts of the Gopis and
everyone else. He was a cowherd in Brindavan and Gokul.
He exhibited miraculous powers even as a child. He
killed many demons. He revealed His Cosmic Form to His
mother. Yasoda. He performed the Rasa Lila, the secret
of which can only be understood by devotees like Narada,
Gauranga, Radha and the Gopis. He taught the supreme
Truth of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and Uddhava.
He had mastered every one of the sixty-four fine arts.
For all these reasons He is regarded as a full and
complete manifestation of God.
all articles contributed by Veena Vidyarthi.
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