Holi 2022: Holika Dahan to Kamadeva killing, let’s understand its significance
By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 13, 2022, 7:00 AM ISTAs the nation will celebrate the festival of Holi on March 18 this year with glee, let’s try to understand its significance.
It’s that time of the year when we forget all our miseries and resort to joie-de-vivre! As we transition from winter to spring, heralding salubriousness, we all celebrate the grand festival of Holi and its vibrancy.
Holi represents everything pleasant and cheerful, with a riot of colours, a galaxy of melodies, and boundless delight. In this little essay, we attempt to comprehend the event's significance, which is observed throughout India and by people of many religions.
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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Jayanti: Firstly, the spiritual giant known as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born on Holi. Chaitanya, the essence and prototype of Bhakti, guided the way to redemption by undivided devotion to God. As a result, there is little doubt that the celebration has a spiritual component. The mythical importance comes next.
Holika Killed: One mythical story follows that, there was a demon king named Hiranyakashipu and he had a son named Prahlad, endowed with opposed divine characteristics and tenets. Much to the anger of the demon king, Prahlad acquired a solid devotion for Lord Vishnu. So, to wreak retribution, the monarch had his sister Holika sit him on her lap and transport him to an inferno-like region. It should be mentioned that Holika was granted the gift of being unaffected by the fire. But as she entered, she was reduced to ashes while Prahlad was saved because his extreme devotion to Lord Vishnu acted as insulation.
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On the other hand, Holika's boon did not see the light of day since she was utilising it for evil. As a result, the premise of Holi is that evil is burned while virtues are celebrated. Therefore, the concept of Holi is that evil is burnt while virtues are honoured. The concept of Holika Dahan also came into existence.
Putana is killed: The second narrative concerns the killing of Demoness Putana. In the Mahabharata, she was sent by King Kamsa to poison the breastfeeding of newborn Krishna to murder him. On the other hand, Krishna killed her, thereby demonstrating the triumph of virtue over evil.
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Kamadeva was killed: Lord Shiva was distracted by Love god Kamadeva while performing penance. Lord Shiva was angered by this and opened his third eye, burning Kamadeva. The Kama in Sanskrit means lust or desires. Therefore, the festival assumes significance that God kills lust or desires, thereby giving salvation to the devotees.
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It is also significant since Kamadeva sacrificed himself for the sake of the world. He disrupted Shiva's attention because the world would become unbalanced if Shiva sat like that. So to prevent such imbalance, Cupid god (Kamadeva) had no other option but to disturb him for the world's welfare. Afterwards, when Shiva enlightened himself about Kamadeva’s real intention, he blessed him with salvation.
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Social significance:
Festivals are an opportunity to unite people, fostering fraternity. Holi is no exception. As everyone plays it – irrespective of their faith, caste or creed – Holi becomes a unifier, burying all the differences and promoting oneness.
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