Among the various and different Hindu festivals that adorn India’s cultural landscape, Holi stands out as a stirring celebration of the absolutely certain victory of good over evil. Celebrated the evening before Holi, Holika Dahan is deeply ingrained in the hearts and thoughts of millions of followers in India and around the world.
Story related of Holika Dahan
In the age of Satya Yuga, Diti, daughter of Daksh and wife of the Sage Kashyapa, bore two sons – Hiranyakashyap and Hiranyaksh – who shared an unbreakable bond of affection. Endowed with formidable power, the brothers emerged victorious over the gods, ascending to the heights of heaven. However, their triumph was marred by tragedy when Hiranyaksh, driven by ambition, concealed the earth in the depths of Pataal Lok (netherworld.) In response, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha Avatar and vanquished Hiranyaksh, restoring balance to the cosmos. The news of his brother’s demise struck Hiranyakashyap to his core, igniting a flame of vengeance within him.
Seeking solace on the sacred slopes of Mahendranchal mountain, he embarked on a journey of penance, beseeching Lord Brahma for the power to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of Lord Vishnu.
With Hiranyakashyap engrossed in his quest for vengeance, Devraj Indra seizes the opportunity to launch an audacious attack on the demon king’s realm, driving away all the demons and asserting his dominance over the celestial realms. In the chaos of battle, the demons are scattered and forced to retreat to the depths of Paatal Lok, leaving behind Hiranyakashyap’s wife, Kayadhu, as the sole remaining inhabitant of the palace.
In a desperate bid to save herself from the clutches of her enemies, she reveals a startling truth – she is pregnant with the child of Hiranyakashyap. Yet, even this revelation fails to sway the resolve of Devraj Indra, who sees only a potential threat to the gods in the unborn child.
In a chilling display of power and authority, Devraj Indra orders Kayadhu to be bound and detained, unwilling to take any chances with the offspring of a demon king. Despite Kayadhu’s pleas and protests, her fate hangs precariously in the balance, her unborn child condemned as a harbinger of doom for the celestial realm.
As Indra’s army marches forward with Kayadhu in captivity, their path intersects with that of the venerable sage Narada. Upon witnessing Kayadhu’s plight, Narada’s compassionate heart stirred, and he inquires of Indra the purpose behind his actions. Indra, resolute in his decision, explains that Kayadhu carries the child of Hiranyakashyap within her womb, a child destined to follow in his father’s demonic footsteps and pose a threat to the celestial realm.
But Narada, endowed with heavenly insight and prescience, sees another destiny for the foetus. He begs Indra to change his mind, displaying wisdom derived from transcendent knowledge, and reveals a prophesy that predicts the child’s destiny as an enthusiastic follower of Lord Vishnu..
Moved by Narada’s wisdom and compassion, Indra releases Kayadhu from captivity and returns to his celestial abode. Meanwhile, Narada escorts Kayadhu to his sacred ashram, offering her sanctuary and solace amidst the tranquil surroundings of his hermitage. With a heart filled with gratitude, Kayadhu expresses her heartfelt thanks to Narada for his benevolent intervention, recognizing the profound impact of his kindness upon her and her unborn child.
Kayadhu accepts her new existence in the ashram and finds comfort and spiritual sustenance in Narada’s lectures and speeches. His words strike a deep chord in her psyche, providing her with direction, comfort, and illumination while she waits for her husband to return from his penance. Kayadhu finds contentment and serenity amid the ashram’s tranquil beauty and the profound wisdom of Narada’s teachings.
As Kayadhu immersed herself in Narada’s sermons, the profound wisdom and divine teachings not only nourished her soul but also had a profound impact on the child growing within her womb. Time continued to pass unabatedly until Kayadhu’s day of giving birth to a boy, Prahlad, arrived.
Prahlad was clearly marked by heavenly favour even as a baby, exuding a holy and graceful air from his very being. Lord Vishnu’s name had a great influence over him from the moment of his birth, leading him in the direction of devotion and virtue. In the meantime, Hiranyakashyap’s penance came to an end, and he emerged from his spartan meditations with a smug sense of newly acquired strength. Equipped with the blessing granted to him by Lord Brahma, Hiranyakashyap set out to establish his rule and subjugate the three worlds in an attempt to prove his supremacy.
As time flowed onwards, Kayadhu and young Prahlad also returned to the palace, where the young prince began his education under the instruction of the palace scholars. However, amidst the grandeur of the royal court and the halls of learning, Prahlad’s heart remained steadfast in its devotion to Lord Vishnu. Day and night, he fervently chanted the sacred name of Shri Hari Vishnu, his soul ablaze with the flame of divine love and devotion.
When Hiranyakashyap learned of his son’s unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu, his heart was consumed with rage and indignation. How could his own son, the heir to his throne, pledge allegiance to the very deity who had slain his beloved brother? Blinded by his fury, Hiranyakashyap confronted Prahlad, demanding that he renounce his devotion to Lord Vishnu and swear allegiance to him instead. But Prahlad, undaunted by his father’s wrath, remained steadfast in his faith, refusing to forsake the divine presence that dwelled within his heart. In his fury, Hiranyakashyap resolved to put an end to Prahlad’s devotion once and for all, determined to eradicate any trace of Vishnu’s influence from his kingdom.
Hiranyakashyap used more and more cruel and extreme methods in his attempt to destroy Prahlad’s worship of Lord Vishnu. He used a variety of vicious and savage techniques in an attempt to extinguish his son’s faith, but each time, heavenly intervention and protection were present. In a desperate bid to rid himself of Prahlad’s influence, Hiranyakashyap bound his son’s hands and feet and cast him into the depths of the sea, hoping to drown him beneath the waves. But Prahlad was safe, nestled in the kindness of Lord Vishnu’s protective arms.
Undeterred by his initial failure, Hiranyakashyap turned to more venomous means, subjecting Prahlad to the deadly embrace of poisonous serpents. To his dismay, though, Prahlad’s heavenly aura caused the serpents to flee, unable to injure a hair on his head. Angry and frustrated by Prahlad’s incredible fortitude, Hiranyakashyap took drastic steps, throwing his kid from the top of tall mountains in the hopes that the sharp rocks below would kill him. But Prahlad survived, his unshakable faith serving as a barrier against the forces of evil.
In a final, desperate bid to extinguish Prahlad’s divine light, Hiranyakashyap poisoned his son’s food, hoping that death would claim him in the quiet of the night. Yet, as fate would have it, Prahlad was immune to the poison because of his unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu, which acted as a strong defence against his father’s schemes.
Hiranyakashyap confided in his sister Holika in his desperation and despair, and she tried to allay his anxieties by promising to save him from his suffering. With a confidence born of her own arrogance and the boon bestowed upon her by Lord Brahma, Holika devised a plan to eliminate Prahlad using her supposed immunity to fire. Reminding Hiranyakashyap of her invincibility to flames, she proposed a evil scheme: she would make Prahlad sit upon her lap, and together they would enter a blazing inferno. With her immunity, she believed that Prahlad would be reduced to ashes while she emerged unscathed, freeing her brother from the burden of his son’s devotion.
Hiranyakashyap, consumed by his desire to rid himself of Prahlad’s influence, eagerly embraced his sister’s proposal, convinced that this would finally bring an end to his son’s defiance and restore his own supremacy. Fueled by his sister’s cunning counsel, Hiranyakashyap wasted no time in implementing their diabolical plan. With swift and decisive action, he commanded his soldiers to gather wood and dry grass.
With the final arrangements almost finished, Holika embraced Prahlad, her evil plans hidden under a mask of maternal love. She crouched her nephew on her lap as she positioned herself atop the wooden pyre, her eyes gleaming with malice. As the flames roared to life at Hiranyakashyap’s command, engulfing the sacrificial pyre in a blazing inferno, Prahlad remained steadfast in his devotion to Lord Vishnu. His voice rose above the din as he sang the holy name of his adored deity with steadfast trust and devotion, amid the crackling flames and billowing smoke.
Holika began to feel uneasy as the flames licked at the fire, her confidence faltering under the tremendous heat. She was shocked and confused to find herself giving in to the intense heat—something she was supposed to be immune to. With mounting panic and desperation, Holika’s composure crumbled, her disbelief giving way to anger and frustration. Furious at her own frailty and the breakdown of her devious scheme, she threw off her act of invincibility and cursed the purported favour that Lord Brahma had given her.
Holika’s sobs rang out over the crackling flames and the roar of the inferno as she angrily renounced the divine favour she had previously boasted of. Her once-confident manner was now shattered as she discovered herself caught in the exact trap she had laid for Prahlad.
Lord Brahma appeared out of the flames as Holika’s dejected screams sounded through the atmosphere. Lord Brahma reproved Holika for twisting the heavenly gift meant to help others and instead utilising it for evil purposes, in a voice resounding with the weight of cosmic judgement. He said that her betrayal had rendered the boon’s protection useless, leaving her open to the very flames she had wished to use against an innocent child.
As the flames engulfed her, consuming her in a pyre of her own making. The sound of Holika’s screams echoed throughout the city, a chilling reminder of what happens when arrogance and hatred run rampant. Prahlad, meanwhile, was unharmed because of Lord Vishnu’s steadfast grace.
From that momentous day forward, the triumph of righteousness over evil and the protection of the virtuous became immortalized in the celebration of Holika Dahan. And as the flames of the sacred bonfire illuminated the night sky, heralding the dawn of a new day, people rejoiced in the victory of good over evil, bringing bright colours and a joyful celebration to mark the start of the Holi festivities.
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