Holi, the festival of colours

Holi, the festival of colours is the most fun filled festival of the Hindus. It’s an occasion that brings with it lots of joy and fun, music and dance and of course lots of colours. This festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Phalgun which usually falls in February/March and is not restricted to India but is celebrated the world over, wherever there are Hindus. It is celebrated with different traditions in India itself and similar trends exists with Hindus in other parts of the world.

 Legend has it that Holi derived its name from Holika, the sister of the ancient king Hiranyakashipu. It is a demonstration of how a sinner got burnt in the fires of her own sin. This evil king had proclaimed himself to be God and even his own son Prahalad, who was still a little boy, did not accept his father to be a God. The king tried desperately to destroy the little boy and having failed miserably, resorted to his sister Holika for her help.

 Holika had powers which allowed her to be immune from destruction by fire. The evil king ordered Holika to take Prahalad into a huge fire so that he can be killed. Prahalad's faith in the real God was such that Holika's powers were reduced to naught and as such, she was burnt to death whilst Prahalad came out unhurt. It is because of this event, that Holika (a bonfire) is burnt yearly to usher in Holi. The burning of the effigy of Holika is called Holika Dahan.

In the days of Emperor Raghu, there was a Rakshasi (demoness) called Dhundhi. When she saw children alone and unattended, she would hide and jump out unexpectingly and scare them. Acting on the advice of his high priest, Emperor Raghu distributed pieces of wood amongst all the children of the kingdom. The children were instructed to make lots of noise and to shout very loudly. This Dhundhi could not stand the loud noises and she eventually left and ran away. This happened on the same day that Holika was burnt.

It is also said that Lord Shiva (the Lord of auspiciousness) destroyed Kaam Dev (the Lord of love) on the day Holika was burnt. Kaam Dev is worshipped in South India for the sacrifice he made. His worship is performed with the offering of mango leaves and flowers along with sandalwood paste. Appropriate songs are sung to mark the occasion.   
 Another legend associated with Holi relates to Krishna and Radha. It is believed that his mother advised Him to apply colour to Radha to make her of the same complexion as Krishna Himself. Krishna resorted to using a device sort of like a water jet called a pichkari which grew in popularity and acceptance. This tradition is very popular today and is rampantly used by lovers or boys and girls who enjoy the fun of teasing each other with the spray of beautiful colours during the celebration of this fun filled festival of Holi.

email: trinihindu@lycos.com

Bhishma Ashtami

 Bhishma Ashtami is one of the many controversial topics of interest in the Hindu calendar. It is accepted as the day on which the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas departed this world of mortals. Bhishma Ashtami is observed on the eight lunar day of the bright fortnight in the month of Magh. While the various panchangs accept or at least adopt this day as the official day of consequence many learned and not so learned people as well, dispute the accuracy of this conclusion.

 The Mahabharata is filled with stories of the greatness of Bhishma, his splendour and his glory. Those devotees and followers of his wisdom observe a fast from sunrise to sunset on this day as a mark of remembrance. Indeed he deserves at least this much from the present civilisation.

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Ratha Saptami

 Ratha Saptami is a religious event which falls on the seventh lunar day in the bright fortnight in the Hindu month of Magh. The word Ratha means chariot and makes direct reference to the chariot of the Sun God Surya. It is said that on this day Surya, the Sun God was born to the sage Kashyap and his wife Aditi.

 As time passed by it is also said that on this day Aruna, the charioteer of Surya diverted the chariot northward thereby,  continuing the journey of the Sun in an absolute northern direction, a journey that would last for several months. It is recommended that worshiping Surya Narayana on this day is very beneficial.

 About the chariot, well it is believed that it has only one wheel and that the chariot is drawn by seven horses. Each horse represents a day of the week starting of course from Sunday. The wheel of the chariot actually represents time, twelve months, three hundred and sixty five days and three hundred and sixty six in a leap year.

 I had the privilege of discussing this subject with Swami Kathakulli of South India some years ago and his interpretation is quite philosophical indeed. Compare the above with this:

The mind is like a chariot therefore the word Ratha is symbolic with the mind.   The thoughts in the human mind are many and are likened to several horses pulling the mind in various directions. However, in order for the mind to make a defined movement towards the Divine, the right set of horses should pull it in the right direction. Guiding the mind on the right path to God is in fact the intended philosophy behind Ratha Saptami.                         

  Ratha Saptami is observed by first taking a ritualistic bath. The important aspect of this ritualistic bath involves the use of the leaves from the plant Calotropis gigantea or the bowstring hemp. Incidentally, in the Sanskrit language this plant is called Arka.  While the actual procedure for taking this bath is a bit elaborate, in essence it comes down to placing the leaves of this plant on the head and bathing in the prescribed manner. After the bath prayer is offered unto Surya the Sun God and Surya Namaskar is performed.  Surya Sahasranama, Surya Ashtakam, and Aditya Hridayam and appropriate chants from the Thaithriya Yajurveda Araynaka Upanishad are also performed. It is recommended that worship commence at least one hour after sunrise.

email: trinihindu@lycos.com

Vedas, the origin

  Religion and culture of Hindus are rooted in the Vedas. No proclaimed specialist be him historian or researcher, easterner or westerner can place Vedic recognition anytime later than 1500 B.C. Some have even placed it way before that. Even arguments that the Vedas originated from the Aryans who were the original custodians, does not really authenticate its origin or its originality. However, if one was to go by common belief that the Bhagavad Gita was delivered by Lord Krishna himself approximately 5000 years ago then, that would make the Vedas even older than 5000 years making Lord Krishna the original keeper.


 Point in fact is that Lord Krishna made several references to Vedas in the Bhagavad Gita examples of which follows:
“Arjuna, the Vedas thus deals with the three Gunas…..” Ch.2, Vs.45
“I am the sacred syllable OM in all the Vedas…..” Ch. 7, Vs.8
“I shall speak to you in brief of the Supreme goal, which knowers of the Vedas call the Indestructible…..” Ch.8, Vs.11
“Among Vedas, I am the Sama Veda…..” Ch.10, Vs.22


 If Lord Krishna says that He is the sacred syllable OM and that he is the Sama Veda does that not make the Vedas as old as Lord Krishna himself? Be all that as it may, the actual origin of the Vedas becomes irrelevant in today’s world. What is important is the message that it conveys. It conveys an unparalleled path of Spiritual Idealism. Prayers, hymns or even Vedic chants are born in a spiritual mood; the attitude is devotional and the mind responds to the vision of the Divine. Vedas embodies the concept of truth and eternal order with the Gods and Goddesses being the custodians of such meaningful attributes.


 Vedas represents God as the absolute Supreme who is the embodiment of beauty and goodness, nobility and virtue of both man and woman. It represents the splendour of nature and does not ignore in any way whatsoever, the individual vision of the Divine for it includes masculine, feminine and neuter along with the singular, dual and plural. Vedas emphasizes the point that truth comes first and religion come last. Truth is the essence of divinity whereas God has truth as the law of his being. The Avatars then becomes the manifestations of such truth.


 Prayer and ritual of the right type and the right conduct constitutes a manifested form of a truthful life with a pure heart. Eternal law is deeper than truth in its moral aspects. It includes justice and goodness and it represents Dharma or righteousness as the most ethical concept. In conclusion, the Vedas are a process of free thinking whereby no idea or discussion has been rejected.

email: trinihindu@lycos.com