About my culture... Holi and Dhureti

On the full moon of the month of Phalgun, is the first day of the two day festival. On that day, a pyre is set up to reenact the burning of Holika who is the sister of Hiranyakashyap. After many attempts to kill his son Prahlad, Hiranyakashyap told him to sit in his sister’s lap. The sister would be protected from fire with a shaal. However, when the fire started, the shaal flew away, and Holika was burned and from the pyre came Narsinh - half lion and half man reincarnation. He killed Hiranyakashyap who had a boon on him that he could not die during night or day, inside or outside, by shastra (science) or astra (weapon), or by man or animal. So, Narisinh was neither man nor animal, used his claws which were not shastra or astra and he killed him at the doorstep at dusk! Genius!

Two other stories are associated with today - that of the killing of Hoda who was killed by children and the killing of Putna by Krishna.

Today in essence signifies the day when children who are endowed with untainted hearts stand up against evil. It is a day when children should remember Prahlad and Krishna and aspire to be like them even in their mischief.

The next day is exclusively for mischief! It is the day we call Holi or Dhuleti. Everyone becomes a child again and is to remember the deep endowed innocence that is a beam of one of the most divine qualities of God. Even in mischief we can promote dharma. It shows how the pure mind of a child is so powerful that it can destroy all evil.

Dhuleti or Dhuli Padvo stands for throwing mud. Throw mud! However, now people throw colors, which originates from the celebration of the colors of spring and Radha and Krishna are said to have celebrate spring with this festival of colors. Either way, the significance is that in India or anywhere, people despite their color, race, or creed play. Everyone wears their whitest clothes. The children run to their elders to do tilak on them and then begin holi with them putting vermillion on their respected elders. With their ashirvad, the entire village or city is transformed into a place of children despite their age. Everyone plays and enjoys. Everyone looks the same covered in colors or mud and barriers of occupation, worth, and status are eliminated in the presence of God. Everyone becomes a child of divine purity which comes in its purest form in childhood. The entire society comes together and there is harmony.

Scriptural Significance:

As we all know life is based on four main aspects kama (human desires), artha (social welfare), dharma (morality and duty), and moksh (spiritual liberation). Balancing and purifying these four concepts is the main purpose of anything in our culture. Holi and dhuleti is a great example of this. During this festival, kama’s are to be changed into innocent child-like desires, which are the most purest forms of human desires. Social welfare is promoted because the entire populations convergences to celebrate together as children of one God. Relationships are strengthened and old issues are forgotten during the new season. Dharma is the victory of good over evil. However, evil is not just immortality but its anything that causes evil. One form of “evil” is illness. Our rushi’s have instated most of our cultural events in order to take care of both social, personal, and health aspects of life. During the pyre, the night before holi, every one circumvents the fire until they sweat and their body temperature increases. As we know, fever is the body’s natural defense to denature microbials and in spring the temperature warms up which is ideal for the bacterial and microbial growth. The sweat flushes the system and the increased temperature (way beyond that ideal temperature of spring) will help kill microbials just as a fever. So it is a cleansing mechanism. The next day, during dhuleti, mud is basically spread all over the body. Besides, the natural vitamins and minerals in soil, the soil is enriched with haldi and bilva as well as ashes from wood to give it increased medicinal values such as hydration and antibacterial properties. Also our Vitamin D stores are increased with the sunlight. Let’s not forget garba and raas which again has roots in the legends of Radha and Krishna which takes away our laziness. The moksha aspect is reiterated with remembering our values and morals. To realize that our nature should be transformed into one that is like Prahlads, the true son of God. We must fight for truth, stand up against adharma, and stay strong with faith as our foundation. If all four aspects are balanced social progress and self-development are inevitable.

Each region of India has a unique way of celebrating Holi, but the basic principles are the same. It once again promotes the fact that unity in diversity underlies Bharat’s essence.

There are references to Holi in Jamini’s Purva Mimansa which is a shastra completely based on gyan. There are also references in Kathakagrhya Sutras, Narad Puran, and Bhaishya Puran and inscriptions in stone from 300BC of Holikotsav (or Holi). Even the Ulbaruni (a famous Islamic traveler) writes about it as does Kabir and it is also a story found in Guru Granth Sahib.

Disasters always bring man closer to man, but to be human—devotion and divinity should be the catalyst.