Happy Holi Festival
March 21st, 2008
The festival of Holi is a pious representative of Indian culture. Holi signals the change of season marking the advent of spring. It is an occasion to forget all differences of caste and creed and share feelings of mutual love and goodwill. It is also a message in itself for us to become engaged in spiritual practices and increase our devotion for the Lord.
This festival has brought cheers to many a desolate heart and smiles to many sad faces. Humanity has benefited immensely by the festival of Holi. People celebrate Holi by colouring others with the colours of their own choice and thus they bridge the differences of their hearts and become closer to one another.
Holi, a festival of joy and gaiety, brings vigour into life. This is a festival that inspires us to see divinity in each other. It is also an occasion to remove sensuous thoughts and kindle love for the passionless Lord.
The false colours of this transient world cover all senses, body and mind. With the passage of time they wither away as well. But even the slightest colour of devotion and enlightenment imbues one forever. Even death cannot remove it. It is this colour of devotion and enlightenment that we should inculcate in our life on the occasion of Holi. Holi is a festival of colours. It is an elixir that rejuvenates the spiritual and devotional pursuits of an aspirant. It also spreads the message of mutual love in society.
The false colours of this transient world cover all senses, body and mind. With the passage of time they wither away as well. But even the slightest colour of devotion and enlightenment imbues one forever. Even death cannot remove it. It is this colour of devotion and enlightenment that we should inculcate in our life on the occasion of Holi. Holi is a festival of colours. It is an elixir that rejuvenates the spiritual and devotional pursuits of an aspirant. It also spreads the message of mutual love in society.
The pile of wood that we burn on the eve of Holi is symbolic of the weakness and passions that dominate our minds. On the pious occasion of Holi, we should take a vow to renounce lust and desires and to inculcate the divine virtues of love for God, goodwill, sympathy, faith in God, etc. At the same time we must perform japa (chant) of Lord's name, keep the Lord and satsang in mind, and practise devotion to duty, compassion, charity, etc. We should, just like the excellent devotee Prahlad, have firm devotion and love towards the Lord, apart from the virtuous traits of tolerance and equanimity.
The literal meaning of Holi is 'bygone' (ho li). This means the festival of Holi teaches us to let bygones be bygones. Whatever has happened is past? forget it. If you got praise, fine; if you got insults, fine; its all over now. Immerse yourself in Self-Bliss.
Today, let us bring about a new beginning in our lives. Let us extend a helping hand to those in the lowest rung of society, the unfortunate, the downtrodden, the uncared for, the distressed, the illiterate, etc. Life is too short to be wasted. Let us do something worthwhile to earn ourselves the blessings of thousands of hearts. Let us proceed on the path of spirituality that will lead us to the highest goal as attained by Prahlad.
The festival of Holi gives us the pious message that we too should face the obstacles coming our way with grit and determination. Whatever the odds against us may be, keeping Prahlad as our ideal, let us not allow our faith in God to waver.
Instead of throwing chemical colours on one another, let us immerse ourselves and others in the pious colour of the Lord's divine name. Let us forget the illusory differences of superiority and inferiority, of mine and yours and know the Lord to be the only entity, the sentient Truth that permeates all beings and every particle of the universe. This is the path to blessedness.
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