Legends of Holee

Holee is one of the four great festivals of Hindu - Holee, Rakshaabandhan, Dashaharaa, and Divaalee. It is celebrated on Phaalgun Poornimaa and then enjoying it with dry and wet colors by throwing on each other next day. Nobody feels bad in Holee. There is no high or low cadre, there is no enmity, even the long time enmities are changed into friendship this day. Delicious food is cooked and when people come to play Holee colors, it is served to them. People gather sticks, wood and all kinds of things and burn Holee on Prathamaa of Chaitra Maas day. After burning the Holee people play with colors till lunch time. Then they take bath, eat food, take some rest and then go to see their friends in the evening. There they play Holee with dry colors only.

There are two main legends behind Holee festival. One is of Hiranyakashyap and Prahlaad, and the second of Shiv and Kaam Dev. Shiv and Kaam Dev legend has been immortalized by Kaali Daas in his great poetry 'Kumaar Sambhavam'.

Story of Prahlaad
After Vishnu had killed Hiranyakashyap's brother Hiranyaaksh (taking Varaah Avataar), the great Demon King Hiranyakashyap got very angry and upset with Vishnu and he decided to kill Him; but he needed special powers to kill Him, so he did severe penance and obtained a boon from Brahmaa Jee not to be killed either in day or night, inside or outside of the house, morning or evening, from any kind of weapon, and by any type of Brahmaa's created creature. By obtaining this boon Hiranyakashyap was ready to kill Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap had 5 sons, Prahlaad being his youngest son.  Hiranyakashyap  was the greatest enemy of Vishnu and  Prahlaad was a great devotee of Vishnu, so he always opposed his father, Both were no match to each other. Hiranyakashyap could not tolerate this and tried to kill Prahlaad several times by several ways - rolling down from hills, drowning in the sea, biting by snakes, giving him poison etc etc.

When he could not kill him by any way, he thought for another way. Hiranyakashyap had a sister named Holikaa who had a boon that she would not be burnt in the fire. Hiranyakashyap took her help that she would sit in the fire carrying Prahlaad in  her lap and will burn him. She herself would not be burnt as she already had the boon not to be burnt by the fire. As planned she sat in the fire carrying her nephew in her lap to burn him, but unfortunately Prahlaad escaped and she got burnt. That was the day of Prathamaa of Chaitra month. People celebrate this day as Holee in the commemoration of Prahlaad's escape and Holikaa's Dahan.

Story of Kaam Dahan
When Satee had immolated herself in her father's Yagya, Shiv became very dejected and went to do penance. In the mena time a Daitya named Taarakaasur was born and got very mighty by the boon of Brahmaa Jee. His boon was strange. He asked for the boon that he should be killed by a 6-day old son of Shiv. he thought that Satee had already died so Shiv cannot have a son. Secondly, Shiv was busy in penance so he will not have a son for long time. Thirdly even if he would have a son, a 6-day old infant cannot kill him. And thus he thought that he had got immortality. So now he had started his atrocities greatly.

Devtaa and Rishi got tired of his atrocities, so they went to Brahmaa Jee to request him to kill him. Brahmaa Jee told that he would not be able to kill him as he had already granted him a boon, and only Shiv's 6-day old son could kill him. On the other side, Satee had incarnated as Paarvatee in Himvaan's house and was doing Tap to get Shiv Jee as her husband. But Shiv Jee was busy in his Tap, so how to get him ready to marry Paarvatee Jee and get a son from him to kill Taarakaasur?  Devtaa sought the help of Kaam Dev to lure Shiv Jee to wake up from his Tap and marry Paarvatee Jee and have a son so that he could kill Taarakaasur..Kaam Dev knew that luring Shiv Jee was a risky affair, it could take his life but he got ready to do their work.

Kaam Dev went to the place where Shiv Jee was doing Tap and started creating environment for luring him. As he wanted to shoot his mango flower arrow at Shiv Jee, Shiv Jee opened his third eye and looked at him, and he just got reduced to ashes. As Rati, Kaam Dev's wife, heard this she got very sad and came to Shiv Jee crying. She told him that he did this to do Devtaa's work, so he should be granted his life. Here there are two versions - one that Shiv Jee granted Kaam Dev his Life and, two that Shiv Jee told her that her husband will be born in Dwaapar Yug as the son of Krishn when Vishnu will incarnate as Krishn in Dwaapar Yug. She should wait till then. And till then her husband will be with people without body (Anang). Later Kaam Dev was born as Pradyumn to Rukminee Jee. It is believed that Shiv burnt Kaam Dev on this day, that is why people celebrate this day like this in this season.

Sushma Gupta
www.sushmajee.com