3 Popular Mythological Stories and Tales Behind Holi Celebration

Holi is the festival of unity and colors! Every year, people from all walks of life wait for this festival to smear their loved ones with bright colors and eat delicacies specially prepared to celebrate the glory of this happy festival. India, a secular nation, witnesses not only people from Sanatan Dharma but also different religions and cultures come together to welcome spring, bid goodbye to winter, and have fun with their loved ones. Some people even book Pandit for Holika Puja to celebrate this festival with proper rituals.  

As much as this festival brings fun and happiness, it also has interesting aspects due to the various mythological stories and tales associated with it. These stories and tales are passed down from multiple generations and are often narrated by grandparents and older relatives to the younger generation of the household. There are numerous movies and television shows that portray these tales on the silver screen to inform the audience about the core idea behind every festival. These ideas may be simple but hold profound significance in the moral growth of every human being.  

Mythological Stories and Tales Behind Holi  

Holi has been celebrated for centuries. While the way of celebrating Holi could be different for our forefathers, the stories we have listened to are still the same. One of the most memorable parts of our childhood, these mythological tales still invoke the same interest in grownups as they did in childhood. These sacred tales are still relevant to us as they answer timeless questions and explain the deep truths that serve as a moral compass for every generation.  

Therefore, in this blog, we are throwing light on 3 popular mythological stories associated with the festival of Holi and discussing the accompanying moral lesson.   

1. The Legend of Bhakt Prahlad 

One of the most popular stories, the legend of Bhakt Prahlad and his devotion to Lord Vishnu, is one of the most heard stories related to Holi. It is believed that King Hiranyakashyap received a boon from Lord Shiva after years of meditation. According to the boon, he could not be killed by a human, animal, weapon, celestial beings, Gods, or Demons and would be safe in heaven, sky, or any place on Earth, whether night or day. This power made him go blind in pride, and he lost his sense of morality and immorality. He used this power to conquer all three Lokas - Hell, Heaven, and Earth and banished the worship of anybody else other than him. Worshipping anybody else resulted in harsh punishments.  

However, unbeknownst to him, his son Prahlad was a staunch believer and devotee of Lord Vishnu and believed in no supreme god than Narayan. When Prahlad conveyed his beliefs to his father, Hiranyakashyap decided to kill Prahlad. Holika, Hiranyakashyap's sister Holika, volunteered to sit in a pyre along with Prahlad, covering herself with a divine cloak. However, when the pyre was lit with fire, the divine cloak flew and covered Prahlad, protecting him from fire. Holika was burned to ashes, and later, Lord Hiranyakashyap, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, killed Hiranyakashyap to save everyone from his atrocities.    

2. The Legend of Radha & Krishna 

When Krishna was born, a demoness Putana fed him poisoned milk, which turned Krishna's color blue. Growing up, when he fell in love with the goddess Radha, his friends teased him about the difference in their respective complexions. When Krishna narrated this to Mother Yashoda, she advised him to color Radha in the hue of his choice and likeness. Happy by this idea, Shri Krishna applied bright-colored powder or Gulaal to Radha and affirmed his love for her. From this day onwards, Lord Krishna played Holi with Radha and Gopis (Female Cowherds) every year, and the same tradition is passed down several generations.  

3. The Legend of Kamdev 

There was a demon called Tarakasur, who was disturbing the peace of all three Lokas. Due to the boon granted to him, he could only be killed by the child of Lord Shiva. However, after the demise of goddess Sati, Lord Shiva went into deep meditation and shunned the outside world. Therefore, the Devas decided to seek help from Kamdev to wake Lord Shiva from his state of deep meditation and fall in love with Goddess Parvati. Although Kamdev successfully interrupted the meditative state of Lord Shiva, he could not survive the blaze that originated from Lord Shiva's third eye due to anger. However, Kamdev was brought back to life upon the request of his wife Rati. Thus, Holi also honors the sacrifice of Kamdev for love and the betterment of this world.  

Takeaway 

It is significant for us, the younger generation, to preserve these tales and communicate the same to future generations to help them understand the stories of the past and celebrate the glory of our festivals. These mythological tales have interesting elements and moral lessons associated with them. Therefore, we should preserve and learn from the lessons to make this world a better place.  

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