Our Naughty Guru on Holi

An asura king, Hiranyakashyap, wanted everyone to worship him. But his son Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Narayana, the king's sworn enemy. Angry king wanted Holika, his sister, to get rid of Prahlad. Empowered to withstand the fire, Holika saton a burning pyre holding Prahlad in her lap. But it was Holika who was burnt, and Prahlad came out unharmed.Hiranyakashyap symbolizes one who is gross. Prahlad embodies innocence, faith and bliss and joy. The spirit cannot be confined to love of material only. Hiranyakashyap wanted all joy to come from material world. It did not happen that way. The individual jivatma cannot be bound to the material forever. It's natural to eventually move towards Narayana, one's higher Self.Holika stands for the past burdens that try to burn Prahlad's innocence. But Prahlad, so deeply rooted in Narayana Bhakti, could burn all past impressions (samskaras) and joy springs up with new colours. Life becomes a celebration. Burning the past, you gear up for a new beginning. Your emotions, like fire, burn you. But when they are a fountain of colours, they add charm to your life. In ignorance, emotions are a bother; in knowledge, the same emotions add colour.Each emotion is associated with a colour - anger with red, jealousy with green, vibrancy and happiness with yellow, love with pink, vastness with blue, peace with white,sacrifice with saffron and knowledge with violet.So Holi should be colourful and not boring. When each colour is seen clearly, it is colourful. When all the colours get mixed, you end up with black. So also in life, we play different roles. Each role and emotion needs to be clearly defined. Emotional confusion creates problems. When you are a father, you have to play the part of a father. You can't be a father at office. When you mix the roles in your life, you start making mistakes. Whatever role you play in life, give yourself fully to it. Harmony in diversity makes life vibrant and more colourful.