 |
|
|
(1)
What is Holi?
Answer: Holi
celebrates the arrival of spring on Fagun sud Punam. In
the Gita (10/35), Shri Krishna has considered spring as
one of his Vibhutis (forms) and as the best of all seasons.
The word Holi comes from the Sanskrit word Holaaka, which
means roasted grain. Holi is the offering of the newly harvested
grain to God.
There are two important stories about the origin of Holi.
The first is about the child Krishna. A giant demoness named
Putna tried to kill Bal Prabhu, but by God’s powers
she died. The people then celebrated God’s victory
by burning Putna’s body outside the village.
The second story concerns the child devotee Prahlad. His
father Hiranyakashipu, was a demon. He did not like Prahlad
worshipping Vishnu Bhagwan. So he tried to kill Prahlad
in many ways. One of them was by asking his sister Holika
to sit in a fire with Prahlad in her lap. She would wear
her magical sari which would protect her from burning in
a fire. By God’s wish she wore the wrong sari and
was burnt. Nothing happened to Prahlad. Holika is a symbol
of maya. Maya simply means our bad swabhavs such as hate,
anger, jealousy, etc. To remove such swabhavs we should
offer sincere devotion to God just like Prahlad’s
devotion to Vishnu.
So by celebrating Holi, we are really making efforts to
remove our bad swabhavs. These swabhavs are obstacles in
offering sincere devotion to God. |
| |
(2)
What is Fuldol?
Answer: Fuldol is also known as Pushpadolotsav.
Pushpa means flower. This is the festival of flowers and colour.
It is celebrated on Fagun vad 1, the day after Holi.
The origin of Fuldol concerns Shri Krishna and Arjun. Once,
both climbed mount Girnar in Junagadh. Here Shri Krishna pleased
the devotees known as Yadavs by his divine sports. To please
him, the Yadavs made a huge swing of flowers. A swing is known
as hindolo. They then requested Shri Krishna and Arjun
to sit on that beautiful hindolo. Then they performed
pujan and swung the hindolo. Since then Arjun and Shri Krishna
were worshipped as Nar and Narayan.
On this day devotees place the murti of God on a hindolo
made of fragrant flowers. They then swing Him. They also offer
special food items known as fagwaa, made of popcorn or popped
jowar, dates and roasted chana.
People celebrate by squirting coloured water and hurling gulal
powder on each other.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan celebrated Fuldol in many places. Two
most notable occasions were in 1812, in Sarangpur and in Vartal,
in 1816. During the Sarangpur Fuldol, women devotees of north
Gujarat expressed lofty sentiments in the form of a prayer
to Shriji Maharaj. Nishkulanand Swami composed this prayer
in the Bhaktachintamani (Chapter 64). Devotees sing this prayer
regularly even today: Maha balwant maya tamari…
In the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Pramukh Swami Maharaj celebrates
Fuldol in Sarangpur every year on a mega scale. It is also
celebrated in all mandirs. In shikharbaddh mandirs, a water
hose is placed in Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s right hand
in the central shrine. Coloured water is then sprayed from
this on the devotees. The devotees feel extremely blessed
by this divine water.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
)
)
