Phagwa’s Prahlad principles

The Maha Sabha will celebrate Phagwa 2005 on Sunday at venues throughout the nation and on Saturday Children’s Phagwa will be celebrated at the Tunapuna Hindu School. The celebration of Phagwa can be described easily as one of the most overtly festive and colourful of Hindu Trinidad. This festive nature can easily cause the casual onlooker to forget the religious background to the festival. Indeed many have opted to simply describe Phagwa as a “Spring Festival” which of course ignores the fact that there is no Spring, Autumn, Winter or Summer in the Caribbean. Phagwa has its beginnings when the sister of demon Hiranyakashipu — Holika was burnt to death when she in fact was trying to kill her nephew Prahlad, the great devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu. The name Phagwa or Holi also is derived from Holika.

Religion and religious activities should serve to provide man with an ideal to be aspired towards. Phagwa is no different, but it perhaps should be understood and related in the construct of the society that is located within. The Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Sri Satnaryan Maharaj, at a Ramayana Yajna at Good Hope Street, Sangre Grande in December 2004 told the large and attentive congregation that the Hindu community should look towards ‘Vibhishan’ the brother of Ravan as the role model for 2005. Perhaps one other character in Hinduism can be compared to that of Vibhishan and that is ‘Prahlad’.  Prahlad like Vibhishan can serve as a role model and inspiration to the Hindu community of Trinidad and Tobago.

Transparency International recently highlighted the ‘corruption’ of the society, and the picture painted daily by the media convincingly shows that essentially Trinidad was slowly developing into that evil environment. Kidnappings abound, many Hindus are unemployed since the closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd. There are these and many other examples to depress any community therefore at this time the comparison with Prahlad who was pressured by an evil political regime appears apt. Prahlad similarly circumstanced to Hindu Trinidad can serve, as Vibishan, as a model of salvation. What were the exact circumstances and principles of Prahlad, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu? King Hiranyakashipu’s younger brother, Hiranyaksha was killed by Vishnu in the Varaha Avatara. Infuriated by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain supernatural powers and performed great ‘tapas’ (penance) to please Brahma the creator-god.

When he was thus occupied, the gods ransacked his city and destroyed his palace. Hiranyakashipu’s wife, who was expecting a child, was sent to Sage Narada’s hermitage. There, she learned about religion and the glory of Lord Vishnu under him. Narada taught the Queen that Lord Vishnu was the soul of all created things and that he was present everywhere. The child within her, Prahlad, absorbed all this knowledge too. When Brahma finally appeared before him, Hiranyakashipu sought a boon that he should not get death either on earth or in space, either in fire or in water, either during daytime or during nighttime, either by humans or by gods or by any species, either by the animate or by inanimate, either inside the house or outside the house. As Brahma was very much pleased with his penance, He granted this boon to Hiranyakashipu. (Hiranyakashipu by Prasad Krishna) Hiranyakashipu, proud because of the boon he got from Brahma, he began to harass the gods and torture the saints and other devotees of Vishnu.

In the meantime, Prahlad was growing up and was the apple of Hiranyakashipu’s eye. He asked Prahlad, “Son, tell me: what do you think is the best thing in life?” To which Prahlad replied, “To renounce the world and seek refuge in Vishnu.” Hearing this, Hiranyakashipu laughed. He called aside his son’s teacher and said to him, “Guard him closely. I think that the followers of Vishnu are secretly influencing him. Do not let him out of your sight!” After many months, his teacher said, “Prahlad, I think you are now ready to meet your father.” When brought before his father, Hiranyakashipu asked him, “You have been with your Guru a long time! What have you learnt?” Prahlad calmly replied, “I have learnt that the most worthwhile occupation for anyone is the worship of Lord Vishnu.” When Hiranyakashipu heard this he became very angry: “O accursed child! Who taught you such perverse things?” Unperturbed, Prahlad replied, “Lord Vishnu.

He reveals Himself to all who are devoted to Him.” Hearing this, Hiranyakashipu shouted angrily, “This boy must not live! Take him away and kill him! Kill this vilest enemy disguised as my son. Poison him or attack him when he sleeps but kill him!” Hiranyakashipu made many efforts to mend his son but could not succeed. At last, he tried to kill Prahlad. But all his attempts went in vain and Prahlad survived due to the grace of Vishnu. Finally, one day Hiranyakashipu summoned Prahlad to his court and asked that he accept him (Hiranyakashipu) as the supreme. Prahlad replied that it is Lord Vishnu who is the supreme Lord of the Universe and who pervaded the whole Universe. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu asked whether he could show Vishnu in the pillar in front of them, if Vishnu was really omnipresent.

Prahlad said that since Vishnu resides in each particle of the Universe, he had no doubt that He is very much there in that pillar too. On hearing this, the king became furious and hit the pillar with his weapon. The pillar was broken and instantly from out of it emerged the Vishnu’s Narasimha (man-lion) incarnation (nara: man, simha: lion). Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu using his nails. This way, the boon given by god Brahma was also honoured, as Hiranyakashipu was killed by Vishnu in a man-lion form (which is neither completely human nor completely animal), during twilight time (which is neither day nor night), placing him on Narasimha’s thighs (which means neither on earth nor in space) on the threshold of the courthall (which is neither indoors nor outdoors) using nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons.