Disclaimer – I don’t intend to offend anybody’s sentiments by this post. I’m myself a fan of mythology & love to draw parallels from these tales to modern times. I’m not questioning parenting here either; I’m merely bringing to light some commonly – held beliefs.
My in-laws were around this year at the time of Holi. A dinner table conversation swung to why Holika Dahan was celebrated. Before the head of the family, my FIL, could answer, I jumped in enthusiastically. After all, it’s not every day that I get to show off my knowledge of mythological tales!
If I’ve to briefly recount, Hiranya Kashyap was a powerful king who wanted everyone to worship him. His son, Prahlad, was Lord Vishnu’s devotee & refused to worship his father as a god. This angered Hiranya Kashyap; he ordered his sister, Holika, to set Prahlad ablaze.
Holika had a magical garment that could withstand fire. When she sat in the fire with Prahlad in her lap, the latter prayed to Lord Vishnu for protection. A gust of wind made the magical garment fly from Holika to Prahlad, shielding him from the flames & lighting Holika ablaze.
Thus, Holika Dahan is widely considered as the victory of good over evil. However, this year, it made me think from a changed POV. Could I consider the characters in a different light?
Let’s take Hiranya Kashyap. He was a king & a powerful one at that. He wanted everyone to hero-worship him, to such an extent that he passed a decree forbidding any other form of worship. Sounds like a megalomaniac, doesn’t he?
But, tell me, which one of us doesn’t want to be liked? Even the stiffest lipped ones want to be desired, liked, loved & wanted. Of course, we don’t go around ‘cancelling’ people who dislike us, but wouldn’t we, if we get a chance?
Further, many parents want their children to worship them. They hold them in a trap of “we did so much for you”. If, by chance, the children dare to tread a different path, parents make them feel guilty, at best, and disown them, at worst.
So, wasn’t Hiranya Kashyap just being ‘human’? Yes, he stepped the line by ordering his son to be killed but to some extent, don’t all of us like to punish those who disobey us or let us down?
Coming to Holika, my first submission is – she was merely following her brother’s orders. She was just a loyal sister. However, a school of thought says loyalty is seldom the end; it’s the means to an end. Looked at from this POV, Holika becomes evil again.
Also, isn’t it amazing that Holika wasn’t afraid of fire? It may have been due to the possession of the magical garment but a mere tool doesn’t give us strength, our core character does. It’s no wonder then that Holika is worshipped on the day of Holika Dahan.
I saved Prahlad for the end. A classic case of a teenager who thinks his parents are wrong & outsiders are right! In modern times, the parents of such a teenager would be deploying coping mechanisms to deal with such a brat. In Hiranya Kashyap’s time, he did what he deemed best!
I’m certain all of us know a Hiranya Kashyap or a Holika or a Prahlad in our lives. Or may have even been one ourselves… So tell me, how did you act then?
