Holi is a festival of colours and celebrated with vigour, joy and enthusiasm all over India. The day preceding Holi is called ‘Holika Dahan’ wherein Bonfire is lit with wood, rags and other waste material.

Holika, a demoness (sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu), was ordered to kill Prahlad (Son of Hiranyakashipu). Prahlad was an ardent worshipper of Lord Narayana (the supreme God in Hindu tradition) against the will of his father who wanted Prahlad to worship him instead of Narayana. Holika made Prahlad sit on her lap and then sat on a pyre of fire. She covered herself with a fire protective shawl. Non fearful of the fire, Prahlad immensely merged in the recitation of divine name ‘Lord Narayana’. The divine intervention came in the form of strong blow of wind which took off the fire protective shawl from Holika and covered Prahalad thus Holika got burnt to ashes and Prahalad remained unscathed.

The essence of knowledge in this mythological story is (1) All those who try to cause damage or pains to others have to suffer themselves the repercussions of their own ill action (negative vibrations rebounds) and (2) Those who fearlessly surrender to the will of God remain protected and unscathed.

Holi, in reality, should be celebrated by burning the demoness Holika sitting inside us in the form of anger, revenge, jealousy, ego, false pride of name, fame and wealth, phobias, past unpleasant incidents etc. and by unstintingly surrendering to the will of God.

Technique to burn these demonic qualities: Sit in Meditation, take couple of slow breaths and imagine fire at the base of spinal cord (Mooladhara Chakra). Imagine one by one the demonic qualities which you want to get rid off and offer them into the fire. See yourself getting rid of them as they are burnt in the fire and feel happy.

If this technique is practiced with belief and high intensity you will permanently get rid of all the demonic qualities and your mind will become pure.

- Ramesh Jain