08 holikotsava, holi habba, Vasantotsava
This is a famous festival celebrated all over India being called by the names ‘Hoḷāka’, ‘Holikā’, ‘Holī‘, ‘Phālgunikā’ ‘Vasantotsava’ and ‘Kāmanahabba’ etc. Though there are differences regarding the day of observance and the modalities, it is celebrated throughout India. Thoughin some places the celebration is begun on Vasantapañcamī. (i.e. Māgha Śukla Pancamī) it is specially celebrated on the day of Phālguṇa-Pūrṇimā only. Activities like burning of a pile of fire wood, (splashing) of rose colored water, dancing with happiness and excitement etc, are generally seen in all places. Only in the Bengal region the custom of performing ‘Dolotsava’ on that day to Lord Kṛshṇa is in vogue.
Determining the time of celebration: This is a festival celebrated on Phālguna Pūrṇimā. But on the evening of Pūrṇima, the Karaṇa by name Bhadrā should not be prevailing. If it prevails for two days in the evening, or if it prevails partly during the next evening, the festival should be celebrated the next day only. If the blemish of Bhadrā prevails on the previous day, and if pūrṇimā doesn’t set in till the evening of the following day, or, if pūrṇimā prevails for a period of three praharas or more, the festival will be in the evening of the following day only. If prathama gets shorter, then the time of either the tail or the face of Bhadrā should be avoided, and Holī should be celebrated during the period of Bhadrā only. Holī should never be celebrated during day time.
Some stories related to Holi:
We come across a number of stories in the purāṇas pertaining to the festival of Holī. Some of them may be summed up as follows. If the story is observed, the tattva and the modalities related to the festival can be understood well.
According to one story, Holikā was the sister of Hiraṇyāksha and Hiraṇya Kaśipu. She was a Mahāmāyāvini who possessed ‘Agnisiddhi’. She had the capacity to remain unharmed even when she sat on fire. Though Hiraṇyakaśipu the king of demons tried to kill his son Prahlāda who was a great devotee of Lord Mahāviśṇu in many ways, he could not succeed. Then he ordered his sister Holikā:— Holding Prahlāda “you sit on a burning fire. He will be burnt to ashes; but you will come out of the fire unscathed as usual”. Honouring the orders of the elder brother, she embraced Prahlāda and made him sit on her lap, and asked the demons to pile up firewood on her, and set it on fire. When fire was lit as told, the result was contrary to what Holikā intended. Prahlāda sat comfortably without any torment of heat as a result of his devotion to Viśṇu. Though Holikā kept screaming with distress due to intense heat, the demons felt that she was screaming so, only out of mercy for Prahlāda and started adding more and more firewood to the fire. In the end Holikā the female demon was completely burnt to ashes without even a trace of her bones. Prahlāda came out of the heap of ash happily and started singing the praises of God. Holikā suffered on account of her own sins, and the pious person (i.e. Prahlāda) got saved. In memory of this, the festival of the burning of fire wood began.
According to another story, this festival is in memory of the killing of a female demon by name ‘Dhunḍhā’, who was killing infants,during the time of king Pṛthu alias Raghu in Satyayuga. That wicked female demon, roaming through day and night, used to grab children found in lonely places without getting noticed by others, and kill them. Some children would get struck with illness the moment they saw her and would suffer extreme distress. No person could capture that female demon who was a witch. She was the daughter of a demon king by name ‘Mālī’. By observing a severe penance addressing Śiva, she obtained a boon by which she could not be killed either by young or old men, Devatas, or any animal. She ignored children thinking that they could cause no harm to her. The king getting to know of this secret from the great sage Vasishṭha, appointed some wayward boys to capture her. Frightened by this, she tried to hide, run away and so on, trying to save her life. But the king ordered all the boys in the country to dance frenziedly and to make a pile of fire wood, dirt, and dried cakes of cow dung etc, and to set fire to it. When the boys did so, she became frightened and left the human world itself and ran away. In memory of this, the custom of setting of fire in the festival of Holī has come into vogue.
Another famous story is related to the Kāmadahana performed by Śiva. Kāmadeva tried to stir the mind of Lord Rudra who was immersed in Samādhi. Then the fire which erupted from the forehead of Śiva burnt down that cupid to ashes. This story is seen in all the purāṇas and Itihāsas also. Holi festival is observed in memory of the burning of that Kāmadeva which involves the custom of setting fire and burning (firewood etc.,)
This festival is also called the festival of the season, the festival of burning of a female demon or the festival of the burning of Kāma
It is also possible that the festival is named Holikā, after a sweet dish called Holikā or Holige which is specially prepared and offered as naivedya to God, and then taken as prasāda.
Just as the event of Mahādeva burning down Kāmadeva is observed with joy, there is also a custom of invoking Kāmadeva on that day and worshipping him with shoḍaśopacāras, and consuming the flowers and tender sprouts of mango as prasāda. Thus, this is a distinct practice of observing the same festival in the form of both the subjugation of Kāmadeva and also seeking his blessings. (This is because Kāmadeva becomes worshipful or abandonable depending upon the context and the person involved.)
As the festival is celebrated in the month of ‘Phālguna’ it is called ‘Phālgunikā’. Holikā and other names have come because of the female demon, or the special dish. As the worship of Kāmadeva, the friend of Vasanta is performed, it is also called Vasantotsava and the festival of Kāmadeva.
The festival of Kāmadahana itself might have become, in short, the festival of Kāma.
The method of celebration of the festival:
As observed earlier, there are many ways in which the festival is celebrated. In Vangadeśa it is observed in the form of ‘Dolayātra of ŚrīKṛshṇa’. The festival is celebrated there for three or five days. Agnideva should be worshipped on the night of the caturdaśī of the bright half of Phālguna, on the eastern side of the pandal.
An idol of Lord Govinda should be made, and should be installed on the platform of a pandal having sixteen pillars. The Lord should be given a holy bath with ‘Pancāmṛta’ etc., and should be decorated and placed on the cradle, and should be swung seven times. The sacred fire that has been lighted up on the first day of the festival, should be kept burning till the festival is completed. In the end the cradle should be swung twenty-one times. It is believed that the great king Indradyumna started this festival in Vṛndāvana. Pūrṇimā tithi is important for this festival. Whether the star Uttaraphālguni prevails or not, this festival should be observed if Pūrṇimā prevails.
According to another scriptural rule, tarpaṇa should be offered to Devatās and Pitṛdevatās, and the dust of Holi should be saluted to ward off blemishes. The courtyard of the house should be mopped up and cleaned with a wet cloth and decorated with śobhanākshatā and Raṅgavalli, and then a white cloth pedestal should be placed in the centre. A kalaśa with tender mango leaves on it should be installed, and golden colored akshatās should be offered to the holy pot, and white sandal paste should be anointed on it, and a red cloth should be wrapped around it, and should be decorated with garlands of flower. On the top of the kalaśa, an idol of Kāmadeva adorned with flowers and accompanied by Ratidevī should be installed. He should be worshipped with sandal paste, flowers, incense, dīpa and naivedya and then he should be offered arghya. After the worship of Kāmadeva like this, a person who has restrained his senses should chant the Veda mantras. Women with auspicious marks, and wearing ornaments of red colored beads and bangles, should worship the sandal-wood tree. If the worship is done with the offerings of garland of flowers, curds, dūrvā and akshatā, and then saluted, one is bestowed with the enhancement of life span and good health.
Then the tender mango leaves together with sandal paste should be consumed saying ‘Let Kāmadeva be pleased’, and gifts etc should be given in keeping with one’s ability. Afterwards, at the time of taking food, well cooked pāyasānna should be taken first and other dishes of choice should be had afterwards.
वृत्ते तुषारसमये सितपादश्याः
प्रातर्वसन्तसमये समुपस्थिते च।
सम्प्राश्य चूतकुसुमं सह चन्दनेन
सत्यं हि पार्थ सततं पुरुषस्सुखी स्यात् ॥
Those who consider the Holi festival as a festival of driving out the female demon ‘Dhunḍhā’ with the belief that misfortunes get warded off if she is worshipped first and then driven away, follow the modality as follows:— Right from the night of Vasantapañcami, preparations for the Holikādahana begin. A person purified by bath etc should install a branch of a tree in a specific place. Then he should take a vow—“I with my family am doing the worship of Holikā for the pleasure of the female demon Dhunḍhā Rākshasī so that I get free from her torments”. Then he should be under Vrata Niyamās for the whole day. Keeping that branch of the tree as the centre, he should collect dried firewood and cakes of dried cowdung. All people should cooperate in this work. Children should be given small pieces of fire wood, and just for fun, should be made to enjoy a free mock fight mutually, fancying the pieces of firewood as swords. Then that female demon who was invoked in that heap of wood should be offered Shodaśopacāras with the chanting of a śloka which carries the following meaining.
“O Holikā ! The boys frightened by the diseases caused by you, drove you away. Therefore I worship you, O! Bhūtā ! Bless me with prosperity”. (“असृक्यामयसन्त्रस्तैः कृता त्वं होलि बालिशैः । अतस्त्वां पूजयिष्यामि भूते भूतिप्रदा भव॥”) (Water sanctified by mantras should be sprinkled on the pile of pieces of wood in which the demon is invoked and then firewood should be heaped on it). Then, Fire from the house of the most impure or from the house of a woman who has recently delivered a child, should be fetched through children, and the pile of firewood should be set on fire. Everyone should circumambulate that fire three times, and all should indulge in gossip, singing, laughter, amusement and dancing, unabashed.
तमग्निं त्रिः परिक्रम्य गायन्तु च हसन्तु च।
जल्पन्तु स्वेच्छया लोका निश्शङ्क,आ यस्य यन्मतम् ॥
Starting from pañcamī, Holikā Dahana should be done for all the ten days with stolen firewood for fun. And on Pūrṇimā, fire should be lit. This act should be performed either outside the village or in the centre. The king himself, purified by bath etc and getting the svastivācana done, should arrive there to the tune of music band, and after making gifts, should light the fire.
दशस्युः शोभनास्तास्तु काष्ठस्तेयं विधीयते।
चण्डालसूतिकागेहाच्छिशुहारितवह्निना ॥
प्राप्तायां पूर्णिमायां तु कुर्यात्काष्ठप्रदीपनम् ।
ग्रामाद्बहिश्च मध्ये वा तूर्यनादसमन्वितः ॥
स्नात्वा राजा शुचिर्भूत्वा स्वस्तिवाचनतत्परः।
दत्वा दानानि भूरीणि दीपयेद्धोलिकाचितिम् ॥
Then pouring ghee and milk on that fire and putting out the fire of the central post with cold water, it should be kept in a secluded place. Coconuts, pomegranate and guava fruits should be gifted. That night should be spent happily with dance, vocal music and instrumental music. Afterwards, that fire should be circumambulated three times and obnoxious words should be uttered. The female demon gets satisfied by those words. The plants of wheat, chick-peas and barley-corn should be burnt in that fire and should be brought home along with the ashes. Everyone at home should smear his body with that ash. In some places, there is also a practice of heating water for bath on the following day, with the fire that was brought home.
After observing Holikotsava in this way during the night, people belonging to all classes of society should come together and enjoy the pleasures of Amoda, Pramoda, sports and amusements. The custom of offering rose colored water first to God and then to elders in small quantities, and the remaining rose water being taken as prasāda, and splashing it with syringes etc, on each other and enjoying it, has been there from ages.. (But some people say that this is a part of Vasantotsava and not a part of Holikotsava. And, all these viz., the festival of worshipping Kāmadeva, the festival of praising Śiva for burning down Kāmadeva, the expulsion of the female demons Dhunḍhī and ‘Holikā’ - all these are combined in the festival that is observed this way). This vidhi of setting fire to both the female demon Dhunḍhī who was an agony for children, and Hoilkā the female demon who burnt herself to death while trying to burn down the boy Prahlāda, is representative of burning down both of these female demons. The incident of Rudra burning down the wicked Manmatha by his foreheadfire for disturbing his penance is also praised hereby. People from the lower strata of society capriciously utter vulgar words, expressing happiness at the sorrow of the family of Kāmadeva after he was burnt down.
Though there is diversity in the modalities of this festival, it is indeed observed all over the country. There can be no doubt at all in the fact that this is one of the most important festivals of Bhārata.
In this row of festivals, the Śrāvaṇī (upākarma), Dasaharā (śarannavarātra), Dīpāvalī and Holi—are sometimes categorised as the most important festivals for the Brāhmaṇas, Kshatriyas, Vaiśyas and Sūdras respectively. The wearing of the sacred thread and the beginning of the study of the Vedas are related to the twice born, as evident from “उपवीतं सार्ववर्णिकम्”,Śastras permit even some non-Brāhmins to wear the sacred thread for some special reasons. So, it may be said that ‘Śravaṇi’ (the festival of the sacred thread) belongs to people all the varṇas. One may ask-“The non-twice borns have no right to begin the study of the Vedas. Therefore how can Upākarma be a festival for the people of all the varṇas? The answer is, even though they are not supposed to study the Vedas directly, people of all the varṇas have access to the study of Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and purāṇas, which are the counterparts of the Vedas, and every one has the right to divine knowledge (jnāna) whichthe is the important substance of Vedas of and which is main objective of the Vedas. The tradition of our sages proclaims that people of all classes have the right to acquire divine knowledge and obtain ātmoddhāra. That people of all classes have the right to study Śastras like sculpture etc, is established by the ‘Nishādasthapatinyāya’ which is famous in scriptures. It is prolixity to consider the word ‘nishādasthapati’ as a ‘tatpurusha- samāsa and resolving it, whereas it is brevity to consider it only as ‘karmadhāraya samāsa’ Therefore, the correct meaning of the sentence is that yajna should be gotten performed by a sculptor belonging to the caste of hunters (Nishādaścāsau sthapatiśca). Then one may question-“But the hunter has no right for the study of the Vedas! He has no right to perform any yajnas, isn’t it?” The answer is, he also does have the right in some distinct yajnas. He can also be taught the mantras which are related to those yajnas. This is the conclusion of the Mīmāmsa Śastra.
This is called ‘nishādasthapati nyāya’. By this conclusion, Śrāvaṇi becomes a festival of all people indeed. And, as it is well known that Śarannavarātra, Dīpavali and Holi are observed by the people of all varṇas, there is no doubt that ‘Śrāvaṇi’ is a festival of all. (On the day of Upākarma, there is a practice of getting the protective sacred thread tied around the wrist of the right hand (rakshā-bandhana) by people of all varṇas. This custom is specially seen in North India). So it is not correct to interpret that the above four festivals are limited only to certain varṇas. It can be generally said that that people of certain varṇas have special interest in certain festivals. Only because some people use vulgar language in the Holi festival, it is not correct to interpret that it is a festival of the people of the fourth varṇa only. It shall be indeed conforming to the Śastras if people celebrate it as per their culture. There is no doubt that it is the best option for everyone to ascend to the ideal of a superior culture. (There is a scriptural rule that ‘yajna’ should be gotten performed by ‘Nishāda Sthapati’. One may ask—A nishāda belongs to the fifth varṇa. How can he have the right to perform a yajna? The answer is, the term Nishāda Sthapati refers to a twice born sthapati who is patronized by a king who belongs to the caste of Nishāda. (“Nishādasya-Sthapatih” is a ‘tatpurushsamāsa’. The yajna should be gotten performed by such a person only. Sthapati means a sculptor. The opinion of the pūrvapaksha here is that a person who belongs to the fifth varṇa has no right to perform any yajna).
Thus, we have discussed the various modalities of the Holi festival. Now, we shall drive home some important matters related to this festival in the format of questions and answers.
Question 1: - The above festival is observed by some in the form of olā—worship of ŚrīKṛshṇa. Some others observe it in the form of worship of Kāmadeva. There are also people who consider it as a worship of Śiva who burnt down Kāmadeva. It is also observed as a festival of the demolition of the pride of the female demon Dhunḍhī or Holikā. Are not these an example of a strange mixture of cultures opposed to each other?
Answer: There is not even a bit of an admixture of different cultures in this. When two very important events occur on the same day, there is nothing wrong indeed in observing a festival, praising both of them on the same day itself. In this example, the burning down of Manmatha and the burning down of Holikā the female demon, are considered two events that occurred on the same day, and both the happy events are celebrated as a part of the same festival. There is no admixture of different cultures at all here. The burning down of the wicked Manmatha and the burning down of the wicked female demon who wanted to cause adversities to the devotees of God-both these are indeed dear to the virtuous. Actually speaking, it is more appropriate and beneficial to treat both of these events as tāttvik events, than considering them as historical happenings.
Question 2: What is the tāttvik sense present in the burning down of Kāma and Hoilkā the female demon?
Answer: - Kāma is a vile vikāra that disturbs the dhyānasamādhi of God. Manmatha means the churning of the mind. (“मनः मथ्नाति इति मन्मथः”). It is a great enemy of yogis and the all pious people who are engaged in serious work. It is clear that God himself has blamed this wicked thing (Kāma) in the Gīta as follows:- “This is Kāma. This itself assumes the form of anger. It is begotten of the element of rajas. It is insatiable even with sizeable quantities of food consumed, and is grossly very wicked. Know this as an enemy”. काम एषः क्रोध एषः रजोगुणसमुद्भवः । महाशनो महापाप्मा विध्येनमिह वैरिणम्” Lord Mahādeva who is beyond the triguṇās remains a great yogīśvara by burning down this wicked enemy.
It is the attitude of the virtuous to pray (Lord Śiva) to wish that everyone should try to restrain this enemy. The tāttvik sense of Kāmadahana is to obtain inspiration by praising the destruction of the wicked enemy, brought about by the great Lord of Yoga.
Prahlāda is indeed a representative of the steadfast devotion to Vishṇu. The name ‘Prahlāda’ is an appropriate one, because complete and exalted bliss is indeed the result of such a devotion to God. Holikā is a terrible wicked force that ruins such a Bhakti Yoga. It disturbs the ordinary devotees. But when it tries to disturb the Samādhi of people like Prahlāda who are at the zenith of devotion, it gets burnt by itself due to the sin of Bhāgavatāpacāra. Thus the precept of Hoilka Dahana drives home to us very convincingly, the glory of the devotion to God, and also the harm that is reaped for causing apacāra to Bhāgavatas.
Question 3: - Jnānis say that Kāma is highly wicked and extremely difficult to restrain. So, the custom of setting fire to and burning the firewood of Kāma which is such an enemy, and which was subjugated by Mahādeva with his Yogabala, and so, praising the great glory of Mahādeva during this custom, is both meaningful and effective. It may be even right to disparage Kāma as it is a wicked thing. But why did the custom of worshipping Kāmadeva on that day itself has come into practice? Is Kāma fit for contempt or is he worshipful? Were the sages themselves uncertain about this? Or, is there a synthesis of both the opinions of disdain and praise? Also, is it possible that the same person becomes worshipful at certain times and disdainful at other times?
Answer: - The same Kāmadeva becomes fit to be rejected at certain times and worshipful at other times. There are sentences of reproach in Śrībhagavadgīta, which refer to Kāma as a great sinner and a great enemy.
महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्
The very same Bhagavad-Gīta proclaims that Kāma which is not opposed to Dharma, is a form dear to God.
धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामो एस्मि भरतर्षभ”
Question 4: Can’t it be that the Gītacārya, also was in a state of confusion, as he brands the same thing as both boding ill and desirable in the same breath?
Answer: -The Gītacārya does not have even an iota of either illusion, doubt, viparyaya or confusion. He has preached the Gīta only to remove such confusions.
Question 5: - Anyway is it not a contradiction that the same person describes a stuff, both as something to be eschewed and to be revered!
Answer: There is no such contradiction in the teaching of Gīta at all. One can find around that the same person becomes fit to be disdained at certain times and may become respectable at some other times. At present, when Kāma works against Dhyāna, Tapas, restraint of the senses and discipline, it becomes something to be rejected. But when it fosters Dharma it becomes worshipful. The (stories of) Gopikās described in Śrīmadbhāgavata, the stories of Anḍaḷ, Akkamahādevi and Mīrādevi stand out as examples for the point that Kāma related to divinity can lead to jnānasamādhi itself.
Our national poet Kālidāsa convinces through beautiful examples in his Kumārasambhava, that Kāma can be either Tyājya or Pūjya to the same person, depending upon the context and situation. Lord Śiva burnt down Manmatha to ashes when he tried to disturb his Tapassamādhi. But, says the great poet, when Śiva was seated with Pārvatī on the Hasemaṇe as a bridegroom, he himself welcomed the shooting of arrows from Kāmadeva.
तपःपरामर्शविवृद्ध मन्योः. . . . कृशानुः किल निष्पपात।
तावत्स वह्निर्भवनेत्रजन्मा भस्मावशेषं मदनं चकार ॥ (सर्ग 3/71-72)
तस्यानुमेने भगवान्विमन्युः व्यापारमात्मन्यपि सायकानाम् । (सर्ग-7-93)
Śrī Raṅgamahāguru had explained to us in a beautiful pity sentence, how either Kāma becomes Tyājya or Pūjya. “When Kāma comes as one of the group of the six inner enemies (viz., Kāma, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Mātsarya) it becomes Tyājya. This was his loud statement. He had also explained that when Kāma is controlled by Dharma and Moksha on both sides, it indeed becomes fit to be welcomed.
In the present parva, both the burning down and worshipping of Kāma conform to Dharma only. This custom drives home a moral to us -i.e. when he Kāma facilitates Dharma, the seekers should worship him and he should be destroyed if found opposed to tapassamyama. Thus it becomes a festival of both, i.e the worshipping of Kāma and the burning down of Kāma.
Question 6: - Is it not bad manners to splash colored water on anybody and everybody that comes by during the festival of Kāma and foul their things?
Answer: - It is not civilized behaviour to splash coloured water on any person who comes by. The Śāstras do not approve of this as civilized behaviour. But it will not be an offending act if it is splashed on a person within the limits of decency, provided that person also is in a state of delight, with the clear knowledge of the meaning and spiritual aspect of that festival. It is not decency at all to throw mire on a person instead of Vasantodaka.
Question 7: - Kāma may be wicked on some occasions. Holikā the female demon also might have indulged in very bad deeds. And so the custom of hurling obnoxious and vulgar words at them with no bounds, is in vogue in this festival. Moreover it is said that the more the female demon Dhunḍhā hears it, the more she feels happy. Are all these right?
Answer: - Decent people do not use vulgar words in public as a part of the festival. Only lay people of a very low level, indulge in such a thing. In festivities of happiness, it won’t be considered a great offence, if a few holds are relaxed to a little extent.
Moreover the statement that Dhunḍha the female demon feels happy all the more when she hears bad words, has a moral to deliver-“Bad words please only the demoniacal forces but shall not cause happiness to the divine forces”-This is the tattva hidden here.
Critics observe one more thing here. The wicked tendency to use foul language is generally present more or less in all people. (There may be exceptions to this). An important aspect to be noted here is that such people should follow civility by satiating themselves with that addiction only on that day of the festival, and in the remaining days should speak only decently. This spirit is also hidden here.
Question 8: - Should the female demons Dhunḍha and Holikā be worshipped on that day or should they be driven away?
Answer: - They should be worshipped first and then should be driven far away, asking them not to wander or roam about until the following year’s festival.
Question 9: Both the concepts i.e. the burning down of Kāma and Holikā the female demon, and accordingly collecting firewood and piling them and burning them is all O.K. But the rule that firewood should be collected by theft and fire should be brought from the house of persons contracted with impurity, and that it should be used to light fire is laiddown. Is this right? Is it not better to collect firewood through fair means and set it on fire by the fire brought from the house of persons who are pure?
Answer: Collecting material by fair means is a good Dharma. Even though Agni is by itself pure, fire from the home of persons who are pure is much purer no doubt. But the evil forces do not relish such samskāras which are full of righteousness. The purport here is that their birth, existence, desire for life and the final rites are all filthy. But persons who experiment this purport have to be careful not to really get stuck to that filth.
Question 10: - What is the reason for the practice of bringing home the ashes of the burnt fire and smearing it on the body?
Answer: - We hear the story of Lord Mahādeva who killed the demon Tripura and applied the ashes of that demon as a mark of his victory. “If one smears the ashes of burnt Kāma (Holikā) with a feeling of prasāda, and with the remembrance that by the grace (blessings) of God, the evil Kāma was destroyed and the forces of demons were vanquished, then only it comes to be called as Rakshā. By that, the misfortunes get warded off and inspiration to (follow the path of) Dharma and devotion to God will be obtained.
Question 11: - The idea of burning down Kāma is good. It’s external symbol (i.e. the heap of fire wood) can be burnt down to ashes by fire. But Kāma is manasija. The one which is born in the mind). It is aptly called by Jnānis by names such as ‘Manmatha” (the one which churns the mind), Madana (the one which causes infatuation) etc. Like the proverbial head of Rāvaṇa, it keeps growing again and again though severed. Devatās also become the victims of its attack. When it is so, is it possible to destroy it?
Answer: - We come across stories which say—“Vanquishing of Kāma is no doubt very difficult but not impossible; Lord Mahādeva burnt it down, the great Sage Nārāyaṇa trampled it and let out a loud laughter” etc. It (i.e. Kāma) vanishes only when one achieves a total Samādhi in the Parañjyoti who is called Śankara and Nārāyaṇa. Knowledgeable persons say that till that (state is achieved), its samskāra will be present in some proportion even in ascetics. The purport of the following śloka of Bhagavadgīta is well remembered here:—
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।
रसवर्जं रसोप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ (2-59)
“When a person does not consume foods (objects of senses), those objects turn away from him. But the rasa (rāga) does not get away merely by that. Only when the Parabrahman is realised, that rasa (rāga) vanishes”.
For example- On the days of ekādaśī, even during fasting, the mind of a person may be filled up with the rasa (rāga) of the various food items viz. Bhakshya, Bhojya, Coshya, Lehya and Pānīyas to be consumed on Dvādaśi for Pāraṇa (only if he is not in the rasa of Bhagavaddhyāna- Samādhi) If one is immersed in Bhagavaddhyāna Samādhi, even that undesirable relish also gets dried up in the fire of divine knowledge. And if one keeps on weakening the wicked Kāma by means of holy company, pure food and good thoughts etc. and attains Paramātma Samādhi, it gets completely dried up even without a trace.
When Śrīrāma severed the heads of Rāvaṇa, they kept on sprouting again and again. Finally, when He shot the Brahmāstra at the heart of the demon, Rāvaṇa was slain, isn’t it? So also, when Brahmāstra is shot at the mind which is the origin of Kāma, it gets destroyed. Though this can be done with very great difficulty, it becomes possible indeed, in the ripening of Tapassamādhi.
So much for Samādhi. But in day to day life, it is commendable to have desires which foster the welfare of the soul and the welfare of the world. But even then, the desires pertaining to the maintenance of the world should be in bounds and should merge in AtmaKāma (love of Brahma) only.