Video details
Holi - Festival of Colours, Part 1
A discourse explaining the spiritual significance of the Holī festival through the story of Prahlāda and the Narasiṁha Avatāra.
"Whenever dharma is declined and adharma is increasing, O Arjuna, I manifest myself through my yoga māyā, yoga śakti, the universal power or energy."
"To whom God wants to protect, no one can kill him. Even they cannot harm one hair of his. And even if the whole world is against him, if God wants to protect, no one has any power to destroy him."
The speaker narrates the story of the demon king Hiraṇyakaśipu, who sought immortality, and his devout son Prahlāda. Despite the king's multiple attempts to kill Prahlāda for his devotion to God, the child is protected each time. The story culminates in the appearance of the Narasiṁha Avatāra, a half-man, half-lion form, who defeats the king at twilight, fulfilling the conditions of Brahmā's boon. The discourse connects this to the Holī festival, explaining the symbolism of the bonfire and the log, and concludes with blessings for spiritual purification.
Filming location: Wellington, New Zealand
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
