Lord Shiva Plays Holi

I was an orphan before he found me—an odd-looking kid chased away from every village and outpost. They did not even let me eat scraps because even my shadow was considered inauspicious. So I hid in cemeteries, where the villagers burnt their dead and left delicious food as offerings. I gulped most of it but always took care to leave some for the ghouls and goblins who came at night. If I was too tired, I would sleep the whole night, or else they would invite me to join their games.

Tonight, I could not sleep. It was the night before Holi, and the smell of fried sweets had tortured me throughout the day. I tried to steal some but was caught and trashed with a stick. I was cursing my luck when the clouds parted, and the moon lit up the cemetery. The village was pitch dark, but the cemetery was bathed in milky luminescence. Suddenly, Father appeared with his Damru and Trishul. He was digambara, but it seemed like the very sky bent around him to cover him up. The moonlight came from his matted locks, and it highlighted his silver locks, which were dripping. His booming laugh filled the sky as he picked up hot ash from a pyre and rubbed it over his body.

The entire universe seemed to converge on a single sound. AAAUUUMMMMM… it vibrated till he started dancing and playing his damru. I could not resist anymore. I ran up to him and started dancing. This tiny four-foot urchin that is me continued dancing as the sky split open and millions of ghouls and goblins filled the cemetery. We don’t remember how long we danced and threw ash and mud at each other to celebrate the upcoming festival of Holi. I almost fainted with shock when the black necklace he wore suddenly came to life and started spitting green liquid to soak all of us. It broke my heart when the night started winding up and Father prepared to depart. The skies were closing when he looked back and held out his little finger. I grabbed on and never let go. That’s how I became the youngest member of my father’s fearsome Gana army.

If, like me, you want to deepen your devotion to Lord Shiva, I invite you to try out the Vedic Sadhana app. You can use it to perform various Sadhanas for Lord Shiva.