THE holy festival of Phagwah is once again upon us, and Guyanese from all walks of life will be soaking up the spirit of the jolly occasion.Phagwah, the Festival of Colours, as it is also called, was first brought to these shores with the arrival of Indian indentured labourers from Bharata (India), more than 170 years ago; and from the simple celebrations of the festival in their community, the occasion has, over time, grown in popularity, attracting participation from citizens of all ethnic backgrounds and beliefs.

Phagwah undoubtedly is among the unifying events in Guyana, as it brings all together and washes away, even though temporarily, vexatious issues of race, culture, religion and political affiliation. After all, the occasion is about the celebration of good over evil.

But this is just one way of looking at the ancient Spring festival Guyanese Indians today have inherited from their forefathers of a different land.
The story of Phagwah has its genesis in the story of a tyrannical king, Hiranyakashyapu, who tried for all he was worth to kill his son Prahalad, because the latter refused to worship him as god.

Legends regale us that the king was wealthy, lustful, haughty, deceitful, and arrogant; and these blinded him to his real purpose in life. But his son, even though recognising the value of obedience to his father, vehemently refused to see and honour him as the Supreme Being of Man. And this was only natural, for the boy was given in divine birth.

According to the stories, told eons ago, the Prince was a devotee of Lord Vishnu (the Sustainer of the Universe) and his arrival into the family of the despotic king happened at a time of great adharma, or unrighteousness.
Naturally, his birth was an act to restore righteousness (Dharma) in his father’s kingdom, who was a mortal, even though no ordinary human being.

King Hiranyakashyapu had been granted a boon by Brahma (the Creator), after great penance, that he would not be killed by any living or non-living creature created by him (Brahma); will not die within or outside his residence during the day or night, on the ground or in the sky, or by any weapon; and have no worthy rival in the battlefield.

These powers made King Hiranyakashyapu who he was, and, no doubt, overtime would have made him believe that there is no God but him, since he had almost complete control over his kingdom and everything within its domain.
His evil was insurmountable, but Lord Krishna, in the Bhagavat Gita Chapter: 4. Verses: 6 and 7, reminds us that unrighteousness has no permanent place in this world.

“Whenever there is decay of righteousness and there is exaltation of unrighteousness, then I myself come forth for the protection of good, for the destruction of evildoers, for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness; I am born from age to age.”

It was in keeping with this promise that Lord Vishnu came in the form of a half-man, half-lion to end the reign of King Hiranyakashyapu within the boon granted to him by Lord Brahma.
The Lord, in the Hindu Trinity, in abiding by the promise made by Brahma, visited the demonic king at twilight, which is neither day nor night; on the verge of his courtyard, which is neither indoors nor out; and put the king on his thighs, which is neither earth nor space. And using his nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he gutted and killed the demon king.

There have been many interpretations of the story, with may contending that, in essence, it celebrates the triumph of good over evil; but it also tells a story of the triumph of materialism over spiritualism.

The Prince in refusing to worship his father as a god, the destruction of a wealthy and powerful king, and the establishment of righteousness as supreme show that material power is all but fleeting.

So, as Guyanese celebrate Phagwah today in fun and frolic, they should all make it a duty to end the evils of hatred, greed and arrogance, and strive for a unified Guyana where all can live and work in harmony.
After all, as narrated in the story of Phagwah, only righteousness will prevail.