Raksha Bandhan
- By Priya Nagarajan
Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival dedicated to brothers and sisters and celebrates the bond between siblings. The term “Raksha Bandhan” literally means “the bond of protection.” It is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana. Raksha Bandhan is on the same day as Balarama Jayanti. Lord Balarama is the elder brother of Lord Krishna and is worshipped as an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
On the actual day, sisters customarily perform an arati by lighting a small oil lamp and offering it to the family deity. Praying for the well-being of the brother, she applies a tilak on his forehead. After tying the Rakhi on his wrist, she places a sweet in his mouth. The brother reciprocates and gives his sister a gift. Raksha Bandhan is not limited to biological siblings. It can also be celebrated between cousins and close friends.
Raksha Bandhan history
The festival has deep-rooted historical and mythological significance. It is believed that in ancient times, queens and noblewomen would send a Rakhi to neighbouring kings as a symbol of their alliance and protection.
Krishna and Draupadi:
Lord Krishna, during a battle (in the Mahabharata), accidentally cut his finger on the Sudarshan Chakra. Draupadi, tore a piece of her saree and tied it around Krishna’s finger to stop the bleeding. Touched by her gesture, Krishna promised to protect Draupadi when she needed him. Draupadi’s husband and Krishna were second cousins.
Yama and Yamuna:
Yamuna, the river goddess, tied a Rakhi to her brother Yama, the god of death. Touched, Yama granted her a boon that any brother who receives a Rakhi from his sister and promises to protect her will be blessed with immortality.
King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi:
King Bali was a great worshipper of Lord Vishnu. As a result Lord Vishnu agreed to come to his palace and protect him all the time. Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu’s wife, was not happy about this arrangement. She disguised herself as a Brahmin woman and tied a sacred thread (Rakhi) on his wrist, thus becoming his sister. King Bali was touched by her concern for her husband and her family and happily asked Lord Vishnu to leave. Probably, for this reason the festival is sometimes also known as ‘Baleva’.
Rani Karnavati & Humayun, the Mughal King:
Rajputs were fighting against the Muslim invasion and Karnavati was Mewar’s regent. At that time, Mewar was attacked by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.
Karnavati then sought help from Humayun and sent him a rakhi. Even though Humayun was in the middle of another war, he returned to Mewar because he was touched by the gesture of Karnavati. However, Humayun and his troops couldn’t reach on time. However, eventually Mewar was restored to Karnavati’s son, Vikramjit.
Raksha Bandhan’s importance among other religions in India
Over the years, due to widespread availability of information as well as the evolving modernity of Indian communities, many religious practices have been adopted by practitioners of other Indic religions. It is not uncommon these days to see Sikhs, Buddhists and many others embrace this practice, especially in India.
Sources: India times, Hindu Blog