The bonding between a brother and a sister is simply unique, which can’t be described in words. They can be irritating but trust us siblings are the best thing that could happen to us. This extraordinary relationship has great importance all around the globe but when it comes to India, an auspicious day has been marked to celebrate the day of pure bond that exists between siblings. Raksha Bandhan denotes the promise to always be there, to always protect, no matter what the circumstances. In India Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is celebrated each year on the full moon in the Hindu month of Shravan which for the year 2021 falls on August 22. Every Indian is all set to celebrate this celebration of bond with his/her siblings with full fervor and enthusiasm but very few of us know about the origin of the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
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The festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated and known to have originated centuries ago and has many mythological stories related to the celebration of this propitious day. Some of the these accounts related to Hindu mythology are described below:
1. When Lord Krishna promised to save Draupadi: During the events of the Mahabharat, legend dictates that when Lord Krishna accidentally nicked his finger on his ‘Sudarshan chakra’, Princess Draupadi tore a piece of her saree and tied it to his finger to stop the bleeding. Lord Krishna was so touched by this gesture that he vowed to always protect and cherish her.
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2. When Sachi tied holy bracelet to Indra: According to the Hindu mythology, once the Gods and Demons got into a fierce battle. The battle continued for a very long time and did not come to an end where one of the sides kneeled down. To save her husband and end the war, the wife of Lord Indra, Sachi went to Lord Vishnu who gave her a holy bracelet made up of cotton thread. Sachi tied that holy thread on the arm of Indra. That thread gave power to Indra and made him able to defeat the demon lord Amaravati. The earlier account of the festival described these holy threads to be amulets which were used by women to empower and save their husbands when they were leaving for war. Unlike the present times, those holy threads were not limited to brother-sister relationships.
3. The birth of Santoshi Maa: It is said that Lord Ganesha has two sons, namely, Shubh and Labh. Once they got frustrated that they had no sister and all of their friends have loving sisters who take care of them and bring them food. They asked their father for a sweet and little sister. Lord Ganesha obliged and gave birth to Santoshi Maa through the flames of divine fire and gave their sons a sister to celebrate the day of Raksha Bandhan.
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4. The happy meet-up of Yama and Yamuna after 12 years: According to another mythological story, Yama the God of Death did not visit his sister, Yamuna for about 12 years that made her really angry and made their bond sour. As soon as Yama got to know about her anger, he went to meet his sister the Yamuna who has very happy and treated him with full affection and hospitality. This made the Yama delighted who asked the Yamuna for a gift. She expressed her desire to see her brother again and again. Hearing this, Yama made his sister, Yamuna immortal so that he could see her again and again.
The significance of Raksha Bandhan
The festival of Raksha Bandhan has been observed as a symbol of duty between brothers and sisters. The occasion is meant to celebrate any type of brother-sister relationship between men and women who may not be biologically related.
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On this holy day, according to Hindu norms, the sister applies tilak on her brother’s forehead and ties a rakhi around his wrist, which is denoted as a holy thread of power, in order to pray for his prosperity, health, and well-being. In return, the brother promises to protect her at any cost and offer her gifts for her blessings. The festival is also celebrated between brother-sister belonging to distant family members, relatives, or cousins.
