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RAKSHA BANDAN

INTRODUCTION

  • Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Shravan (August) according to the Hindu calendar.
  • Hence this festival is also known as Shravan Purnima.
  • “Raksha” means protection and “Bandhan” means bound.
  • This day is celebrated to strengthen the bond between brotherhoods.
  • Rakshabandhan is generally a Hindu festival but it is also celebrated by people from different religions.
  • On this day, sisters tie a colorful sacred string called ‘Rakhi’ on the wrists of their brothers as a sign of affection and sisterly love.
  • In return the brothers protect the sisters and promise them gifts.
  • This festival strengthens the bond of love between sisters and brothers.
  • The practice of tying a string on the hand was traditionally popular in Indian history.

HISTORY BEHIND RAKSHA BANDAN

There are many reasons for celebrating Raksha Bandhan in Indian mythology.

ONE

  • More popular is the sister-brother relationship between Sri Krishna and Draupadi.
  • Lord Krishna gets a deep cut on his finger while killing devil Sishupalan with three eyes and four arms.
  • Draupadi, who was nearby came to the Lord’s rescue and tore off her beautiful new saree and tied it to Lord Krishna’s finger stopping the bleeding.
  • Myth says that the sari cloth tied to Lord Krishna’s hand by Draupadi became Rakhi (Salvation).
  • Pleased by this act of Draupadi, Lord Krishna blesses Draupadi and makes her his sister and pledge to protect her at all costs.
  • In the Kaurava assembly, when Dussassanan tries to undress Draupadi on the orders of Duryodhana, Lord Krishna appears and protects the honor of his sister Draupadi by giving her as many saris as she can untie in exchange for each thread of the saree.
  • It is believed that Draupadi tied Rakhi on the occasion of taking part in the Mahabharata war and ensured the protection of her brother Shri Krishna.
  • Myth has it that these beliefs and rituals became Rakshabandhan.

TWO

  • Another legendary story is connected with Mahabali.
  • Mahabali asked Vamana for permission to fulfill two wishes and Vamana(Avatarof Lord Vishnu) granted it, one of which was the permission to visit his subjects once a year and the second was that Mahabali would have the opportunity to see Lord Vishnu day, night and day and get the good fortune of darshan.
  • He requests Lord Vishnu to be his door gaurdian so that he can see it forever.
  • Obliged to keep his word, Lord Vishnu began to sit as the door gaurdian of Mahabali.
  • Vishnu’s wife Lakshmi, in distress, asks Sage Narada to come up with a solution.
  • Narada advises Goddess Lakshmi to accept Mhabali as her brother by tying a thread on his hand and give him sweets as a gift of love.
  • Taking the advice, Goddess Lakshmi ties the color string on Mahabali’s hand and established the bond of brotherhood. Mahabali orders his sister to ask for anything as a gift.
  • The story is that Goddess Lakshmi expressed her desire to send her husband Lord Vishnu with her and as per her Sister’s wish Lord Vishnu was released from the position of  door gaurdian and sent away with Goddess Lakshmi.
  • The Myth says that it was a Shravana Purnima day and Raksha Bandhan came into being from that day.

THREE

  • In 300 BC, Emperor Alexander and his army arrived in India and declared war on Porus but after hearing about Porus’s skills, Alexander’s wife became upset about the life of her Husband.
  • In this case, Emperor Alexander’s wife sends a rakhi to Porus with a request not to endanger her husband in battle.
  • Porus comes to the battlefield wearing Rakhi and has a chance to face Alexander the Great.
  • As he raised his hand to start the battle, he turned his attention to the rakhi in his hand for a moment and withdrew from the battle field realizing that his sister would become a widow.
  • It is also a story of how Alexander realizing the greatness of withdrawn from the battle with Porus.

FOUR

  • Another historical incident in the medieval period also exists in relation to Raksha Bandhan.
  • It was a time of war between the Mughals and the Rajputs.
  • On the occasion when the king of Chittor died and the queen Karnavati became the ruler of the kingdom,She faced difficulty to resist the invasion of Bahadur Shah who was the Sultan of Gujarat.
  • Thus Karnavathi sent a message with Rakhi  to Emperor Humayun asking for help and thus Emperor Humayun saved his sister Karnavati and her kingdom.
  • According to Puranas, sisters used to tie rakhi as a protective shield to the soldiers going out to war during the royal days and blessed them to return victorious.

CELEBRATIONS

  • Celebrated in different forms in different regions, this festival is known by different names.
  • According to tradition, on this day Sister’s prepares a pooja thali with rice, roli and rakhi.
  • The Sister’s then worships the deities and ties Rakhi to their Brother’s and prays for their welfare.
  • Rakshabandhan also has a lot to do with sweetness. Traditionally sweets like Kaju Catli, Jalebi and Barfi are shared among siblings on this day.
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