Raksha Bandhan is celebrated as one of the major Hindu festivals across almost every nook and corners of India. As we are well aware of the fact and divinely blessed that India has a rich cultural heritage. We all still believe in togetherness firmly and live with the joint families where along with the parents there are siblings, uncles, grandparents etc. are there to support us no matter what.
As the name itself suggests it is the untold but lovingly expressed gesture of sisters to feel protected and pampered amidst the sheer love and care of their brothers. And the best part of this bond is, it doesn’t come with any obligation or compulsion. This is the love towards our sisters that make brothers feel to take care of their sisters. ‘Raksha’ conveys the meaning ‘Protection’ and ‘Bandhan’ means ‘Bond’ and this bond flourishes eternally.
Out of our mythology and culture, we have been listening myriad tales about the origin of this festival Raksha Bandhan. History has got so many beliefs to enlighten us about where and when it was actually started.
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Let’s take a quick glance here:
1. If Hindu mythology is to be believed, centuries ago the wife of Lord Indra, Indrani tied a thread on the wrist of her husband Indra for his well-being in the war between the Gods and Demons. And this thread was given to Indrani by none other than the Lord Vishnu. It is one of the reasons for Raksha Bandhan festival.
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2. Another epic tale is popular among us when the war between Gods and Demons was over and demons acquired the heaven. Lord Indra was panic and restless with this and he goes to the Sage Brihaspati, who was the Guru of Gods and stated about his state of mind. Sage Brihaspati gave a thread called Raksha Sutra to the Lord Indra for his protection.
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3. Another famous incident from the very much renowned scripture Mahabharata, when there was Rajsuya Yajna performed by Yudhishthira, Lord Krishna’s finger gets wounded by Sudarshan Chakra in order to kill Shishupal and his fingers start bleeding profusely. At the very same moment, Draupadi tears her saree and ties it around the finger of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna then felt really grateful towards her and promised to protect her for lifetime.
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4. There is an interesting story about it as well which is related to Alexander The Great. This rakhi once saved the life of this great conqueror. When Alexander The Great invaded India, there was a ruler named Porus and the wife of Alexander’s wife Roxana just sent a rakhi to the Katoch King Porus out of love. For this gesture, King promised to protect her and her husband as well. So, on the battlefield when he was about to kill Alexander The Great, he eventually saw that rakhi and held his hands back and didn’t kill Alexander The Great.
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5. The very much significant and exemplary story behind about this Rakhi festival is of Mughal Emperor Humayun and Queen Karnavati. Bahadur Shah attacked Mewar and then Queen Karnavati asked help from the Mughal emperor Humayun. She sent a request letter along with a rakhi, this loving gesture just moved the emperor and he just protected her against all odds. So this story is a sheer example of the dedication of a brother towards the sister.
Whatever be the reasons or causes of how and when it was started, it is divine for us. Every year we celebrate Raksha Bandhan with love, joy and care.
In our life we earn few relationships and make them worthier with our deeds, they are special not just because of blood relations but they have all that emotional quotient to make them so. One such lovingly awesome relationship is a brother-sister relationship.
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Enjoy this festival to the fullest and take a pledge to protect not only your sisters but the whole womanhood.
