Raksha Bandhan: Of Human Bonding And Celebration - about Raksha Bandhan  

By BRAHMA KUMARI ASHA  

Raksha Bandhan: Of Human Bonding And Celebration - about Raksha Bandhan  

There is an ancient lore associated with the festival of Raksha Bandhan that is celebrated during the bright fortnight in the Hindu month of Shravan. The Bhavishya Purana refers to a battle between the deities and demons.

The king of the deities, Indra, was feeling depressed. Indra's wife Sachi then took a thread, charged it with sacred verses for protection and tied it on Indra's hand. Through the strength of this thread Indra conquered his enemies.

Over time, the manner of celebration underwent modifications. Raksha Bandhan, also known as Rakhi , has become a sacred festival for sisters and brothers. Sisters tie a rakhi , or sacred thread, on their brother's wrist. Priests also tie the sacred thread on the wrists of their patrons. If a woman tied a rakhi on the hand of a man, it became imperative for him, as his religious duty of the highest order, to protect that woman, risking his life if necessary.

In one famous instance, the queen of Mewar, Maharani Karmavati, was under threat from the Muslim governor, Bahadur Shah, who had laid siege to her kingdom. Helpless, she sent a rakhi to the Mughal king Humayun. The emperor, who normally would not have helped a Rajput ruler, decided to help her. Humayun reached Mewar and chased away Bahadur Shah and his men.

Also among the Rajputs, when the soldiers prepared to go to the battlefield, their womenfolk tied a thread around their wrist after applying a dash of vermilion powder on their forehead. The ladies believed that this would protect their men and bring them victory.

Today rakhi is tied on the wrists of soldiers by children and women all around the country, filling the soldiers with self-esteem and a heightened sense of responsibility. The festival is known as Narial Poornima in Mumbai, where coconuts are thrown into the sea to propitiate the sea god, Varuna.

There is much more to rakhi than a sister tying the sacred thread round the brother's wrist in order to bind him into an obligation to protect her in times of need. Which is why even older sisters tie the thread round the wrist of brothers much their junior.

Raksha Bandhan is also known as punya-pradayak parva , the merit-giving festival or vishtodak parva , the vice-eliminating festival. These names point to the viceless and pure love between a brother and sister, and the importance of purity in a relationship.

The application of the tilak is a reminder from the sister to the brother to be soul-conscious, for it is in the space between the eyebrows - where the tilak is applied - that the soul resides. Then again, mauli , the red and saffron-coloured thread that is usually tied round the brother's wrist, is meant to serve as a constant reminder of the bond of purity. In India, the mauli has traditionally been used for taking a religious or sacred vow or making a pledge of purity.

Raksha Bandhan conveys to all men and women the divine message that they must overcome lust and remain pure by practising soul-consciousness. The rakhi is an annual reminder to both brother and sister of this noble aim.

When sisters tie the rakhi today, the brothers offer them a little money by way of appreciation. The return that sisters expect in reality is much more than the gross token of money. It is the renunciation by the brother of the five vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego that pollute the soul. For, only by giving up these vices would the brothers truly become conscious of the need to engage in the effort of elevating one's consciousness.

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See also: Raksha Bandhan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)