Raksha Bandhan is a popular Hindu festival celebrated through North and West India and Nepal. The word ‘Raksha Bandhan’ literally means the ‘bond of protection”.
The festival celebrates a brother-sister relationship. A sister ties a ‘rakhi’ or the sacred thread to her brother’s wrist for his prosperity and long life, and the brother, in turn, vows to protect his sister.
Read on to know the story of why it is celebrated.
Raksha Bandhan was not always a celebration of brother and sister relationship.
The practice of a sister or a wife tying a sacred ceremonial amulet to the brother’s / husband’s wrist before they enter a battle was mentioned in the Indian mythological text, Mahabharata. It is believed that the prayers and wishes of the woman are carried in the rakhi and ensure victory to the wearer.
Before the epic battle of Mahabharata, Draupadi tied a rakhi to Lord Krishna while Queen Kunti tied the rakhi to grandson Abhimanyu.
In another account, there was a fierce battle between Gods and demons.
Lord Indra – the God of sky, rains and thunderbolts was having a tough fight with powerful demon King, Bali. The war continued for a long time and did not come to a decisive end.
Seeing this, Indra’s wife Sachi went to the Lord Vishnu who gave her a holy bracelet. Sachi tied the holy thread around her husband’s wrist. Lord Indra ultimately defeated the demons.
There are few other mentions in Hindu texts of a sacred thread being tied by a lady to a man who she considers as a brother or protector.
Another story worth mentioning is that of how Lord Vishnu was won back by his wife. Goddess Lakshmi. Lord Vishnu grants Bali his wish that Vishnu should stay with him in the demon king’s palace. Goddess Lakshmi ties a rakhi to Bali and as a return gift, asks for her husband to return home. The demon king renounces his request and Vishnu returns home.
A similar practice is followed in Jainism where a priest distributes ceremonial prayer threads made of cotton, to the devotees.
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