Omkar Dattatray
Raksha Bandhan is a popular and traditionally Hindu annual rite or ceremony that is central to a festival of the same name celebrated in South Asia .It is also celebrated in other parts of the world significantly influenced by Hindu culture .It is one of the important festival of Hindus and in Santan Dharma its significance cannot be exaggerated .On this day ,sisters of all ages tie a talisman or amulet called Rakhi around the wrists of their brothers .They symbolically protect them ,receive a gift in return and traditionally invest the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care .Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana ,which typically falls in August .The expression Raksha Bandhan (Sanskrit ,literally ‘the bond of protection ,obligation and care) is now principally applied to this ritual .So this festival is the bond of love, affection and protection between the brothers and sisters and has an important place in Hinduism .Until the mid 20th century .the expression was more commonly applied to a similar ritual ,held on the same day ,with precedence in ancient Hindu texts .In that ritual ,a domestic priest ties amulet ,charms or threads on the wrists of their patrons ,or changes their sacred thread ,and receives gifts of money .This is still the case in some places .On this auspicious occasion sisters tie rakhi or thread on the wrist of their brothers as a mark of love ,affection ,symbol of protection and bonding between the brothers and sisters .This festival is celebrated every year with great fervor and enthusiasm and with the ritual of this festival the bond and love between the brothers and sisters is strengthened .This festival coincides with the Shravaan Purnima and this day is celebrated and culminates with the Darshan of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati at the natural cave of Shri Amarnath Ji in the Himalayas of Southern district of Anantnag .By contrast ,the sister-brother festival ,with origin in folk lore and culture ,had names which varied with location .Some were rendered as saluno ,silana and rakri .A ritual associated with saluno included the sisters placing shoots of barley behind the ears of their brothers .Of special significance to married women ,Raksha Bandhan is rooted in the practice of territorial or village exogamy .The bride marries out of her natal village or town ,and her parents by custom do not visit her in her married home .In rural north India ,where village exogamy is prevalent ,large numbers of married Hindu women travel back to their parents homes every year for the ceremony of tying Rakhi to their brothers .Their brothers who typically live with their parents or nearby ,sometimes travel to their sisters married home to escort them back .Many younger married women arrive few weeks earlier at their natal homes and stay until the ceremony of Rksha bandhan .The brothers serve as lifelong intermediaries between their married sisters and parental homes ,as well as potential stewards of their security .In urban India ,where families are increasingly nuclear ,the festival has become more symbolic but continues to be popular .The rituals associated with this festival have spread beyond their traditional regions and have been transformed through technology and migration .Other factors that have played a role are movies ,social interaction and promotion by politicized Hinduism as well as by nation state .Among females and males who are not blood relations ,the act of tying the rakhi amulets has given rise to the tradition of voluntary kin relationship ,which has sometimes cut across lines of caste ,class and religion. .In fact Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrating the relationship between the brothers and sisters .This year Rakhi will be celebrated on 31st of August 2023.But unfortunately a confusion regarding the date of Raksha Bandhan has been created by some unscrupulous religious brokers as there is confusion whether Rakhi will be celebrated on 30 or 31st August because of Bhadun .However the religious scholars have made it clear that the festival of Raksha Bandhan falls on 31st of August as it always coincides with Shrawan Purnima .Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the country as a symbol of bond between siblings .Rakhi is an ancient Hindu festival .Rakhi celebrates bond between the brothers and sisters .Sisters tie Rakhi on the wrist of brothers as a mark of love and brothers pledge to protect and guard their sisters through thick and thin .The festival is very famous with several cultures in the country as the concept of duty and love between siblings is universal .On the morning of the festival day ,brothers and sisters gather together with their families .Sisters tie rakhis (threads) as a symbol of protection .Rakhis are also used celebrate other relationships between neighbors and friends .Raksha Bandhan is a monsoon festival ,which has a deeper meaning .The rainy season eradicates all the filth and convolutions of life .The season gives us affluence and a new hope to relish life to its fullest .That is why Shrawan month is considered as holy to celebrate the untainted bondage of love between siblings and the advent of good fortune .Raksha Bandhan also known as Rakhi or Rakri ,is a joyous festival celebrated by Hindus worldwide to honor the bond of love and responsibility between brothers and sisters. .However ,the significance of this festival goes beyond biological relationships as it brings together the people of all genders ,religions and ethnic backgrounds to celebrate various forms of platonic love .The term ‘Raksha Bandhan ‘translates to the knot of protection in Sanskrit .Although the rituals associated with festival vary in different regions ,they all involve the tying of a thread .The sister or a sister like figure ties a colorful and sometimes elaborate thread around her brothers wrist ,symbolizing her prayers and well wishes for his protection .In return ,the brother presents his sister with a meaningful gift .The origins of Raksha Bandhan can be traced back to ancient times .References to this festival can be found in legends related to Alexander the Great dating back to 326 BCE.
Hindu scriptures also contain several accounts of Raksha Bandhan .There are many stories how this festival started in Sanatan Dhrama .But in all probabilities ,the most popular story in Indian mythology is that of Lord Krishna and Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas .The story goes ,on Maker Sankaranti ,Krishna cut his little finger when handling sugarcane .His queen Rukmini immediately sent an official to get bandages .Meanwhile Draupadi ,who was watching the entire incident ,cut off a little bit of her saree and tied his finger with it to stop the bleeding .In return Krishna promised to help her when required .That is the story behind the help Krishna provides during the unceremonious disrobing of Draupadi ,Krishna came and made her saree never ending ,saving her the embarrassment by giving her protection when she needed it most.And this is how it is believed that Rakshabandhan started. Another story as per Shrimad Bhagavtam describes another event centered around Bali Maharaja ,who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu .Won by the Bali’s devotion ,Lord Vishnu agreed to eternally protect Bali Maharaja by becoming his doorkeeper .Goddess Laxmi ,Lord Vishnu’s consort wanted him to come home ,disguised herself as a poor women seeking help ,and approached Bali.While there ,she tied a thread around Bali’s arm .When Bali asked her what she wanted as a gift in return ,laxmi asked to grant leave to her husband ,who now revealed his identity .As Laxmi was now his sister and he made the promise to grant her wish ,he agreed. .Another story says that Lord Krishna advised King Yudhishthera to tie Rakhi .There is also the story of Yamuna tying a rakhi to her brother yama. As the time passed the festival of Raksha Bandhan started to be 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.
The bracelet symbolizes the brothers oath to protect his sister throughout her life ,and the sisters prayers and blessings for protection and wellbeing of her brother .He then gives a gift ,signifying his acceptance of this duty .Though Raksha Bandhan is specifically related to the bond of a brother and sister ,the festival is ultimately a message of the universal brotherhood and sisterhood that can be recognized amongst people cutting across religions .Raksha Bandhan is a festival furthering communal harmony and communal amity and thus the significance of this festival is great for the pluralism and secularism .May the bond of ,love ,duty and protection between brothers and sisters thrive and strengthen with each passing day and give meaning to our relationship.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist).