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 Raksha
Bandhan (the bond of protection
in Hindi) is a Hindu festival,
which celebrates the relationship
between brothers and sisters.
It is celebrated on the
full moon of the month of
Shraavana. The festival
is marked by the tying of
a rakhi, or holy thread
by the sister on the wrist
of her brother. The brother
in return offers a gift
to his sister and vows to
look after her. The brother
and sister traditionally
feed each other sweets.
It is not necessary that
the rakhi can be given only
to a brother by birth; any
male can be "adopted"
as a brother by tying a
rakhi on the person, that
is "blood brothers
and sisters", whether
they are cousins or a good
friend. Indian history is
replete with women asking
for protection, through
rakhi, from men who were
neither their brothers,
nor Hindus themselves. Rani
Karnavati of Chittor sent
a rakhi to the Mughal Emperor
Humayun when she was threatened
by Bahadur Shah of Mewar.
Humayun abandoned an ongoing
military campaign to ride
to her rescue. The rakhi
may also be tied on other
special occasions to show
solidarity and kinship (not
necessarily only among brothers
and sisters), as was done
during the Indian independence
movement.
Trivia
•
Indra's fight with Vritra:
Indra, the king of devtas
(gods), had lost his kingdom
to the asura (demon) Vritra.
At the behest of his Guru
Brihaspati, Indra's wife
Sachi tied a thread around
her husband's wrist to ensure
his victory in the upcoming
duel.
•
Draupadi and Krishna
After Shishupal's death,
Krishna was left with a
bleeding finger. Draupadi,
the wife of the Pandavas,
had torn a strip of silk
off her sari and tied it
around Krishna's wrist to
stop the flow of blood.
Touched by her concern,
Krishna had declared himself
bound to her by her love.
He further promised to repay
the debt many fold. Many
years later when Draupudi
was about to be shamed by
being disrobed in front
of the whole court by her
evil brother-in-law Duryodhana,
she called on Krishna to
help her, and he did by
divinely elongating her
sari so it could not be
removed.
•
Rani Karnawati and Emperor
Humayun
One of the earliest origins
of Raksha Bandhan in documented
history can be traced to
the medieval era. During
this period the Rajputs
were fighting Muslim invasions.
Rakhi at that time was a
spiritual symbol associated
with protection of the sister.
History has it that when
Queen Karnawati the widow
of the then King of Chittor
realised that she could
in no way defend the invasion
of the Sultan of Gujarat,
Bahadur Shah, she sent a
rakhi to Emperor Humayun.
The Emperor touched by the
gesture, accepted the rakhi
thereby accepting Queen
Karnawati as a "sister"
and immediately started
off with his vast troops
to protect Queen Karnavati.
•
King Bali and Goddess Laxmi
According to another legend
the Demon King Bali was
a great devotee of Lord
Vishnu. Lord Vishnu had
taken up the task to guard
his kingdom leaving his
own abode in Vaikunth. Goddess
Lakshmi wished to be with
her lord back in her abode.
She went to Bali disguised
as a Brahmin woman to seek
refuge till her husband
came back. During the Shravan
Purnima celebrations, Lakshmi
tied the sacred thread to
the King. Upon being asked
she revealed who she was
and why she was there. The
king was touched by her
goodwill for his family
and her purpose and requested
the Lord to accompany her.
He sacrificed all he had
for the Lord and his devoted
wife. Thus the festival
is also called Baleva that
is Bali Raja's devotion
to the Lord. It is said
that since then it has been
a tradition to invite sisters
in Shravan Purnima for the
thread tying ceremony or
the Raksha Bandhan.
•
Yama and the Yamuna
According to another legend,
Raksha Bandhan was a ritual
followed by Lord Yama (the
Lord of Death) and his sister
Yamuna. Yamuna tied rakhi
to Yama and bestowed immortality.
Yama was so moved by the
serenity of the occasion
that he declared that whoever
gets a rakhi tied from his
sister and promised her
protection will become immortal.
Raksha
Bandhan celebratons in India
 While
Raksha Bandhan is celebrated
all over the country, different
parts of the country mark
the day in different ways.
These celebrations happen
to fall on the same day,
and may not have anything
to do with Raksha Bandhan
itself or Rakhi.
Perhaps the single most
important way of celebrating
Raksha Bandhan is by tying
the rakhi. A sister ties
a rakhi to the wrist of
her brother. The tying of
a rakhi signifies her asking
of her brother for his protection
and love for the sister.
The brother in turn, accepts
the rakhi, confirms his
love and affection for his
sister and shows this with
gifts and money. It is a
family event where all members
of family, dressed in finery,
gather and celebrate. The
tying of rakhi is followed
by a family feast.
Rakhi
Purnima
Rakhi is celebrated as Rakhi
Purnima in North India as
well as in parts of Northwest
India. The word "Purnima"
means a full moon night.
Nariyal
Purnima
In western India and parts
of Maharashtra, Gujarat,
and Goa this day is celebrated
as Nariyal Purnima. On this
day an offering of a coconut
(nariyal) is made to the
sea, as a mark of respect
to Lord Varuna, the God
of the Sea. Nariyal Purnima
marks the beginning of the
fishing season and the fisherman,
who depend on the sea for
a living, make an offering
to Lord Varuna so that they
can reap bountiful fish
from the sea.
Avani
Avittam
In southern parts of India
including Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and
Orissa, this day is celebrated
by the Brahmin community
as Avani Avittam. In Karnataka,
this day is celebrated as
Upakarma( in Kannada) by
the followers of Yajurveda.
Upakarma day is the traditional
day of the beginning of
Vedic studies. As part of
the Upakarman/Upakarma ritual,
they also change their sacred
thread or yajnopavitam,
the Sanskrit word for the
thread. It is also called
"janivaara" in Kannada,
"janeyu" in Hindi, "poonool"
in Tamil, " poithe" in Bengali,
and "jhanjyam" in Telugu.
Kajari
Purnima
In central parts of India
such as Madhya Pradesh,
Chattisgarh, Jharkand and
Bihar this day is celebrated
as Kajari Purnima. It is
an important day for the
farmers and women blessed
with a son. On the ninth
day after Shravana Amavasya,
the preparations of the
Kajari festival start. This
ninth day is called Kajari
Navami and varied rituals
are performed by women who
have sons until Kajri Purnima
or the full moon day.
Pavitropana
In parts of Gujarat, this
day is celebrated as Pavitropana.
On this day people perform
the grand pooja or the worship
of Lord Shiva. It is the
culmination of the prayers
done through out the year.
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