The project #IgnorantHindu attempts to share stories, not necessarily rituals, behind Hindu festivals so that the younger generation can be better informed. This one is on Raksha Bandhan and Rakhi. The details are sourced from the internet. I have done minor checks with the older generation and included what seems right. I appreciate any and every suggestion/ correction to help make this page better. Please do share it with your family and friends.
Raksha Bandhan – RAKHI
Rakshabandhan ( Raksha- Protection, Bandhan – tie) or Rakhi is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Sravana (July/August). It represents selfless love between brothers and sisters. Sister offers a holy thread to her brother and ties it on his right wrist, a promise of protection and support and the love and commitment between brother and sister. Brothers, in return, give a gift as a sign of their pledge to protect sisters. The festival is dominant in North India and the Northwest part of India, like Rajasthan.
Raksha Bandhan is a festival of brothers and sisters. Still, it is a bond of protection. There are cases where the wife ties Rakhi to her Husband, which does not make them brother and sister. Sisters tie Rakhi to their sister-in-law to take care of their brother. This is called Lumba Rakhi and is very prevalent in Marwaris and Rajasthanis.
In some places, the priest goes from house to house and ties the holy thread during Raksha Bandhan.
Earlier, the Indian Postal Department used to have special discounted rates for the envelopes carrying Rakhi. As a tradition, brothers made every possible effort to reach their sister’s house for the Rakhi ceremony, and the sisters used to fast till the time they tied Rakhi. With the advent of nuclear families and migration for work or education, Rakhi’s now get delivered through couriers. And after COVID, we may see a lot of RAKHI ceremonies on FaceTime or Zoom or such platforms.
Rakshabandhan is considered an ancient festival, but I have not been able to find any significant mythological story. Somewhere, I have heard ( not verified) that the first Rakhi was tied by Indrani (wife of Indra) to Indra, the King of God.
MUH BOLI BEHAN.
The festival is celebrated between brother and sister, not necessarily blood relations. In India, we also have MUH BOLA BHAI and MUH BOLI BEHAN – a person considered like Bhai ( brother) or Behan ( sister). And it is equally and sometimes much more powerful a bond of love and care. Here is a story about my Muhboli Sister- Manju Chitosiya, from Lansdowne, where we grew up. And then, we shifted to Jabalpur as my father got transferred. So, one time when I visited Lansdowne after 10 odd years, Manju had all the Rakhi’s of the past years in her home temple and tied them to me. In fact, even today, her Rakhi reaches me first. Thank you, didi.
HISTORICAL & MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES OF RAKSHA BANDHAN.
Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittoor, is said to have sent a Rakhi to Mughal emperor Humayun when she was attacked by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. And the Emperor sent his army in her support. ( Though there is no reference to this in the archives or records of Humayun.
It is believed that Draupadi once tore a strip of her sari and tied it to Krishna’s wrist to stop bleeding from a battle wound. (Some say it was his index finger that was hurt while killing Shishupal.) Krishna then declared her his sister. In return, Lord Krishna protected Draupadi from the abuse of Kauravas when Pandavas lost her in a gambling bet.
In chapter 137 of the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purana, it is said that during the epic war Mahabharata at Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna advised Yudhishthir, The eldest of the Pandavas). He asked Yudhister to perform the ceremony of Raksha ( protection) thread tied by the head priest ( Rajapurohit) on his right wrist to protect himself and the army. A small parcel (bundle or packet) is prepared from new cotton or silk cloth and adorned with whole grains of rice or barley, tiny mustard seeds, and red ochre powder. The purohit should tie this packet on the King’s wrist with the words,’ I am binding Raksha (protection) to you with the same true words with which I bound Mahabali King of the Asuras. Always stay firm in resolve.’
It is believed that even the lord of death, YAMA, celebrates Raksha Bandhan with his sister, the Yamuna (river). The Yamuna tied Rakhi to Yama and bestowed immortality. It is different than in the current era; humans are doing everything possible to break this bond and rid the Yamuna River of its immortality. The festival is celebrated between brother and sister, not necessarily blood relations. In India, we also have MUH BOLA BHAI and MUH BOLI BEHAN – a person considered like Bhai ( brother) or Behan ( sister). And it is equally and sometimes much more powerful a bond of love and care.
One is that once there was a war between the Asuras and Devas. The Devas were losing. At that moment, Lord Indra, in the presence of his wife Indrani, called Lord Brihaspati for some advice. Before Brihaspati could suggest something, Indrani said she knew how to ensure that the Gods win in the battle.
The next day, Indrani prepared an amulet in Shravan’s Shukla Purnima. She got it tied on her husband’s wrist by Brahmins. As a result, the Gods won the battle, and Indra remained unscathed. Since that day, the amulet came to be known as Raksha Sutra and is now referred to as Raksha Bandhan, maybe from protecting her husband to seeking protection for her brother.
KING BALI – LORD VISHNU – MAA LAXMI RAKSHA BANDHAN STORY
King Bali, the Daitya ( Rakshah King), was the son of Virochana and the grandson of Prahlada. Once, King Bali was conducting the ‘Ashwamedh Yagya’. In the Yagya, the King releases a horse (Ashawa). Wherever the horse goes unopposed, the territory becomes of the King. If the horse is opposed, captivated or stopped, it is seen as a sign of a rebel. It means that the area king is not accepting the jurisdiction of the King doing the yagna. King Bali even defeated Indra and took away heaven.
LORD VISHNU FINDS THE SOLUTION
Seeing the way the power of King Bal was expanding, Lord Vishnu visited his Yagna place as a Vaman Avatar (dwarf Brahmin), the 5th incarnation. As a Brahmin, Lord Vishnu asked for alms/ charity/ Bhiksha from King Bali there. Bali promised to give the Vaman whatever he asked for.
Lord Vishnu in Vaman Avatar asked for ‘three pada Bhoomi’ (the land he would cover in his three steps). Bali agreed. Vaman Avatar then took a gigantic form & covered the whole universe in his two steps. King Bali has no space to offer for the third step, so he offers his head.
King Bali’s humbleness in keeping promises pleased Lord Vishu, and he made King Bali the King of Patal Lok and even decided to become the guard of ‘Patala Lok’.
When Lakshmiji ( wife of Lord Vishnu) came to know of it, she wished Lord Vishnu to return to his abode ‘Vaikunth ‘. She then asked King Bali to become her brother.
On the Shravan Poornima, the day of Raksha Bandhan, Lakshmijee tied Rakhi to King Bali. On being asked for a gift in return, Lakshmijee asked Bali to release her husband, Lord Vishnu, from his duties of guarding Patal Lok. Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi returned to their abode, ‘ Vaikunth Dham’, on the day of ‘Shravan Shukla Purnima’.
And hence the verse that is sung while tying Rakhi.
Yena baddho Balee raajaa daanavendro mahaabalah
tena twaam anubadhnaami rakshe maa chala maa chala
(*meaning- I am tying a Rakhi on you, like the one on mighty demon king Bali. Be firm, O Rakhi, do not falter.)
THE FILM TOUCH – SANTOSHI MAA.
In the blockbuster film of 1975, a new mythological twist is shown. Lord Ganesha has Rddhi ( Creation) and Siddhi ( Perfection/excellence), two sisters, as his wives.
The story goes like this. During Raksha Bandhan, Lord Ganesha’s mind sister Bahen-Mansa was visiting. His sons Shubh ( auspicious) and Labh (profit) were jealous of Ganeshjee as they did not have a sister. So, when Ridhi Sidhi pleads with Lord Ganesha, he creates Santoshi Maa from the flames that come out from Ridhi and Sidhi. Santoshi Ma’s birth occurs on Raksha Bandhan day.
SOME CULTURAL CONTEXT -RAKSHA BANDHAN.
Rakshabandhan, though celebrated among brother-sisters across age groups, had a deeper meaning for married women. It is rooted in the cultural context of Village Exogamy, in which women married only outside their village, as every male in the village was considered blood-related to them. The villages were established around a clan or people of the same Gotra. During Raksha Bandhan, married women travelled back to their parental homes every year. The brothers in the patriarchal society lived with their parents. The brothers serve as potential stewards of the married women’s security and safety.
WHEN TO TAKE RAKHI OFF THE WRIST.
There is no mention of how long Rakhi should remain on the brother’s wrist. I wear it until the thread wears out, and it drops by itself.
In many parts of Maharashtra, it is the 15th day when the brother can remove the Rakhi. Many brothers remove it and keep it in their home Mandir ( place of worship) to be later disposed of like any other religious waste. I am also informed by my friend AJAY LAL that in Gujarat.
Raksha Bandhan is also the day when Brahmins change their sacred thread.
RAKSHA BANDHAN SONGS.
Bollywood has celebrated RAKHI in lot many films. Still, few stand out, and you can hear them every Rakshanda over AIR.
BHAIYA MORE RAKHI KE BANDHAN KO NIBHANA – Film ChotiBehan. .
Hum Baheno Ke Liye Film Anjaana
Behna Ne Bhai Ki Kalai Sey Pyaar Bandha Hai- Film Resham Ki Dori or from Phoolon Ka Taro Ka Sabka Kehna hai, eek Hazaro mai Meri Behna hai Sari umar humey sang rehna hai from film Hare Rama hare Krishna.
RAKSHA BANDHAN ADVERTISING.
New additions from 2021.
Many brands have tried leveraging brother-sister relationship- commitment- festivals, and in changing times, few more variants. Here are a few of them, from AMAZON, the wonderful ads, and the rest.
Additionally, sometimes, the brands try to be seriously different and carry it well. Here is Bajaj Allianz Insurance ad 2020. Where brother is telling the would-be Single-divorcee-sister- what she feels good- she should do, and he will save her from second-guessing herself! Dawat Rice says that not meeting a sister in this COVID-19 era is a good decision- while the brother is making Kheer. Even Manforce Pharmaceutical, better known for its ads featuring sunny Leone, got involved with the Rakshabandhan ad. MYNTRA did better with a MASK as a Rakhi in its ad featuring Saif-Ali-Khan.
REFERENCED SITES:
KNOWINDIA.GOV.in — https://bit.ly/2WXliCD Floweraura.com TIMES OF INDIA https://bit.ly/2CQOa8N DNA https://bit.ly/2WUiyG4 FINANCIAL EXPRESS https://bit.ly/30QcK1t Wikipedia Indoindiams.com BBC.CO.UK https://bbc.in/2OWb2pV SPRITUALAWARENESS.CO.IN https://bit.ly/30IGDRs
DISCLAIMER.
This information has been collated from different sources, and the author ( Sanjeev Kotnala ) does not guarantee its validity and accuracy. The author is willing to make refinements and changes as and when future information is available.
And before I end my Blog/55/2020/IgnorantHindu/002 ( content updated 2023- creative-brand filmd not updated) – here is an appeal on Raksha Bandhan
Blog/ 55/2020/Ignorant Hindu /002
