Why Do We Celebrate Raksha Bandhan?

We all know brother-sister bonding is so special and unique. The relationship between siblings is extraordinary and is given importance in every part of the world. However, when it comes to India, the relationship becomes all the more important as there is a festival called “Raksha Bandhan” dedicated to sibling love.

This special Hindu festival is celebrated in India and countries like Nepal to symbolize the love between a brother and a sister. The occasion of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar in the month of Shravana, which typically falls in the August month of the Gregorian calendar.

Importance of Raksha Bandhan

• Hinduism- The festival is mainly celebrated by the Hindus in the northern and western parts of India and countries like Nepal, Pakistan, and Mauritius.
• Jainism- The occasion is also revered by the Jain community, where Jain priests give ceremonial threads to the devotees.
• Sikhism- The Sikhs observe this festival devoted to brother-sister love as “Rakhardi” or Rakhi.

Meaning of Raksha Bandhan

The festival is made up of two words, namely “Raksha” and “Bandhan.” As per the Sanskrit terminology, the occasion means “the tie or knot of protection,” where “Raksha” stands for protection and “Bandhan” signifies the verb to tie. Together, the festival symbolizes the eternal love of the brother-sister relationship, which does not mean just blood relationships only. It is also celebrated among cousins, sister and sister-in-law (Bhabhi), fraternal aunt (Bua) and nephew (Bhatija), and other such relations.

Why Should You Celebrate This Festival?

The festival of Raksha Bandhan symbolizes 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.

On this day, a sister ties a rakhi around her brother’s wrist to pray for his prosperity, health, and well-being. The brother, in return, offers gifts and promises to protect his sister from any harm under every circumstance. The festival is also celebrated between brother-sister belonging to distant family members, relatives, or cousins.

Origin of Raksha Bandhan Festival

The festival of Raksha Bandhan is known to have originated centuries before, and there are several stories related to the celebration of this special festival. Some of the various accounts related to Hindu mythology are described below:

Indra Dev and Sachi

According to the ancient legend of Bhavishya Purana, once there was a fierce battle between Gods and demons. Lord Indra- the principal deity of sky, rains, and thunderbolts fighting the battle on the side of the Gods, was having a tough resistance from the 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 Lord Vishnu, who gave her a holy bracelet made of cotton thread. Sachi tied the holy thread around her husband’s wrist, Lord Indra, who ultimately defeated the demons and recovered the Amaravati. The earlier account of the festival described these holy threads as amulets used by women for prayers and tied to their husbands when they were leaving for war. Unlike, the present times, those holy threads were not limited to brother-sister relationships.

King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi

As per an account of Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana, when Lord Vishnu won the three worlds from the demon King Bali, he was asked by the demon king to stay beside him in the palace. The Lord accepted the request and started living with the demon king. However, Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu, wanted to return to his native place of Vaikuntha. So, she tied the rakhi around the wrist of a demon king Bali and made him a brother. On asking about the return gift, Goddess Lakshmi asked Bali to free her husband from the vow and let him return to Vaikuntha. Bali agreed to the request, and Lord Vishnu returned to his place with his wife, Goddess Lakshmi.

Santoshi Maa

It is said that the two sons of Lord Ganesha Shubh and Labh were frustrated that they had no sister. They asked for a sister from their father, who finally obliged their sister with the intervention of saint Narada. This is how Lord Ganesha created Santoshi Maa through the divine flames, and the two sons of Lord Ganesha got their sister for the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

Krishna and Draupadi

Based on account of Mahabharat, Draupadi, wife of Pandavas, tied a rakhi to Lord Krishna. In contrast, Kunti tied the rakhi to grandson Abhimanyu before the epic war.

Yama and the Yamuna 

Another legend says that the dead God, Yama, did not visit his sister, the Yamuna, for 12 years and ultimately became very sad. On the advice of Ganga, Yama went to meet his sister, the Yamuna, who has very happy and performed hospitality to her brother, Yama. This made the Yama delighted, who asked the Yamuna for a gift. She expressed her desire to see her brother again and again. Hearing this, Yama made his sister, Yamuna, immortal so he could see her again and again. This mythological account forms the basis of a festival called “Bhai Dooj,” which is also based on the brother-sister relationship.

You may know Bhai dooj is also another festival to celebrate the bonding of siblings!