Raksha Bandhan - the Indian
festival of tying the knot of amity, brotherhood and long life, is
a symbol of seeking divine bliss. Not for the 'self'. But for man
on whose wrist the thread is tied. 'Raksha' is the word for
protection. 'Bandhan' is the bond. So it signifies the bond of
protection. The protection is from the dark hands of the evils and
against all perils. The protection that connotates - not just
physical, but the spiritual one as well.
The origin and the legends:
The festival nurtures a rich heritage of legendary traditions,
some rooted back to the ages of the great epics. In the Hindu
tradition the Rakshaa has indeed assumed all aspects of protection
of the forces of righteousness from the forces of evil.
According to the Mahabharata, Yudhishthira, the eldest of the
Pancha Pandavas (the five brothers belonging to the family of king
Pandu), asked Sri Krishna, an incarnation of lord Vishnu, how best
he could guard himself against impending evils and catastrophes in
the coming year. Krishna advised him to observe the Rakshaa
Ceremony. He also narrated an old incident to show how potent the
Rakshaa is. It went like this:
Once, Indra, the king of heaven was confronted by the demon king -
the Daitya-raaja - in a long-drawn battle. At one stage, the
Daitya-raaja got better of Indra and drove him into wilderness.
Indra, humbled and crest-fallen, sought the advice of Brihaspati,
the Guru of Gods. The Guru told him to bide his time, prepare
himself and then take on the mighty demon. He also indicated that
the auspicious moment for sallying forth was the Shraavana
Poornima. On that day, Shachee Devi, the wife of Indra,
accompanied by Brihaspati tied Raakhi around Indra's right-wrist.
Indra then advanced against the Daitya-raaja, vanquished him and
reestablished his sovereignty.
This is how Raksha Bandhan came into being in the ages of old
Hindu mythology and has transcended into the modern ages acquiring
more of new and modified customs with itself.
