| Rakhi: The Thread of Love | |
|
What
You Need To Know About
|
|
||
|
||
 |
||
The chaste bond of love between a brother and a sister is one of the deepest and noblest of human emotions. 'Raksha Bandhan' or 'Rakhi' is a special occasion to celebrate this emotional bonding by tying a holy thread around the wrist. This thread, which pulsates with sisterly love and sublime sentiments, is rightly called the ‘Rakhi’. It means 'a bond of protection', and Raksha Bandhan signifies that the strong must protect the weak from all that’s evil.
The ritual is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan, on which sisters tie the sacred Rakhi string on their brothers' right wrists, and pray for their long life. Rakhis are ideally made of silk with gold and silver threads, beautifully crafted embroidered sequins, and studded with semi precious stones.
The
Social Binding
This
ritual not only strengthens the bond of love between brothers and sisters, but
also transcends the confines of the family. When a Rakhi is tied on the wrists
of close friends and neighbors, it underscores the need for a harmonious social
life, where every individual co-exist peacefully as brothers and sisters. All
members of the community commit to protect each other and the society in such
congregational Rakhi Utsavs, popularized by the Nobel laureate Bengali poet
Rabindranath Tagore.
The
Friendly Knot
It won’t be wrong to say the fashionable friendship band in vogue today
is an extension of the Rakhi custom. When a girl feels a friend of the opposite
sex has developed a kind of love too strong for her to reciprocate, she sends
the guy a Rakhi and turns the relationship into a sisterly one. This is one
way of saying, "let’s just be friends", without hurting the other
person's soft feelings for her.
The
Auspicious Full Moon
In
Northern India, Rakhi Purnima is also called Kajri Purnima or Kajri Navami,
when wheat or barley is sown, and goddess Bhagwati
is worshipped. In Western states, the festival is called Nariyal Purnima or
the Coconut Full Moon. In Southern India, Shravan Purnima is an important religious
occasion, especially for the Brahmins.
Raksha Bandhan is known by various names: Vish Tarak - the destroyer of venom, Punya Pradayak - the bestower of boons, and Pap Nashak - the destroyer of sins.
Rakhi
in History
The strong bond represented by Rakhi has resulted in innumerable political ties
among kingdoms and princely states. The pages of Indian history testify that
the Rajput and
Maratha queens have
sent Rakhis even to Mughal
kings who, despite their differences, have assuaged their Rakhi-sisters by offering
help and protection at critical moments and honoured the fraternal bond. Even
matrimonial alliances have been established between kingdoms through the exchange
of Rakhis.
History has it that the great Hindu King Porus refrained from striking Alexander, the Great because the latter’s wife had approached this mighty adversary and tied a Rakhi on his hand, prior to the battle, urging him not to hurt her husband.
Why
Rakhi?
Rituals like Rakhi, there is no doubt, help ease out various societal strains,
induce fellow-feeling, open up channels of expression, give us an opportunity
to rework on our role as human beings and, most importantly, bring joy in our
mundane lives.
“May
all be happy
May all be free from ills
May all behold only the good
May none be in distress.”
This has always been the idea of an ideal Hindu society.
<<<
Previous
Articles Rakhi
Legends >>>
