Raksha Bandhan 2022: History
Raksha Bandhan, meaning "Knot of Protection" is one of the
most important festivals celebrated by Hindus throughout the world. The
festival stands for the beautiful relationship shared between brothers
and sisters. A lifelong promise of protection is made on this special
occasion. It exhibits the beautiful relationship of love, care and
affection between siblings.
"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." - Clara Ortega
Its History
Raksha Bandhan, also called Rakhi Purnima or just Rakhi, has deep rooted
historical significance. There are various stories linked with the past
mythology of the hindu religion. People believe and follow different
stories from the past. The most famous and relied upon story of them all
is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and the Mughal Emperor Humayun.
Rani Karnawati was the widowed queen of Chittor, which had been attacked
by Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat. The queen realized that defending
her empire from the invasion was not possible for her and in lieu of
protection and help, she sent a Rakhi to the Mughal Emperor, Humayun. On
receiving the rakhi, the Emperor was overwhelmed and became emotional.
He, along with his troops, immediately set out to protect Chittor from
the invasion. Alas, he could not reach on time. The Sultan of Gujarat
had, by then, reached the queen`s fortress. All the women, in the
fortress including Rani Karnawati had performed Jauhar (mass suicide) by
then. Humayun, on reaching the fortress, fought with Bahadur Shah and
evicted him from the land. The empire was handed over to Rani
Karnawati`s son, Vikramjeet Singh. Since then, the act of a sister tying
a rakhi on the wrist of her brother indicates lifelong protection from
him.
Legends of Rakhi
The legend in the Bhavishya Puran:
The legend refers to a war between the Gods and the Demons. The demon King Brutra was advancing and the Gods lead by lord Indra, were on verge of defeat. The king of Gods, Indra approached Guru Brihaspati to find a solution to the situation. Brihaspati asked Indra to tie a sacred thread on his wrist, powered by the sacred mantras on the Shravan Purnima. Lord Indra's Queen Sachi also called Indrani, empowered the thread and tied it on to his hand on the decided day. The power of the sacred thread called Raksha helped the Gods to victory.
The tradition of thread tying still continues. It is a gesture of goodwill.
The legend of King Bali and Goddess Laxmi:
According to another legend 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 Laxmi 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, Laxmiji 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
In the Epics:
Raksha Bandhan finds a mention in Mahabharata when Lord Krishna advised
Yudhishthir to perform the ceremony to protect himself and the army from
the dangers of the war. It is said that Kunti, the mother of the
Pandavas tied rakhi to her grandson Abhimanyu and Draupadi to lord
Krishna.
Hope you guys learnt a lot about the history of Raksha Bandhan. Happy Raksha Bandhan 2022