Power and Symbolism of the Rakhi Thread

Rakshabandhan is celebrated on “Shravan Poornima” which is the full moon day in the Hindu calendar month of Shravana. The festival is a celebration of the eternal bond between brothers and sisters. Rakshabandhan is marked by the tying of the sacred thread which is known as Rakhi. And on the day of the festival it is the custom for the sisters tie rakhis around the wrists of their brothers. It is a symbol of binding the brother and sister to a relationship of a lifetime. Rakshabandhan means the tie or bond of protection and in return for the rakhis, the brothers take a pledge to protect and safeguard their sisters from all harm. The rakhi thread itself also occupies an honored place in Indian traditions. In fact it is deemed so powerful that when a woman ties the rakhi on the wrists of any male, he naturally takes on the role of a real brother and thus become honor bound to protect her at all times. There are many tales from history which illustrates this glorious tradition. Mention maybe made of the Mughal Emperor Humayun who rushed to the aid of Rani Karnawati of Chittor after she sent a rakhi to him. And in another story, after Alexander’s wife Roxana tied a rakhi on the wrists of King Porus, he protected Alexander in battlefield.

The traditions of the rakhi have been maintained for generations and people still follow them closely today. Even in this modern age when family members often stay in faraway places, they still send each other rakhi and gifts for the festival. Nowadays one can buy fancyrakhi online and have it delivered to any destination of their choice and this makes it easy for siblings to keep in touch. Even brothers can also buy gifts for rakhi online and have them delivered to their sisters for the festival.

Legends associated with Raksha Bandhan

There are numerous stories and legends associated with the festival of Raksha Bandhan. In fact almost every festival in India has a mythological origin.  A legend surrounding the festival comes from the epic Mahabharata. Yudhishthira, the eldest son of Pandavas was advised by Krishna to observe the rituals of Raksha Bandhan to ensure his safety in the battle against the Kauravas. He did so and despite the fact that Pandavas had lesser manpower and resources, they won the war.

It is also believed that Yamuna used to tie a rakhi on the wrist of Lord Yama, the god of Death, as a talisman for safeguarding. She used to do this on every Shravan Poornima. And ever since, it has become the custom for sisters to tie rakhis on their brother’s wrists on this day.

Raksha Bandhan means “the bond of protection.” The main traditions of the festival is the tying of the sacred thread known as rakhi, and the vow of protection taken by the person on whose hand it is tied on. Another important tradition is the custom of rakhi return gifts which brothers give to their sisters in return for the rakhis. And with Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, people can be seen thronging marketplaces to buy rakhis and gifts. But in this age of computers people prefer to shop for their Raksha Bandhan gifts online. An added advantage of online rakhi shopping is that they can buy fancy rakhi online and have them delivered to their siblings in faraway places.