Saturday, August 16, 2008

Raksha Bandhan

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. , sisters pray for their brothers and renew the love (bond or relationship) between brothers and sisters. Brothers in turn promise to protect their sisters and help them during any troubles.

The origin of the festival or Raksha Bandhan can be traced to Mahabharatha. In order to punish Shishupala for his repeated criminal offenses and sinful deeds,Lord Krishna threw a celestial weapon at Shishupala.

In the process of throwing the weapon Krishna injured his own finger, which bled profusely. At that moment Draupadi tore a piece of her sari to wrap it around Krishna's finger, stopping the bleeding. For Draupadi's favor Krishna promised her his help in any hour of need. Later Krishna kept his word when he came to Draupadi's rescue while she was being dishonored by the Kauravas following the game of the dice between the Pandavas and Kauravas (refer to Mahabharat).


A piece of Draupadi's sari was the first Rakhi that gave rise to the festival of Raksha Bandhan.Later, this festival gained further popularity in India in the old days of foreign domination when the womenfolk needed protection. By performing a simple rite of thread-binding, a woman had the opportunity to claim any man as her brother, who was then obliged to protect her honour even at the cost of his life.

This thread-binding ceremony is so sacred that even the ancient Muslims ruler of India, Humayun, could not resist his responsibility to protect the Hindu princess Karmavati, who had sent him a Rakhi.

( This Rakhis made by me)

My Dear Brother

Rakhi is a perfect time to tell you

Just how special you are

And how much you mean to me

Always take time to share

And understand our is a

Bond that has been nurtured

Over with the years a lot

Of love, tenderness and care

It is very special and rare

With how much you mean to me

Wishing you Peace, Prosperity and

Success on this special occasion

Happy Raksha Bandhan

Your loving sister…

4 comments:

Sameera Ansari said...

Beautiful post dear,and the rakhis are so lovely.God bless your bond always.

Happy Rakhi :)

Sum Raj said...

Nice reading ur post and the rakhi made by u is very beautiful also the card...

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written post about this background on raksha bandhan...the bond between a brother & a sister is eternal...your artwork also is so beautiful...lovely!

Jaishree Iyer said...

Thank you sameera for your wishes.It means me a lot:)

Thank you suma:)

Thankyou Kalyan :)