Rakshabandhan is a festival of celebration of the
special bond shared by the siblings. This festival is celebrated not only in
India but also in countries like Nepal, Pakistan and Mauritius.
The word Rakshabandhan is made up of two words, namely
"Raksha" and "Bandhan." As per the Sanskrit terminology it
means "the tie or knot of protection" where "Raksha" stands
for the protection and "Bandhan" signifies the verb to tie.
Like other festivals, this festival too has several
stories associated with it. This festival is known to have originated centuries
ago and some of the various accounts related to the Hindu mythology are
described below:
King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi- As per an account of Bhagavata
Purana and Vishnu Purana, when Lord Vishnu won the three worlds from the demon
King Bali, he asked by the demon king to stay beside him in the palace. The
Lord accepted the request and started living with the demon King. However,
Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu wanted him to return to his native place
of Baikuntha. So, she tied the Rakhi around the wrist of demon King Bali and
made him a brother to her. On asking about the return gift, Goddess Lakshmi
asked Bali to free her husband from the vow and let him return to Baikuntha.
Bali agreed to the request and Lord Vishnu returned to his place with his wife,
Goddess Lakshmi.
Santoshi Maa- It is said that the two sons of
Lord Ganesha namely, Shubh and Labh were frustrated that they had no sister to
celebrate Rakshabandhan with. They asked for a sister from their father who
finally agreed on the intervention of saint Narada. This is how Lord Ganesha
created Santoshi Maa through the divine flames that emerged from Ganesha’s
wives Ridhi and Sidhi. This is how the two sons of Lord Ganesha got their
sister to celebrate Rakshabandhan.
There are a lot of other stories that shows the
importance of this festival.
This occasion is meant to celebrate any type of
brother-sister relationship between men and women who may not be biologically
related. On this day, a sister ties a Rakhi around the wrist of her brother in
order to pray for his prosperity, health and well-being. The brother in return
offers gifts and promises to protect his sister from any harm and under every
circumstance.
Have a happy and rocking Rakshabandhan !!
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