RAKSHABANDHAN IS A FESTIVAL TO BOND WITH EVERYTHING THAT IS DIVINE

The festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. It is a day when siblings pray for each other’s wellbeing, happiness and goodwill. The festival falls on the full-moon day of Shravan month which is generally in August.

On the day of the festival, the sister ties sacred threads on her brother’s wrist and puts a tilak on his forehead. In turn the brother gives the sister a gift. The ritual is meant to signify their sacred bond.

There are many stories related to this festival. One of them has its origins in the Mahabharata. In one of the chapters Krishna hurts his hand while fighting with Shishupal. When this happens, Draupadi rushes to cover the wound by tearing a piece of her sari and tying it around Krishna’s hand. In return for her gesture, Krishna asks what she would like. Draupadi says she only seeks his divine presence in her life. Later, when the Kauravas try to disrobe her, Draupadi calls out to Lord Krishna. Miraculously Krishna bestows her with a sari so long that the Kauravas cannot disrobe Draupadi.

When we take one step on the spiritual path, the Lord takes ninety-nine steps. This is the symbolism of Krishna giving Draupadi an infinitely long sari in return for a protecting his wound with a small piece of cloth. It is only when we give up our pathetic, finite egos that we are able to experience the joy of the infinite.