The festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on full moon day(Purnima) of Shravan Masa. This festival is a symbol of unbreakable bond between brother and sister that cannot be described in words. To understand the significance of Raksha Bandhan, first of all we will need to understand its meaning. “Rakshabandhan” is made out of two words Raksha + Bandhan. That means, a bond which take the promise of safety.
In the Hindu religion thread of Rakhi is the token of emotional unity. It is a thread of love and faith. It provides the strength to brothers to stand by their sisters in every situation of life and protect them from all evils. Thread gives power to brothers so that they can be capable of protecting their sisters. It is the only festival in the Indian tradition, which makes all social relations strong and holds a cultural and social importance as well.
Speciality of Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is specially the festival of feeling and sentiments. A bond which ties two people with a thread of love. An unbreakable bond of Raksha Bandhan has crossed the restriction of only brother and sister. Now Rakhi is also tied between Guru and his disciple, two brothers, two sisters, two friends or parents and child which can be seen in various ancient scriptures as well. Raksha Bandhan is not just accepting the relationship of sister. But, the person who get the Rakhi tied on his wrist needs to accept his responsibilities. And should try to maintain the relationship with full dedication.
In present society, the social issues arising nowadays can be removed with the help of festival of Raksha Bandhan. When we see old parents roaming in search of old age homes, then a question mark is put on our development and growth. The solution of this problem can be tying of Rakhi to parents, and children taking the responsibilities of completing their duty towards their parents. This way an important problem of society can be solved.
Hence, festival of Raksha Bandhan should not be restricted to brother and sister, instead we need to expand the scope of our ideas and understand its significance in today’s contexts. In brief it is a festival of making relationships stronger with a bond of affinity and love. This bonding gives Indian tradition a different recognition from others.
Raksha Bandhan Puja
On this day sisters, after having bath etc. in the morning, prepare variety of dishes. After this, plate used for worshiping is decorated and Rakhi, saffron, turmeric, rice, lamps, insence sticks, sweet and some money is kept in the plate. First of all, the family God is worshiped. After this,Tilak is applied on the forehead of brother, followed by applying and scattering rice on the head. Aarti is performed. Then, Rakhi is tied on the right wrist of brother.
Sisters touch the feet of their brothers and seek their blessings, and in return brothers promises to protect them till the end of their life and give gifts in the form of money or clothes. While tying Rakhi, sister should chant the following mantra for the longevity of her brother. The person, who wants to celebrate this festival, should take bath early in the morning and wear new clothes. After this, family god should be worship, then, Rakhi is also worship. Remember your ancestors and take the blessing of elders.
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