(P) Stories connected with Raksha Bandhan

STO-401

There are number of stories or incidents connected with Raksha Bandhan, and we narrate five, as follows:

  • The Bhavishya Purana cites a story that the Devas (demigods) once battled with the Asuras (demons) for twelve years. However, the Devas, headed by the mighty Indra, were losing the war. As they prepared to fight again, Sachi (also called Indrani) tied an amulet, a rakhi, on the wrist of her consort, Indra, after extolling the glories of Raksha Bandhan. Indra then attained victory.
  • Before the battle of Kurukshetra, narrated in the Mahabharata, Queen Kunti tied a rakhi on her grandson, Abhimanyu, to protect him in battle.
  • According to the Mahabharata, Yudhisthira, the eldest of the five Pandava brothers, asked Shri Krishna, how best he could guard himself against impending evils and catastrophes in the forthcoming year. Krishna advised him to observe the Raksha Bandhan ceremony. He also narrated an old incident to show how potent the rakhi can be.

    When the devotion of the demon King, Bali, won over Vishnu, the Lord promised to become his devotee’s doorman. Thus he was compelled to leave his own abode, Vaikuntha, and to stay in Bali’s kingdom in a place called Sutal. When Lord Vishnu failed to return, his distressed consort, Lakshmi, journeyed to Sutal. She arrived on the full-moon day called Shravan Purnima.

    She accepted Bali as her brother by tying a rakhi on him. In return, Bali asked her to request a boon. She asked for her husband’s return. However, the Lord had pledged to eternally protect Bali, by guarding his door. To resolve this dilemma, Brahma and Shiva agreed to guard Bali for four months each, while Vishnu would guard him for the auspicious four months of the rainy season, called Chaturmas (literally ‘four months’, the period from around mid-July to mid-November). The festival of Raksha Bandhan commenced when Lakshmi tied the ‘rakhi’ on King Bali. Since Bali offered devotion by sacrificing everything to the Lord, the day is also known as ‘Baleva’. Therefore, when brahmin priests perform puja rituals, they often chant a famous mantra while tying the rakhi on a devotee:

    Yena baddho baliraja danavendro mahabala,
    tena twamabhi badha nami rakshe ma chala ma chala

    The translation is: I tie on you (the devotee) the raksha which was tied on Bali, the King of demons. Therefore O Raksha! Do not ever fail to protect this devotee; do not ever fail.
    – Bhavishyattara Purana : 137/20

  • According to a popular story, the Queen of Mewar, Maharani Karmavati, had to face the threat of Governor Bahadur Shah who laid siege to her kingdom. Outnumbered and unable to resist, she sent a rakhi to the Moghal king, Humayun. The Muslim emperor, who under normal circumstances would not have helped a Hindu ruler, decided to protect her from the threat. Humayun reached Mewar at the last moment, just as the queen was preparing for self- immolation. He put flight to Bahadur Shah and his troops and restored the kingdom back to the Queen.
  • A story is told of the wife of Alexander the Great. She approached her husband’s mighty Hindu adversary, Pururavas, and tied a rakhi on his wrist. She sought assurance from him to protect the life of her husband on the battlefield. The chivalrous Hindu king responded in true kshatriya (warrior) style; as he raised his hand to deliver a fatal blow to Alexander, he saw the rakhi on his own wrist and restrained himslef. The two sides later signed a truce.