Rakhi Story | Why Do We Celebrate Rakhi? | Story of Raksha Bandhan

Rakhi Story | Rakshabandhan Story for Kids

Rakshabandhan / Rakhi is an Indian festival that celebrates the bond between a brother and sister. Here's storyteller Rohini Vij of NutSpace sharing a few known and a few lesser-known tales of the festival.

Why do we celebrate Rakhi?

00:00 Introduction
01:27 Story: Krishna's Promise to Draupadi
06:51 Story: Yam & Yammi's Endless Love
17:41 Story: Gurudev's Call for Harmony

Krishna's Promise to Draupadi

One of the most popular and sweetest stories behind rakhi is the story of Lord Krishna and Draupadi. When Krishna used his Sudarshan chakra to behead Sisupala, his finger got cut from the sharp spinning chakra. That's when Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, tore the pallu of her sari and tied his finger tightly with the cloth to make the bleeding stop. Krishna was grateful to Draupadi and began considering her as his sister from that day onwards. He asked her to always count on him if ever she is in trouble and blessed her with "Akshayam" which means unending or infinite, just like the love between siblings should be.

When Draupadi is in trouble, she remembered her brother's promise to her and prayed to Him for help. This was when the Kauravas wanted to disrobe her. They were unsuccessful in doing so because Krishna came to his sister's rescue and uttered the word "Akshayam." Draupadi's sari became unending. The 'chirharan' could not happen.

Yam & Yammi's Endless Love

A lesser-known, yet beautiful story, that has many versions is that of the first mortal beings on earth Yam and Yami. Born to Surya dev (Sun God) and Sanjana (queen of clouds) the twins loved each other dearly. However, Yam meets an untimely death. This devastates Yami who cries endlessly and a river forms with her tears. The gods don't know how to console her for whenever they visit her to explain that all mortals must die one day, all she says is 'Yam just died today.'

The gods decide to lessen her pain by ensuring she takes a break from her grief by resting or sleeping. That's when they urge her father Surya dev to set in the west. That's the first time night breaks on earth. The moon and stars make their first appearance on earth and Yami gives in to the natural cycle of sleep. When she wakes up the next morning, she is still grieving but this time she says, 'Yam died yesterday.' And so it goes, the cycle of day and night and Yami's pain reduces.
Yami becomes River Yamuna while Yam meets a very different fate. As the first mortal to be born he also becomes the first one to die. He had also left this world without committing any sin. Because of this Yam becomes the first human being to earn the divine status of a God. He becomes Dharmaraja, the king of Dharma and the God of death - Yamraj.

Many years pass and the Earth becomes abundant with many more people. Nature is fuller with people, animals, and life. River Yamuna flows beautifully and finds a dear friend in River Ganga. One day Ganga notices that her friend Yamuna is forlorn and not her usual self. Yamuna tells Ganga that she misses her twin brother Yam, who is now Yamraj. To reduce her friend's anguish, Ganga pays a visit to Yamraj and urges him to visit his sister. And so he does. The twins spend the entire day rejoicing their bond and reliving the memories of their childhood. That's when Yam blesses Yamuna with immortality and promises her that he will visit her at least once a year. This will become their day and this day came to be known as Raksha Bandhan.

Gurudev's Call for Harmony

There are several anecdotes in History where Rakhsha Bandhan was celebrated not just by siblings but as a symbol of love, hope, unity, building new bonds and keeping promises. One such beautiful anecdote in History is at the dawn of the 19th century when the nationalist movement was at its peak in Bangal.

To curb this nationalist movement, the Britishers decided to divide Bengal, a move vehemently opposed by various leaders of the time, including Rabindranath Tagore. The British government passed the orders of partition in August 1905, on the day that happened it was Raksha Bandhan. Tagore urged the Hindus and Muslims to unite and tie the sacred thread or rakhi to each other to show that they are brothers and cannot be divided. This is how this festival of love between siblings actually became a festival that celebrates the love between humans. This is how Rakshabandhan fostered religious harmony back then.

Here's wishing you all a very Happy Rakshabandhan. May this day not just be a day to celebrate the love between siblings but also the love between humans.

#rakshabandhan #rakhi #rakhistory #festivalstories #nutspacestories #storieswithrohini

Тэги:

#rakhi_story #rakhi_story_in_hindi #rakhi_story_in_english #rakhi #raksha_bandhan #raksha_bandhan_special #raksha_bandhan_story #why_do_we_celebrate_rakhi #why_do_we_celebrate_rakhi_festival #why_do_we_celebrate_rakhi_in_hindi #why_rakhi_is_celebrated #rakhi_festival_in_india #raksha_bandhan_history #the_story_behind_raksha_bandhan #story_of_rakhi_festival #rakhi_history #raksha_bandhan_siginificane #indian_festivals #rohini_vij #why_do_we_celebrate_raksha_bandhan

Скачать видео