Rakshabandhan - 6 Tales

Rakshabandhan: If you are also wondering why we celebrate the festival of Rakshabandhan? Here are some of the rare and exciting tales on Rakshabandhan- read on - you will love them

* Krishna and Draupadi: One of the most famous Rakhi stories is of Lord Krishna and Draupadi. When Krishna injured his little finger, Draupadi ripped off a part of her sari and bandaged his finger. In return, Lord Krishna pledged to protect her in times of misery.

* Yama and Yamuna: When Yamuna tied a rakhi to the lord of death, Yama, he in return, granted her immortality.
He was so moved by the gesture and announced that any brother who ties Rakhi and decided to protect his sister would never die.

* Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun: Rani Karnavati was the ruler of Mewar after her husband, Rana Sanga, died.
When Bahadur Shah attacked Mewar, Karnavati wrote a letter to Emperor Humayun for help and sent a rakhi requesting protection.
While the emperor didn’t manage to reach on time, he ultimately rebuilt the kingdom to Karnavati’s son Vikramjit.

* Roxanna and King Porus: A rare historical story says that when Alexander the Great conquered India, his wife Roxana sent Porus a sacred Rakhi thread and requested him not to hurt her husband on the battlefield.
Porus respected the request, and when he came to face to face with Alexander, he refused to kill him. Eventually, Porus lost the battle of the Hydaspes River.

* SantoshiMaa: A famous tale says that when Manasa, Lord Ganesha’s sister, visited him to tie him a rakhi. Seeing this, his sons — Shubha and Labha — needed to have a sister.
Ganesha then gave rise to goddess SantoshiMaa from the divine flames from his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi.

* Goddess Lakshmi and King Bali: Goddess Lakshmi pretended to be a homeless woman and approached King Bali. He opened the door of his palace to her without any delay. Elated, the goddess brought along success and well-being. On a full moon day in Shravana, Lakshmi tied a thread of colored cotton on Bali’s wrist and requested protection. Bali asked her what she wanted. She pointed to the gatekeeper, who was Vishnu in disguise protecting Lord Bali. Vishnu revealed who he was. Bali then wished Vishnu to return home with his consort. In return, Vishnu pledged to return and be with Bali for four months of the year.

What is Rakshabandhan? The word Rakshabandhan is made up of two Sanskrit words, "Raksha" and "Bandhan".
"Raksha" stands for protection and "Bandhan" means to tie. The festival symbolizes the eternal love of the brother-sister relationship through the knot of protection. On this day, a sister ties a Rakhi, the thread around her brother's wrist, and prays for his health and prosperity. The brother, in return, offers gifts and promises to protect his sister from any harm.

RakshaBandhan, also Rakshabandhan, is a popular, traditionally Hindu, annual rite, or ceremony, which is central to a festival of the same name, celebrated in India, some other parts of South Asia, and among people around the world influenced by Hindu culture.