Raksha Bandhan Story

Q: Q.3 Who did Goddess Lakshmi in Vishnu Purana tied rakhi?

Goddess Lakshmi tied a rakhi on Bali’s wrist and became his sister.

Raksha Bandhan is a light-hearted festival which shows the bond and love between brother and sister. Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm throughout India.

Rakshabandhan is celebrated in the month of Shravan(Sawan) in the Hindi calendar which falls in August. Following is a detailed explanation of the Raksha Bandhan Story.

Raksha Bandhan is one of the ancient festivals which were also celebrated by gods and goddesses. There is a history behind the festival of Raksha Bandhan. According to Vishnu Purana, when the king of Demons ‘Bali’ was told to ask for a boon from Lord Vishnu then he asked him to live with him in his palace. Lord Vishnu accepted Bali’s request and started to live in his palace with him.

But, Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu wanted him to go back to his palace. Then Lakshmi tied a rakhi on Bali’s wrist and became his sister. Then Bali asked Lakshmi Mata what she would take as a return gift. Goddess Lakshmi asked him to free lord Vishnu as a return gift and let him return to his place Vaikunth. Bali accepted the request and returned lord Vishnu to him. This shows love and responsibility for a brother to his sister.

‘Raksha’ means protection and ‘Bandhan’ means bond. This explains sisters pray for their brothers for their well-being, prosperity and flourishing life and in return, brothers promise to protect their sisters in any circumstance throughout their life. Rakshabandhan refers to the brother’s love and responsibility to his sister and the sister’s love and responsibility to his brother. Raksha Bandhan is not only a festival of tying rakhi to one’s brother and sister rather but it is also celebrated among cousins and other people who want to nurture brother-sister relationships.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated not only by Hindus but by many other religions. Also, it is celebrated not only in India but few other countries like Nepal, Pakistan, and Mauritius. In Sikhism, Rakshabandhan is celebrated as ‘Rakhardi’ or ‘Rakhari’.