Siblings day; the divine bond; consecrated threads

The Adiveda Weekly #12

Aug 07, 2022

Hari Aum Sadhakas!

In India, we celebrate an important festival called ‘Raksha Bandhan’ to commemorate the bond between siblings (this year on 11th August). The whole ritual centres on the tying of a cotton thread round the wrist of a person. As usual, all Hindu rites have an esoteric meaning.

The Hindu way of life

The Sanatana Dharma is the only culture that has placed such a premium and importance on a simple thing like the tying of a thread.

A thread is known as a ‘sutra’ in Sanskrit. It means that which binds things together. The word ‘raksha’ means to protect and the word ‘bandhan’ means a bond or tie. This thread is known as a ‘rakhi.’ The original esoteric meaning of this important custom has been forgotten and now you find many types of fancy bracelets being used as rakhis which have not been consecrated with mantras.

Reflection of the week

“Surrender the self to God for He is indeed the true brother whose strong arm alone will protect us from all harm at all times.”

For your everyday practice

Keep consecrated threads on for not more than forty-four days.

If the appropriate mantras during a puja or ritual have been chanted by a priest over consecrated threads, they are found to be able to keep these positive vibrations for a long time. If properly made, they could retain the energy for a whole mandala of forty-two to forty-four days. Hence, we are advised not to take off these consecrated threads from our wrist for this amount of time. Even then we should not cut them with a sharp instrument but take out the knot carefully or burn it slightly so as to take it out. This thread has then to be put round a bush or tree or thrown into flowing water like a river or stream.

For your health and well-being

Limit toxic environmental exposures.

It doesn’t matter how many supplements or herbs you take if the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe is constantly toxic/polluted. Many city-dwellers may find that their food, water, and air sources are not ideal for the maintenance of long-term human health due to their exposure to pollution, heavy metals, and other toxins. If it is affordable and accessible for you, choose to drink filtered watered, eat organic, traditional foods, and live as close to nature as you can (or install an air filter at home). These small changes can create large effects over time in improving your health, which no amount of supplements and herbs would otherwise be able to address.

By Dr. Poorna Menon, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

From Vanamali Mataji’s desk

There are many interesting stories in our Puranas about the tying of this thread. The very first mention of rakhi was during the time of the great King Mahabali.

At that time Vamana Murti, who is the fifth incarnation of Vishnu, had promised Mahabali to go and become his guardian at the place called Sutala. Lord Vishnu’s wife, Lakshmi, was not happy at this change of residence of her spouse so she went to Mahabali’s house disguised as a Brahmin woman. On the day of Shravana Purnima she tied a thread round the wrist of the demon king and told him who she was. She confessed that she had come there under false pretences since she could not bear to be parted from her husband for long. Mahabali was touched by her devotion to her Lord and allowed them both to return to their own abode of Vaikunta. This is the very first instance of the tying of a rakhi in the Puranas.