What is Raksha Bandhan?
On Shravan Purnima, Hindus all over celebrate Raksha Bandhan. “Raksha” means protection, “bandhan” mens bound or binding. The festival is also known as Balev. Scriptural Origin The Bhavishya Puran cites a story that the devas once battled with the danavas (demons) for twelve years. However, the devas lost, including the mighty Indra. So they prepared to fight again. On this occasion, Indrani tied a raksha on her consort Indra, after extolling Raksha Bandhan’s glory. Indra then attained victory. During the battle of Mahabharat, Queen Kunti tied a raksha on her grandson Abhimanyu to protect him in battle. When the demon King Bali’s devotion won over Lord Narayan, he was compelled to leave his abode, Vaikunth, to stay in Bali’s kingdom in Sutal. When Lord Narayan failed to return, his distressed consort Lakshmi arrived in Sutal on Shravan Purnima. She accepted Bali as her brother by tying a raksha on him. In return, Bali asked her to wish for a boon. She requested Narayan’s return. She gr
