Dusting off the dirt from the tradition of Rakhi

A Book that sits in shelf, inevitably gathers dust. When people stop making efforts to learn the real sense hidden in the Book and start interpreting the title on its cover by hear-say, inevitably a huge chunk of information never comes into picture. Also, you should expect a considerable amount of information to be false. Would you go by a review of any book by someone who hasn't read the book but writes the review on hearsay? Moreover, would you trust someone to tell you about the book, when that someone doesn't really want you to read the book? Whatever your answers are, I'd request you to relate this whole introduction to Hindu Traditions. Most of our traditions have changed with time, for various reasons, and now are under attack - Rakshabandhan is one of them.

Attack, you say? Yes. When a tradition with so many colourful interpretations and forms has been chopped down into a stub and then even criticised, I would say, it is under attack.

I try to recall what I learnt through my education in school about the festival and traditions of Rakshabandhan? All I remember is the story of Rajpoot Queen Karnavati who sent Rakhi to Humayun to protect Chittor from Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujrat. Humayun though set off immediately to her rescue with his troops, arrived too late. Bahadur Shah had managed to sack Queen's fortress and Rajpoot Queen along with other 13,000 women had performed Jauhar. Though a lot of historians remain skeptical about the legend, I don't dare to doubt what the school text books dictate me to believe. Yet, this is a historical account; where is the religious origin of this festival?

Going by popular belief, Rakshabandhan is a festival that (exclusively) celebrates the bond between a brother and sister; but if so, why a similar festival called 'Bhai-dooj' is also celebrated? I was also taught about Queen Draupadi tying a piece of cloth torn from her attire on Krishna's finger to stop it from bleeding. But then Draupadi was Krishna's Sakhi/Friend...isnt this another shade of this festival? Trying to find the origin of this festival, I also read about stories about Yam and Yamuna, King Bali and Lakshmi and the story about Santoshi Maa, daughter of Ganapati. All these stories strengthen the belief that it is a festival that celebrates the love between a brother and sister... and I would be happy with that too; but Wait! Why would then Pundit jee on the same day tie Raksha-sutr on the wrist of their Yajman? Why do women tie Rakhi amongst themselves?

courtesy :
Religious Basis of Hindu Beliefs By Dr. Bhojraj Dwivedi

This time I tried to concentrate on the term 'Rakshabandhan' - literally, a thread tied that would protect; and that is when I came across Devi Shachi and Indra's story. Long story short, Devi Shachi (Indra's consort), tied raksha sootra on Indra's wrist before going for war, which made him fearless and due to the effect of the Raksha-sutra, he won the war. The interesting thing to note here is that Devi Shachi is Indra's consort - this adds a new dimension to the festival of Rakshabandhan.

Bhavishya Puran mentions :
सर्व रोगापशमनं सर्वाशुभविनाशनम् ।
सत्कृत्कृते नाब्दमेकं येनरक्षा कृता भवेत्॥
Raksha-sutr worn on Shravani Poornima is the destroyer of all diseases and inauspicious activities. By wearing it in a proper manner once a year a man remains protected for the whole year.

With all these different stories, What I could conclude is that the festival is basically about Rakshasutra tied by a wife to her husband, a Pundit to Yajman, a sister to her brother and even amongst women to bless the other with courage and invisibility so that She/He could in turn protect others. With the arrival of Mughal hordes, Rakshabandhan inspired men to fearlessly fight to defend their women. Though the other vibrant hues of this festival are still practiced, Bollywood with is obvious lack of knowledge of cultural values picked up and romanticised only the bond between Brother and sister. 

I have only attempted in this article to brush away the dust from a small volume of a mammoth set of books called Sanatan Dharma and I am sure I'm still missing a few aspects here. The best way to conclude is with a few words from a respected elder, who first pointed out the hidden truths - 

"The Indian mythology is an endless ocean. You will draw only as much water from it as the size of your bucket (mental and spiritual pre-requisites) and if your bucket is placed bottoms up, even if the whole ocean is poured over it, you won't get a single drop out of it."

a girl tying Rakshasutra to her Mother

Technology and Ashirwad

॥श्री॥ 

A morning walk on beach is good for body, mind and soul. while the walk exercises the body, the mind gets time to ponder over things that we often overlook in our day to day life. The wind on your face with the sound of the waves make for a perfect setting. It is often at such a time and place, that you may stumble upon a pearl of wisdom.

During my morning walk today, as I walked past by a few sandcastles, I overheard a small conversation between a young lad, maybe around 21 years old, and an old retired couple. The boy was trying hard to explain some deep-techie-Gyan in simple Hindi. It appeared that the old couple had some technical difficulty with their new Mobile phone and asked the young man for assistance. Though I hope their problem was solved, It is difficult to conclude the same. The Old man while leaving placed his palm over the Lad's head -
an age old Hindu way of giving your blessings to someone. As they parted, the 3 of them shared smiles.

Normally, I wouldn't have  even noticed this conversation, but watching them all smile as they walked away made me think - how technological difficulties can help us overcome the giant gap between generations, New and Old - how a difficulty can be changed into an opportunity. The couple in asking the Lad for assistance, let go off their ego. Ego left and smiles blossomed.

While the young can help the elderly with technology, let us not forget, the former is equally in need of  spiritual guidance and support from the latter. Unlike earlier times, the exchange now is two way and the need to share is greater than ever. The key is to lose the EGO. The opportunity is here, lets embrace it. Let us RECONNECT.

Narendra Modi - Sending out the right signals

We have been reading and listening to people saying "Parliament is Temple of Democracy." Finally, someone behaves like it really is! 

News channels have talked much about Modi-Advani rift, yet today we saw both Modi and Advani share a genuine hug. Advani has seen the party grow from just 2 seats to a massive majority of 282 seats for BJP alone, while the alliance, NDA, bags 336 seats! Even for a seasoned Politician like Advani, to see the sapling he and his fellow BJP leaders planted bloom into such a massive tree, must be overwhelmingly emotional. No doubt he has been spotted teary eyed a few times by reporters. The overwhelming victory seemed to get the best of Modi too, when he too got emotional during his speech, twice. Other BJP leaders too couldn't help joining in. Cynics may pass this as merely a publicity stunt, but those who understand human behavior and BJP-RSS history, their passion, and devotion for the Nation would'nt doubt the feelings. In any case, the Nation today follows every move made by Modi very closely and is full of hopes. What makes Modi so special? 

The answer is, besides his and BJP's hard work and marketing, Modi never fails to make positive and bold statements through his actions. He grabs every opportunity to send the right message. Here is a list of observations - 

Pre-election, Modi not only refrained but also refused to address and divide Indians as Muslims and Hindus, as Minority and Majority. This was the beginning of the end of Vote-bank Politics. 

While filing his nomination at Vadodra, Kiran Mahida (a Tea vendor) and Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad from the royal family of Vadodra were his two proposers. Both were carefully chosen to represent the humble and the great, a male and a female. 

Similarly, in Varanasi, the four proposers - Padmabhushan Pt. Channulal Mishra (Hindstani Classical Singer), Justice Giridhar Malviya (grandson of freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya), Virbhadra Nishad (Boatman) and Ashok Kumar (weaver)... all represent and symbolise different sections of the society. Before Modi, not many knew about even the role of a proposer in the process.

Post Elections, the 1st time he was spotted was while visiting his mother, hitting the right notes with people.

His 1st public address was at Vadodra, 2nd at Ahmedabad and 3rd at Varanasi after visiting Kashi-Vishwanath temple and performing Ganga aarati. The 3 cities symbolise his journey from State to National Politics. His speeches ensured a strong connect with every individual who voted for him, finding the same with the ones who didn't. Offering prayers, he made sure to put an end to 'pseudo-secular' vote bank appeasement politics. 

The most probable name for his successor as Gujrat CM is Anandiben patel - Women empowerment in action.

Pre and post elections  Modi talked about development...development for everyone - for the young and the old, for poor and rich, for men and women. His talks about technology made him popular among the younger generation. He respects India's customs and Traditions. He comes from a humble family. His relatives still live a humble life. All this makes it possible for him to connect emotionally and ideologically with people from different walks of life. How about the other politicians start taking notes?

Using Navratri as an opportunity for personal development

We all know Navratri is a 9 day long festival that celebrates different manifestations of the Divine femininity. But, besides its spiritual significance, these auspicious  9 days can also be used for personal development. How? Read on, to find out. 

Let us begin with knowing a little about Navratri. There are 4 Navratri in a year, 2 that we know of, are also called 'Pratyaksh'(प्रत्यक्ष) Navratri, while the other 2 are called 'Gupt' (गुप्त=secret) Navratri, Marked in blue in the figure below.

*correction, VASANT Navratri and not 'Vasat'.

It, thus can be seen that the 4 Navratri occur at regular intervals of 3 months, dividing a year into 4 quarters. These 4 Navratri can be considered as 'Check-points'. Here's how to use these 'check points' -  

Making Resolutions : We all make New-year resolutions every 1st January, most of which don't last long, and only the most strongly followed ones survive for a month or two. Instead of feeling disheartened by the fate of these resolutions, how about giving ourselves more chances to make resolutions and then trying our best to follow them through? How about taking each Navratri as an opportunity for jotting down a list of new habits you might want to inculcate and the ones that you want to quit, of goals that you want to achieve and places you want to go.

Its is interesting to note that the gupt Navratri of Paush/Magh falls around New year. So, New year resolutions are already in place. Right? Also, Vasant Navratri (Also known as Chaitri Navratri) that starts with the Hindu New year celebrations as Ugadi or Gudi Padwa, almost coincides with Financial New year. How about doing your taxes and taking care of your investments before this Navratri? 

The 4 Navratri can be used as check points that are spread 3 months apart, to list Goals, weigh options, review progress, make necessary changes, device new strategies and put our priorities in order, thus improving our chances of Success.

Health : Most Hindus fast during the two Pratyaksh Navratri. Some fast for all 9 days, some just on the 1st and the last day and some don't at all. There is no compulsion, as such. Also, it should be noted that 'fasting' is NOT starving. In fact, fasting helps us to control and reform our eating habits and presents an excellent opportunity to detoxify our body. Fasting when coupled with Lemon therapy and Water Therapy, in addition to detoxification, can do wonders for those who wish to shed a few extra pounds. Also, since every Navratri occurs at the onset of a new season, fasting during this time can help one's body to adjust to the seasonal changes.

In addition to its strictly physical effects, fasting can also serve as a powerful workout for one's will power. Resisting body's cravings for food and taste, conditions mind's control over body. Aren't most of the disorders that the modern generation faces, an outcome of unrestrained gratification of the senses? 

Another advantage that I found, from personal experience, is that when while fasting one takes simple meals consisting of fruits and dairy products, enough for a healthy body, it leaves one with extra time for other things. It may not seem much while you read about it, but I'm sure will agree with experience. 

Let us try and begin to see beyond the usual portrayal of India's rich cultural heritage and find the hidden wisdom of our forefathers in our customs, traditions and rituals.