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In Sanatan culture, the sacred festival of Rakshabandhan, a symbol of the unbreakable love and sacred bond between brother and sister, is celebrated every year on the full moon day of Sawan month with great pomp. On this day, sisters tie Raksha Sutra i.e. Rakhi on the wrists of their brothers and pray for their long life and bright future, while brothers promise to protect them. However, we all have heard since childhood that the festival of Rakshabandhan is dedicated to the love between brother and sister, but very few people know that there are many mythological stories related to the origin of this festival which are beyond the brother-sister relationship and are related to the history created between Gods and Goddesses. One such most popular and relevant story is related to Goddess Lakshmi and demon king Bali, after knowing about which the importance of this festival becomes even deeper.
Lord Vishnu left Vaikuntha and went to the underworld.
According to the mythology, when Lord Vishnu took Vaman incarnation and took all the three worlds from King Bali in three steps, then King Bali, due to his charity and keeping his word, asked for a unique promise from the Lord. Bali told Lord Vishnu that you will reside with me in the underworld all the time. Bound by this devotion and commitment of King Bali, Lord Vishnu had to leave his city of Vaikuntha and guard the underworld as the gatekeeper of King Bali. Mother Lakshmi became extremely worried and sad due to the absence of God in Vaikuntha, because her husband and the protector of the universe had now become the guard of the palace of a demon king. To find a solution to this problem, Goddess Lakshmi thought of a diplomatic and religious solution which changed the course of history.
Goddess Lakshmi went to the underworld as an ordinary woman.
Mother Lakshmi made a very beautiful and unique plan to bring her husband Lord Vishnu back to Vaikuntha Dham. She hid her identity and assumed the form of an ordinary and unhappy woman and went straight to the underworld, where King Bali ruled. When King Bali saw that destitute woman crying in his court, being a just and compassionate king he immediately asked Goddess Lakshmi the reason for her sadness. At that time, Mother Lakshmi, while acting in front of King Bali, said that I have no brother and there is no one to protect me in this world, hence I feel very alone and insecure. Being a glorious and generous king, Bali could not ignore the cry of that woman and without knowing who she was, he accepted her as his religious sister.
Tying Rakhi on the wrist of King Bali and asking for boon
When King Bali accepted that common woman as his sister, Mother Lakshmi took out a sacred Raksha Sutra from her bundle and tied it on King Bali’s wrist and prayed for his long life and happiness and prosperity. At that time, King Bali was both surprised and extremely happy that he had received the affection of such a godlike sister. When Bali asked his sister to ask for the desired gift, which he had promised his sister, then Goddess Lakshmi appeared in her true form and asked for the boon for which she had created this entire masquerade. She told King Bali that if you want to give me the gift of being a true brother, then free my husband Lord Vishnu from this guard of Patala Loka and allow him to go back to Vaikuntha.
The great sacrifice of Bali, a king who was true to his word.
King Bali was famous in all three worlds for his charity, devotion to religion and words. When he saw that the woman he had made his sister was Goddess Lakshmi herself and that she had hatched this plan to get her husband back, he was momentarily stunned. Despite this, being a great king and a devout Asura, he refused to go back on his word. Bali gladly agreed to Mother Lakshmi and freed Lord Vishnu from the bondage of Hades, after which Lord Vishnu returned back to Vaikuntha Dham with his wife Lakshmi. According to the legends, the day when Goddess Lakshmi tied the Raksha Sutra to King Bali was the full moon day of the month of Sawan, and from then onwards the tradition of celebrating this historical festival of Rakshabandhan on this auspicious day started.
The real message of Rakshabandhan and its modern significance
This mythological story of Goddess Lakshmi and King Bali teaches us that this festival of Rakshabandhan is not limited to blood relations only, rather it is the name of that sacred resolution of trust, affection, religion and protection which creates a strong unbreakable bond between two persons. Even though the form and manner of this festival may have changed in today’s modern era, its basic spirit is still the same which was established centuries ago in the underworld between Goddess Lakshmi and King Bali. This festival inspires us to respect and protect every person who ties the thread of faith in our lives, and that is why even today this festival of Rakshabandhan remains the most vibrant and joyous festival of our culture.