Raksha Bandhan is a sacred thread that binds us in God’s Love, liberates us from all the bondage's of the body and the physical world, and fills us with feelings of safety and protection. Let our feelings be pure and elevated for every soul. Let there be forgiveness and good wishes. Together, we will be able to create an atmosphere of love and contentment in our world. Let this Rakshabandhan be a proof of self-transformation. Let us remember to renounce our wasteful thoughts, words and actions and transform them into elevated ones as we tie our Rakhi this year.
With God’s love and remembrance –Sister Mohini
The True Significance of Rakhi (Bond of Protection)
Do we ever stop to marvel at the magic of love? They say love is as delicate as a flower that a single touch can bruise it, and yet so strong as to withstand all storms. Love is the epitome of freedom and power but only when grounded in Purity and Spiritual principles. The Festival of Raksha Bandhan (Bond of Protection) speaks of this Sacred, Loving relationship that nurtures, protects and uplifts. Traditionally, sisters apply a “tilak‟ on the forehead of their brothers, tie a colorful decorated “rakhi‟ or thread on their brother’s wrist, and offer sweets as a token of their love. In return, the brother vows to protect his sister under all circumstances and of course, gives his sister a gift.
Raksha Bandhan has a deeper spiritual explanation. The “tilak‟ is a sign of being victorious over “BODY-CONSCIOUSNESS‟ and the web of vices that influenced us to perform negative actions. It is also a symbol of awakening one’s awareness of “Soul-consciousness”, realizing our true identity as infinitesimal points of divine energy – Soul, Atma, Ruha, Spirit or divine light energy, and NOT the physical body.
Tying a “rakhi” is a symbol of purity in thought, word and deed. So, make a pledge to stay in your original nature of peace, love, purity, wisdom, mercy… my every thought, word and action becomes elevated and divine. Then, we receive the sweets as God bestows on us divine wisdom, becomes our true protector and liberator, and showers us with unlimited peace and happiness! Under His canopy of protection, we can be truly safe. The gift I give is to see every other being as a child of God and part of my spiritual family. This unlimited vision of brotherhood breaks all barriers of caste, creed, age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, sanskars (personality traits)…. I can live by my TRUE SELF-RESPECT and help others to do the same.