RSS Utsav - Raksha Bandhan on Shravana Poornima

We have gathered here to celebrate Rakshya Bandhana Utsav. Bharath is such a culture that we have Utsav every day. Sanghs as an Organization has taken up 6 Utsavs to celebrate based on their Social significance (Samajika mahatva), Spiritual Significance (Adhyatmika mahatva), Rastriya mahatva. Rakshya Bandhana is one of them.

• a. Varsha Pratipada or Hindu New Year on first day of Chaitra masa
• b. Hindu Samrajya Dinotsav on Jyeshtha Shuddha Trayodashi, commemorating the coronation of Chatrapati Shivaji 
• c. Gurupooja on Ashadha Poornima 
• d. Raksha Bandhan on Shravana Poornima 
• e. Vijayadashami on Ashwayuja Shuddha Dashami 
• f. Makara Sankranti

Today in this coming 10-15 minutes we will put some thoughts about this Utsav. Chintan karenge to parivarthan ayega, this is the day of Atma chintan… Hence in every Utsav day we will have a small talk so that we will recall the importance of it and celebrate the utsav with Consciousness.

• The Philosophy behind this.
• How this is started and evolved based on time?
• Some important Historical events happened on this day?

Rakshya Bandhana. Composted of 2 words: Rakshya + Bandhana:

• · Bandhana, which is also called as Bondage, Our ancestors have termed this as Bairagya from Bondage. We need to break the bondage and come out of it. Because we need to move to Mokshya, that is our altimate goal. …
• · Why are we celebrating this Bandhan? If we understand in a deeper level then everything in the whole cosmos has a bondage, Mother Earth is binded around Sun and so it Moon, Sea is bounded by beach…
• · Human being since the day of birth bounded…. A kid is binded with responsibility of just living…. Grown up as a student, bounded with Gurukul Dikshya, Then Parivar Bandhan….. then Society bandhan or rastra bandhan.
• · However, our Philosophy is to break all Small/lower Bandhan and go to the next bigger Bandhan. Dr ji or our pracharak has given their life for the cause of this Rastra or our society.
• · They break the Bandhan of the small family then accepted the whole Bharath Varsh as their own family…. Then consider every house as their own house…. They expand their horizon in everything, things are not limited for them…..
• · So Bandhan is a natural thing which we have to accept (स्वयं स्वीकृतं नः सुगंकारयेत्॥३॥ )…..
• · Bandhana is Responsibility. The Bandhana represents Atmyiyata, the binding represents Bandhuta, the binding represents samanata, this binding represents samarasata.

Rakshya: (Byakti->Samaj->Samskar & Samskruti)

• · Our culture is build such a way that Dharma is the base of everything…. If you see our Philosophy of Purusharth – (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Mokshya ), the first thing is Dharma…… then only other things will come….
• · Dharma holds everyone, Dharma Joins things (Jodta hai), murtyu se amrut se taraf lead us.... lead us to light from dark ness.... What is Dharma can be a separate baudhik topic “dasakam dharma lakshna….”..
• · But there is a popular part of Shloka “Dharmo rakshati rakshitaha” if we want to be protected we need to protect Dharma. If Dharma is protected, then we will be protected…. So our main intension is to protect the Dharma.
• · Who can protect the Dharma? Is it a person who can protect? It is all of us together only can protect. 
• · However, we are mortal being how long we will live to protect Dharma…. We are nothing but a part of the society. We are mortal, but the society is immortal. Society is eternal…. People like us keep coming and keep going.
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• · Vivekananda came from this society, Shivaji came from this society…. So we are just part of the society.
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• · Samskar and samskruti are the mind and heart of the society. A society can be possible without this mind and heart as well. But we cannot say them as we society. To protect the society we need to protect the samskara and our Samskruti.
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• · When people from a society starts living a life who are संस्कारित , संगठित, धार्मिक then those behavior will come as संस्कृति for that society. A society with good संस्कृति and संस्कार can only live longer. Hence Hindu is existing since eternally….

Rakshya Bandhana:

• · Rakshya + Bandhana = Taking responsibility , a day to take a sankalp to protect the dharma and samskruti.
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• · A story of Pandava…. Bakasura story everybody may be knowing…. The family was in suffering who will go to Bakasura. Then Mother Kunti listen that and then She told that “You have given me shelter” and I will help you. I will send one of my Son. Then Kunti came back to ser Sons and brought the point “जो महत्व केलिये में आप को पाला बढ़ा हूँ , अभी एक महत्व हमारे पास है |, I want Bheem to go to Bakasura…”
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• · When there was a problem in the society, a family came up and own that problem… then forget about their own comfort or selfishness … They accepted this for a bigger cause… we are not living not just to enjoy, construct house but we have a bigger objective to achieve.
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• · Byakti Dharma, Kutumb Dharma, Samaj Dharma, Rastra dharma and then Mokshya … that is the way. For Dharma Ram went to Vanavas… Everbody knows that, Or else “he could have told that Janta hamare sath hai ji, hum kyon jayenge Jungle….”

What is the Spiritual Importance’s:


We all share the same Divinity - Oneness is Rakshya Bandhana:

• · Advaita Philosophy - Sanatana Dharma which believes in multiple ways lead to the same goal. Multiple gods represent the same Bramhan. Rivers are many and they flow to the same sea and reside there peacefully.
• · Sarir/Mana/Buddhi is not Byakti, But Jo sarir-mana-buddhi ke madhyam se byakt hota hai, yo Byakti hai. So that who can do this is God himself.
• · We believe that God is everywhere. Even when a Ahankari/Atyachari raja patthar ke piller ko lath marta hai, to bhi bhagvan comes out from that piller.
• · Only Human is the only medium who can menifast the divinity through his Conduct/ characters and become God himself. Andar ka bhagvan ko byakt karna sirf Manusya karsakta hai.... Who cannot do that is called Prani(who has prana) they are not Manusya. ….“Karni karke Nar Narayan ho jana"
• · From the same concept our Samskra “Namaskar” has come. Both hands represent duality and then come together as a perfect one. By doing Namaskar we accept and acknowledge the Vedantic philosophy of oneness. By doing Namaskar we honor and inherit the wisdom of Yoga.  

• · Rakshya Bandhana is to represent Yoga or Union, this is to represent Oneness and non-duality. This is to represent “Vasudhiva Kutumbkam”. This is to represent “Ekam sad viprabahuda vadanthi”.
• · Rakshya Bandhan is nothing but a Yoga, Yoga between Byakti to Byakti, Yoga between byakti to samaja, Samaj to Samskar, Samskar to Dharma, and lead us to Mokshya….
• · Rakshya Bandhan is a sadhana which binds us together and makes us as One. व्यक्ती व्यक्ती मे जगाये धर्म चेतना, जनमन संस्कार करे यही साधना ।

Let’s talk some of the historical events which had happened on this auspicious day.

• · It is believed that Sri Rama started for Lanka to rescue Sita on this day. He crossed the sea from the bridge made by the Vanar Sena by throwing stones in water.
• · This is the day when Lord Vamana has come to Mahabali and asked for land of 3 steps and He pressed Mahabali to Patala…
• · Full moon (Poornima) day of the holy month Shravana (August). known by many names such as Baldev, Naliyeri Purnima or Coconut Day.
• · Another ritual enjoins on the Brahmins renewal of their investiture. On this occasion, they take a pledge to rededicate themselves to the cause of vedic dharma and to rise above mundane pursuits.
• · Fishermen start their voyages on this day for fishing.
• · The farmers start sowing seeds on this day and pray for a good crop.

Beginning and Evaluation of Rakshya Bandhana:

• · According to the Bhavishya Purana, the practice of tying rakhi began when Maharani Shachi, Lord Indira’s wife, who possessed occult powers, tied a protective knot containing rice and sarson (rape seed) on the right wrist of her husband to help him in his crusade against the demons. Lord Indira succeeded in crushing his foes.
• · Mahabharata, when Sri Krishna kills Shishupaala with his weapon, Sudarshan-Chakra, his finger gets wounded. Seeing this Draupadi tears a piece of cloth from her sari and ties on the wound. And after quite some time, when Draupadi was insulted by the Kauravas, Sri Krishna rescues her by showering saaris.
• · As Kali Yuga was approaching, Once Yudhishthira asked Sri Krishna how best he could guard himself against impending evils and catastrophes in the coming year. Sri Krishna advised him to observe the Raksha ceremony. Hence this took a form of festival and it has been continuing since then.
• · If you go to any temple also they tie a sutra which symbolizes the protection form God. Many of us also keep tying the sutra from different sources….
• · Rakshya Bandhana has taken many form/manner and styles based on different time. Earlier it as limied to only in family and mainly brothers and sister. With the onslaught of foreign invaders, the practice of tying a rakhi extended beyond the bounds of family and sometime became an intra-family or even an inter-racial affair.
• · Rani Karmavati of Chittor sent a rakhi to Humayun, soliciting his help against Bahadurshah, the ruler of Gujarat.

Threats Current:

• · Earlier it was only disease and outside forces/ enemies etc .....But now we are very must in danger, because it is not someone is attacking using a sward...but it is through our finance, educations, other intellectual things we are getting attacked every day. TV advangaes, Movies, Digital, Sensual pleasure. etc . Now it is not just a person surakshya, but we want every protection, women protection, child protection, food, water etc ... It is not Dharma Yuddha but it is a trajon horse wala attack. Chhadma Yuddh ...we are facing every moment.
• · In Sangh, the festival is celebrated in a little different way. Sangh participants not only tie raksha to each other, but also to bhagava-dhwaj (Saffron flag). Bhagava dhwaj symbolizes entire Hindu society. The tying of raksha to the sacred bhagava dhwaj at the start of the function signifies this social and cultural aspect.
• · The Mantra,”I will save you. You will save me and together we will save our Motherland”. Dharmo rakshati rakshitaha
• · "Rakshya ke ye Bandhan…", “Dharma ka ye Bandhan…” Svikar karna, aar palan karna hai...If we follow, then we will get pratistha and samskar... This will make a Patha Pradarshak Samaj....
• · A recent instance of abolishing 370 is an example of that: We are becoming stronger and we started correcting our own mistake. The whole world is watching us now. ... this is the result of this Rakshya bandhan.

• · Are we courageous enough to take this as a challenge? When required we are ready to stand for the society? Are we ready to sacrifices for the rastra? Are we ready to put yourself for the Dharma?
• · Let’s come out of our house, all sisters and brothers and take a Sankalp for this.

Samarasata Mantra:


हिन्दव:सोदरा: सर्वे, न हिन्दू: पतितो भवेत्।
मम दीक्षा हिन्दू रक्षा, मम मंत्र: समानता।।


भावार्थ:
सब हिन्दू भाई है, कोई भी हिन्दू पतित नहीं है। हिंदुओंकी रक्षा मेरी दीक्षा है, समानता यही मेरा मंत्र है।


[Baudhik given in Sangheek on 11th-Aug-2019, on the occasion of Rakshya Bandhana]