The 'shubh mahurat' or the correct timing for tying rakhi this year on Raksha Bandhan brought in a lot of confusion as there are two dates involved for the festival. The correct timing begins on August 30 and goes on till August 31.
According to reports, Professor Vishwamurti Shastri has cleared the air by announcing the 'Shubh Muhurat' to perform Raksha Bandhan and that is "between 9:02 pm to 11 pm on August 30. One can also tie Rakhi the next day i.e. August 31, before 7 am."
Why are there two dates for Raksha Bandhan 2023?
Raksha Bandhan falls on two dates this year - August 30 and August 31. According to reports, Drik Panchang reads that the presence of Bhadra Kaal during the festival resulted in this as one should not perform the tying of rakhi during this phase. The Bhadra Kaal ends at 9:01 pm on August 30 so one can begin the rituals at 9:02 pm that day and the Poornima Tithi begins at 10:58 am and ends on August 31 at 7:05 am so the Raksha Bandhan rituals should also be over by 7:05 am on August 31.
Meanwhile, the chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi, Acharya Satyendra Das told ANI that Rakshabandhan should be celebrated on August 30 only and that "there is no 'Muhurta' during the day". Das said, "Rakshabandhan will start at 08:04 PM on 30th August and end at 11:36 PM on the same date."
History of Raksha Bandhan
The epic Mahabharata is the source of one of the legends associated with this festival. In the mythology, Lord Krishna accidentally cut his finger on the Sudarshan Chakra. Seeing this, Draupadi pulled out a piece of cloth from the saree and tied it to the wound to stop the bleeding. She was promised to be protected forever by Lord Krishna as he was deeply touched by her gesture. Later, Lord Krishna saved Draupadi when she was humiliated in the Hastinapur royal court by Kauravas.
Significance of Raksha Bandhan
The festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond between siblings as the sister ties rakhi around the wrist of their brothers and the brothers promise to protect them forever and the two take care of each other for life.
Preparations for Raksha Bandhan 2023
People across India have started preparations for the upcoming Raksha Bandhan festival. Women in Shimla, Delhi and Thane started buying rakhis while many have also making them by hand since last week. Visually-impaired women have made ‘Rakhis’ at 'Andh Kanya Gruh' ahead of ‘Raksha Bandhan’, in Ahmedabad. Young women in the outskirts of Jammu made Rakhis for soldiers protecting the borders of our country.
