QnA with Sri Sri
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Q: Please tell us the significance of Raksha Bandhan.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Today is Raksha Bandhan (a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters), and Shravan Upakarma (ritual conducted once a year when people change their upanayana thread).
The purpose of Raksha Bandhan is to remove fear from our lives.
It is fear that distorts our goodness and our creativity. It shrinks our personality and badly affects our behavior with other people.
Do you know what Upakarma is? It is the day of changing the Yajnopaveeta (sacred thread). What does the thread symbolize? It symbolizes the responsibilities that one carries on their shoulders. There are three strands in the Yajnopaveeta. What it implies is, we are indebted towards our parents, we are indebted towards our society and we are indebted towards our heritage. Carrying these three debts on the shoulder is Yajnopaveeta.
We have responsibility towards society. Society is giving us everything, so we have to give back to the society. Parents have taken care of us, so we have to repay their debt. And we have received knowledge, so we have the debt of that knowledge, debt of the heritage, debt of the Dharma. We are carrying these three debts on our shoulder. That thread weakens with time, so each year we remember it and giving Tarpana (offering) to the Rishis (ancient sages) we change the thread. We are indebted to the sages who have maintained this knowledge in the world for millions of years. Without the Rishi heritage, the knowledge would not been available for us today. For that, this is the day to pray to those sages and thank them.
Raksha Bandhan is a festival of giving assurance to each other, 'Look, I am with you'. Raksha Bandhan is a festival of connectivity, of giving assurance and confidence to each other that I am there with you and I am committed to help you, and stand by you. To say these things, we celebrate Raksha Bandhan, which means the bond of protection. With this assurance what happens? That fear vanishes. The purpose of Raksha Bandhan is to remove fear from our lives.
When there is bonding there is no fear. The lack of bonding is what causes insecurity to creep in. We worry what the other person will do. Will they take away our things from us. This fear of someone snatching things from you, whether it is family or society is very strong. And this fear is what distorts our goodness and our creativity. It shrinks our personality and badly affects our behaviour with other people. So the whole process, the festival is to celebrate knowledge and wisdom. Also, here in India, each full moon is dedicated to a particular event. A particular attribute is given to each full moon.
http://qnawithsrisri.artoflivinguniverse.org/
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Q: Please tell us the significance of Raksha Bandhan.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Today is Raksha Bandhan (a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters), and Shravan Upakarma (ritual conducted once a year when people change their upanayana thread).
The purpose of Raksha Bandhan is to remove fear from our lives.
It is fear that distorts our goodness and our creativity. It shrinks our personality and badly affects our behavior with other people.
Do you know what Upakarma is? It is the day of changing the Yajnopaveeta (sacred thread). What does the thread symbolize? It symbolizes the responsibilities that one carries on their shoulders. There are three strands in the Yajnopaveeta. What it implies is, we are indebted towards our parents, we are indebted towards our society and we are indebted towards our heritage. Carrying these three debts on the shoulder is Yajnopaveeta.
We have responsibility towards society. Society is giving us everything, so we have to give back to the society. Parents have taken care of us, so we have to repay their debt. And we have received knowledge, so we have the debt of that knowledge, debt of the heritage, debt of the Dharma. We are carrying these three debts on our shoulder. That thread weakens with time, so each year we remember it and giving Tarpana (offering) to the Rishis (ancient sages) we change the thread. We are indebted to the sages who have maintained this knowledge in the world for millions of years. Without the Rishi heritage, the knowledge would not been available for us today. For that, this is the day to pray to those sages and thank them.
Raksha Bandhan is a festival of giving assurance to each other, 'Look, I am with you'. Raksha Bandhan is a festival of connectivity, of giving assurance and confidence to each other that I am there with you and I am committed to help you, and stand by you. To say these things, we celebrate Raksha Bandhan, which means the bond of protection. With this assurance what happens? That fear vanishes. The purpose of Raksha Bandhan is to remove fear from our lives.
When there is bonding there is no fear. The lack of bonding is what causes insecurity to creep in. We worry what the other person will do. Will they take away our things from us. This fear of someone snatching things from you, whether it is family or society is very strong. And this fear is what distorts our goodness and our creativity. It shrinks our personality and badly affects our behaviour with other people. So the whole process, the festival is to celebrate knowledge and wisdom. Also, here in India, each full moon is dedicated to a particular event. A particular attribute is given to each full moon.
http://qnawithsrisri.artoflivinguniverse.org/
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