Vow to protect Earth, nature & mother tongue this Rakshabandhan: Acharya Prashant
Wednesday, 30 August 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The founder of Prashant Advait Foundation, Acharya Prashant has said that one should vow to protect the Earth, nature and the mother tongue on this Rakshabandhan. He said, “Rakshabandhan means the bond of protection. It is a very ancient festival during which sisters tie the thread of protection around the wrist of their brothers. However, in history, Rakshabandhan has not been a festival between brother and sister. There are numerous such mentions in Bhavishya Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Bhagwat Purana where one person would tie protective thread on the wrist of another person.
It was not necessary then that these two persons involved must be a man and a woman. It is mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana that when Indra was losing in the battle between the gods and the demons, Guru Brihaspati protected Indra. In the Gurukul tradition, on completion of education, the guru and the disciple would tie such sacred threads on the wrist of one another, signifying a bond of mutual protection. Rani Karnavati sent a rakhi to Humayun, seeking his protection while considering him as her brother. It has become a tradition now that the sister ties rakhi around her brother’s wrist and the brother vows to protect his sister from harm. It signifies protection of the weak by the strong.”
He further said that today, sisters do not need protection. Now, women are being empowered in every way. Today there is something else which is good and yet is dying and so needs protection. “Today, the Earth, nature, environment, animals and birds are weak and vulnerable; so these need protection. Our mother tongue is becoming extinct; so it needs protection. Today, there are very few people left who write Hindi. If the script becomes extinct then who will be able to save the language? If language is lost, culture is lost and if culture is lost, spirituality will be lost. And if spirituality withers the divine spark in humans would cease to exist.”
He further said, “On this auspicious occasion of Rakshabandhan, whether we are sisters or brothers, everyone needs to save the precious heritage of life. On this Rakshabandhan, we all should make every possible effort to save them and give them security.”
