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India celebrates the unconditional love and bond between brothers and sisters in two ways – either as Rakshabandhan or as Bhai Dooj. While Rakshabandhan is the tying of a rakhi (thread) on the hand of a brother by his sister, whereas Bhai Dooj is putting a mark of Vermillion, known as Tilak, on the forehead of her brother.
Bhai Dooj celebrates the eternal love between brothers and sisters is celebrated on the last day of Diwali. Bhai means brother, and Dooj means two days after Diwali in Kartik month of the lunar calendar. On this pious day, every sister prays for a healthy, long, and bright life of their brothers, and in return, brothers give gifts and cash to their sisters.
There is a unique understanding between a brother and a sister. They are the best friends of each other, protectors of each other, admirers of each other, secret sharers of each other and has unconditional love for each other.
It is difficult to decode the feelings, emotions and love between siblings. However, there are special days or occasions that are dedicated to strengthening the love between a brother and a sister. Bhaiya Dooj is one such occasion that can define the eternal love between different siblings (brother and sister). This wonderful festival is an important occasion where sisters pray to God for the longevity, well-being and prosperity of their beloved brother. The occasion occurs after the two days of the Diwali festival. According to the Gregorian calendar, the occasion occurs on the 2nd day of the Shukla Paksha of the Kartika month which falls between October and November. The festival of Bhaiya Dooj falls on 16th November, Monday for the year 2020.
Though the procedure varies in different parts of India, sisters invite their brothers to her house and offer a sumptuous meal often including their favorite dishes/sweets. While carrying forward the age-old tradition, sisters make a seat for their brothers with rice flour to complete the ceremony. She performs aarti to her brother and applies a red tilak mark (a mix of Vermillion, Dahi, and rice) on the forehead of her brother. It is believed that this tilak marking ceremony on the occasion of Bhai Dooj signifies the devotional prayer of a sister for the long and prosperous life of her brother. In return, elder brothers bless their sisters and treat them with many gifts, jewelry, or cash.
There are different stories related to the origin of this auspicious day. According to a legend, the supreme Lord Krishna visited his sister, Subhadra after a rigorous fight and killing the mighty demon Narkasur. His younger sister gave him a warm welcome and celebrated that day as a memorable day with flowers, eatables, and sweets. Subhadra also applied the ceremonial "tilak" on the forehead of Krishna, and performed aarti. Hence the festival of "Bhai Dooj" originated from there.
Another legend revolves around the story of God Yama (the God of Death) and his sister Yamuna. It is believed that after a long period God Yama met his beloved sister on Dwitheya, the second day after Diwali (the new moon day). Lord Yama was delighted by his sister's loving welcome, and the brother and sister spent a pleasant evening in each other's company. When it was time for God Yama to leave his sister's house, He said, you have welcomed me with a pure heart, but I did not bring you a gift. Therefore, ask me something and that will be yours.
After some friendly discussion, Yamuna requested Him for a boon and said, "it is my wish that all brothers should remember their sisters on this auspicious day and if possible, they should visit their house and, on this day, all sisters should pray for the longevity and happiness of their brothers." "So be it!" proclaimed Lord Yama, and said, "I grant long and healthy life to all brothers who give blessings and gifts to their sisters on this day".
The celebration of Bhai Dooj is very similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. On this day (Diwas) brothers visit their sisters. Sisters apply tika on their brother's forehead; pray for their welfare and long life, and brothers vow to protect their sisters from any harm ―which is meaningless because only the Supreme God can protect us in all situations. Such ignorant celebrations hurt the sentiments of those sisters, who don't have brothers, and they cry in solitude and remain in deep grief.
According to Hindu mythology, the festival of Bhai Dooj relates to Yamraj, the god of death, and his sister Yamuna. It is said that they missed each other dearly and sister Yamuna requested her brother to visit her on many occasions. So one Day finally when Yamraj went to visit her sister, Yamuna treated him with so much love and respect, applied tilak on his brother's forehead, and offered him sweets.
Yamraj, being immensely pleased with such respect, gave Yamuna a boon. Yamuna asked him to visit her on that same Day each year. So the ritual of brothers visiting their sisters began from there. There is another legend related to Bhai Dooj, according to which Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra who was married to Arjuna. Subhadra welcomed him very warmly with sweets, flowers and also applied tilak/teeka on Shri Krishna's forehead. This too is believed to be the origin of the festival.
Whatever its origin may be, Bhai Dooj is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm throughout the country. There are no texts stating the official tale related to the origin of Bhai Dooj and there is no significance of celebrating Bhai Dooj. Let's go back to the legends from where this festival is believed to have started.
Subhadra applied tilak (sindoor) on her brother Shri Krishna's forehead who is believed to be God himself. But when Subhadra's son Abhimanyu was trapped and killed in the war of Mahabharata, Shri Krishna was not able to save him. Even Subhadra's tilak did not ensure the long and happy life of Shri Krishna. He died with an arrow hitting his foot after all the male members of his family killed each other in front of him.
The knowledge about the Supreme God is given by a Tatvdarshi Sant. A Tatvdarshi Sant is the one who possesses complete knowledge of our holy scriptures and gives the correct way of worship. In Bhagwad Geeta chapter 4 verse 34, devotees are told to find a Tatvdarshi Saint and get the correct way of worship. Yajurveda Chapter 19, verses 25, 26 also tells the identity of a complete Tatvadarshi Saint. Bhagwad Geeta Chapter 17, verse 23 gives the hint of the mantras that are given by a Complete Saint. No other saint on earth can reveal the secret of those mantras.
When one takes the refuge of a Tatvadarshi Saint and worships the Supreme God Kabir Saheb ji, they will be protected by God and will attain health, wealth, peace and Salvation.
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