Raksha Bandhan: ଧାଗାର ଇତିହାସ ଆଉ ଅର୍ଥ

Frequently asked

Common questions

• When is Raksha Bandhan in 2026 and what is the rakhi muhurat?+

  Raksha Bandhan falls on Friday, 28 August 2026. Shravana Purnima ends at 9:48 AM IST that morning, so the rakhi should be tied between local sunrise and 9:48 AM. In Delhi that is roughly 5:58 AM to 9:48 AM, in Mumbai 6:24 AM to 9:48 AM, and in Kolkata 5:19 AM to 9:48 AM. There is no afternoon or evening window in 2026.

• Why is the Raksha Bandhan window only in the morning this year?+

  Shravana Purnima runs from 9:09 AM on Thursday 27 August to 9:48 AM on Friday 28 August. Bhadra occupies Thursday from 9:09 AM to 9:32 PM, which covers the whole of Thursday's daylight, including aparahna and pradosha. That leaves Friday morning, from sunrise until Purnima ends at 9:48 AM, as the only stretch that has Purnima present, Bhadra absent, and daylight.

• What is Bhadra kaal and can a rakhi be tied during it?+

  Bhadra is the popular name for Vishti karana, the seventh of the eleven karanas, each of which is half a tithi. It is held unfit for auspicious beginnings throughout muhurta. Vishti always falls in the first half of a Shukla Purnima, which is why it collides with Raksha Bandhan so often. The tradition specifically forbids two acts inside Bhadra, the tying of the raksha sutra on Shravana Purnima and the lighting of the Holika fire on Phalguna Purnima, and warns in strong language about doing either anyway.

• Can the rakhi be tied on the night of 27 August after Bhadra ends?+

  Purnima does continue through Thursday night after Bhadra clears at 9:32 PM, and a minority of families and panchangs treat that late-evening stretch as usable on the grounds that Purnima is present and Bhadra is gone. The mainstream reading, and the one this site follows, keeps the rite in daylight and uses Friday 28 August between sunrise and 9:48 AM. If your family astrologer has told you otherwise, follow your family practice.

• Which wrist does the rakhi go on?+

  The raksha sutra is tied on the right wrist for men and for unmarried girls, and on the left wrist for married women. The person receiving it holds the hand steady rather than slack, and traditionally keeps a coconut or a few grains of rice closed in the fist while the knot is being made.

• What is the mantra for tying a rakhi and what does it mean?+

  The standard verse is: Yena baddho Bali raja danavendro mahabalah, tena tvam anubadhnami rakshe ma chala ma chala. It means, with that by which Bali, the mighty lord of the danavas, was bound, with that I bind you; O protection, do not slip, do not slip. It is preserved in the household ritual manuals rather than in one sealed text, and it is said once, unhurried, just before the knot is made.

• What should you do with the rakhi after Raksha Bandhan?+

  Leave it on. Most families keep it at least three days, many until it falls away by itself, and some until the next Raksha Bandhan. When it does come off, it should not go in the bin. Immerse it in flowing water, place it at the root of a tree, or tie it to a peepal, the same way you would dispose of any consecrated article. Some households remove theirs on Janmashtami and offer it there.