Famous Brothers and Sisters from Mythology
The word brother is derived
from a Sanskrit word “Brahta”. In the Hindu mythology, a son has been given
utmost importance for he is said to carry on the legacy of the family. The Hindu
mythology also places high regard to the chaste bond of a brother and sister.
Raksha Bandhan is a festival that was celebrated years after its origin or
purpose.
According to the Hindu mythology, tying a sacred thread (Mauli Rakhi) around a
brother’s wrist meant that may god protect him from the battles to come. This
also meant that the man had to protect his sister’s interest and return from the
battle field victorious and unharmed. Over the years, it became a festival where
families gathered and spent time with each other to enhance this pure bond.
One might ask as to why these figures are important and what makes the festival
so special? Well, because of instances from the past and the faith people had in
an omnipresent force. Where does one get to celebrate bonds and not the festival
alone? Rakhi is one such festival where we celebrate people and love rather than
stories. We bring to you a set of brothers and sisters from the Hindu Mythology
because of whom we cherish and enjoy the festival of Rakhi today!
1) Parvati & Lord Vishnu – Parvati was the wife of one of the
Hindu triad Lord Shiva. She was the reincarnation of Sati, Lord Shiva’s first
wife and was the daughter of King Himavan & Queen Mena. She made every effort in
her might to be an ideal partner for Lord Shiva who couldn’t come to terms with
the idea of remarrying after the death of Sati.
Parvati sort to Lord Vishnu’s aid and tied a rakhi on his wrist. In return, Lord
Vishnu promised to remove any obstacle that came Parvati’s way. Thus, lord
Vishnu and goddess Parvati became a brother and sister by virtue.
2) Draupadi & Lord Krishna – The chaste and pure friendship of
queen Draupadi & lord Krishna is not unfamiliar to the Hindu mythology. Their
friendship was turned into the bond of a brother and sister when Lord Krishna
cut his finger while flying a kite on the day of Makar Sakranti. While everyone
ran to fetch aid, Draupadi immediately removed a piece of cloth by tearing her
saree and tied it around his wound to stop the bleeding.
This gesture highly pleased lord Krishna and he promised to protect Draupadi in
times to come. He saved her from the embarrassment of the royal court and kept
her from disrobing her dignity and clothes.
3) Goddess Santoshi & Shubh-Labh – Shubh-Labh are the sons of Lord
Ganesha. Goddess Santoshi is also the daughter of Lord Ganesha. However, she is
the younger siblings of the two brothers and the story of her birth is a
fascinating one. On a particular year, amongst the celebration of Raksha Bandhan,
Shubh & Labh requested their father Lord Ganesha to have a sister for them in
order to celebrate the beautiful festival.
To his utter shock on the demand of his children, Lord Ganesha was rather
pleased to hear of what his sons want. Lord Ganesha then created a daughter
named Santoshi from fire. Thus, Goddess Santoshi & Shubh-Labh became brothers
and sister.
4) King Porus & Roxana – King Porus is one of the most fearless
and just rulers in the history of India. He was not only a celebrated monarch
but a man who wouldn’t turn from his word. During the battle of Hydepes with
Alexander the great, Alexander’s wife Roxana sent a Rakhi to King Porus to spear
her husband if he won the war.
Because of the promise and respect for Roxana, King Porus spared the life of
Alexander. Such was the relationship of this brother & sister.
5) Rani Karnavati & King Humayun – The bond of Rakhi is beyond any
religion or boundaries. Supported by the Indian History, according to a legend,
Rani Karnavati of Chittor and King Humayun were brother & sister by virtue. She
sort to his aid when Bahadur-shah; Sultan of Gujarat attached Chittor. As soon
as he received the letter, he left for Chittor to protect his sister.
However, it was too late and as he reached, he found nothing but ashes of Rani
Karnavati who performed Jauhar in order to keep her dignity.
6) Subhadra and Krishna - Subhadra is the only daughter of
Vasudeva, born to him by his wife Rohini Devi, thereby making her the
half-sister of Lord Krishna. Nevertheless, Lord Krishna and Subhadra shared an
incredibly loving, friendly relationship, so much so that when Subhadra and
Arjuna (Krishna’s cousin) fell in love with each other, it was Krishna who
helped the couple elope and get married, given that that their parents would
never give consent to their marriage. Arjuna was already married with three
wives in toe.
Nonetheless, on Krishna’s insistence Subhadra, and not Arjuna, drove the chariot
from Dwaraka towards Indraprastha, and the reason behind being equally
interesting. Krishna is said to have subsequently used this incident as an
evidence to convince his family that it was Subhadra who kidnapped Arjuna and
not the other way round. Unbelievable!!!
7) Yamaraj - Yami or Yamuna - As per Vedic scriptures Yami and Yamaraj( God Death) were born twins and in fact the tying of the traditional sacred rakhi thread was started off by Yami. It is said that Yamuna tied the sacred band to Yama so that her brother could lead an everlasting life. Yama touched by sister’s loving gesture declared that a brother getting a rakhi tied from his sister will lead a long life with God’s grace
8) Devaki and Kansa - Devaki, mother of lord Krishna was good,
kind and gentle lady. Sadly, her brother Kansa the King of Mathura was quite
cruel. In fact people of Mathura and neighboring villages were terrified of him.
There’s no one as brave and strong as him, assumed Kansa, However, Kansa had a
soft corner for his sister Devaki and even held her husband Vasudev in great
respect.
However, a heavenly warning regarding his death forced Kansa to throw his sister
and brother-in-law into prison. ‘Devaki's eighth son will bring his end’, was
the prophecy. And truly, the prophecy was fulfilled by Krishna.
9) Kripa and Kripi - Kripa, popularly known as Kripacharya was the
high priest at the court of Hastinapura. His twin sister Kripi married Drona,
the guru of Pandavas and Kauravas. According to Mahabharata, Kripa fought the
great battle of Kurukshetra for the Kauravas. Later on, he was appointed as the
teacher of Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna.
Kripa and Kripi are children of Sharadvan, a celibate saint and Janapadi- a
beautiful divine nymph sent by Indra to distract the celibate saint.
10) Kunti and Vasudev - Kunti and Vasudev, the father of Krishna, were born to King Shoorsen. However, Kunti was given in adoption to the childless King Kuntibhoja, therefore it is unlikely to find any past records of their shared childhood ; however, their children Lord Krishna and Arjuna went on to share great relationship.
11) Ravana and Surpanakha - They are certainly not icons, but the one good thing in the evil Ravana was that he was a loving brother who stood up for his sister’s honour. When Surpanakha came to him with her nose being cut by Lakshmana, Ravana comforted her and vowed to avenge her humiliation. He did, kidnapping Sita, although that eventually led to his downfall and cost him his life. There is some good in everyone, and his brotherly love was one point of redemption for Ravana.
Thus, these instances help us understand the true and real meaning of Rakhi. It
is not only about a thread tied around a wrist every year. It is about the
emotions that lay hidden under the hood of this beautiful relationship. King
Porus had no obligation to spare the defeated Alexander however he still didn’t
harm Alexander for his sister Roxana. Lord Krishna protected the honor of
Draupadi when the Kaurvas tried to disrobe her in the royal court.
Your sibling can do anything for you. There is nothing in this world they
wouldn’t do for you. Why not make this Rakhi 2019 even more special for them
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