Rakshabandhan – when to tie Rakhi on 30th or 31st August 2023… how to do puja and tie rakhi …

Rakshabandhan is an auspicious day to celebrate the bonds of love in between siblings , brother and sisters or anyone who one cares for. It is a day that falls on the Shravan Purnima tithi.

Traditionally , Raksha sutra is pious thread that carries a lot of blessings of the Divine Supreme in it and when tied to a person ( especially a brother)  it brings in growth , success and protection for the one who wears it.

A mantra is chanted while tying the auspicious thread so that all the protection is bestowed on the wearer while tying the Raksha Sutra .

This year the Purnima Tithi falls on the 30th of August 2023.

However there is a lot of catch about when to celebrate the beautiful festival as Bhadra falls in the first half of Purnima Tithi and would prevail on most of the day on the 30th of August . It is considered inauspicious to tie Rakhi when Bhadra prevails.

The best time to tie the Rakhi is the afternoon time and if that is not available then Pradosh kaal time is also considered good.

There are few rules that needs to be followed while tying the auspicious thread.

Firstly, Bhadra kaal should be avoided.

Secondly , Raksha Sutra should be tied till Pradosh kaal time and not later than that. 

Thirdly , it should be tied on Purnima tithi.

Fourthly , if Purnima Tithi prevails till next day morning then Udaya tithi rules should be considered. 

keeping all the above context in mind. the following points come in the forefront.

Bhadra prevails till 9:01 pm on 30th of August .

Pradosh kaal shall prevail from 18:50 – 21:05

So the auspicious time on the 30th shall be only for 4 minutes ie from 9:01 pm to 9:05 pm . one can tie Rakhi on this time. 

Purnima Tithi will start on 30th August 2023 from 10:48 am  till 7:06 am on 31st of August 2023.

According to Muhurt Chintamani , if the tithi exists for 3 muhurt ( 1 muhurt is 24 minutes) after Sunrise then it should be considered as the Udaya tithi and that day should be taken as the Tithi day.

The Sunrise in Delhi is at 5:58 am , so the total time spent till 7:06 am shall be 68 minutes which means only 4 minutes less in the 3 muhurt time. This is still acceptable than tying Rakhi on the Bhadra muhurt .

It is best to tie the Rakhi on 31st Morning before 7:06 am . 

Alternatively, if one doesn’t have time and can only do it on 30th of August 2023 then one can follow the following too…  :

Keep the Raksha sutra or Rakhi in your puja room / prayer alters on Trayodashi tithi especially at pradosh kaal which is best time to offer prayers to lord shiva and then one should seek his protection and blessings so that irrespective of the time , May his protection and blessings empower this Rakshasutra so much that even if this is tied in any time of the day especially Bhadra kaal , due to Lord Shiva’s blessings no harm shall come to the person who shall wear this Raksha Sutra as Shiv ji’s Divine energies will protect him.  May Mahadev’s powers,  continue to shed off any negativity on Bhadra kaal and then due to his blessings one shall be free to tie to Rakhi on any time one wishes to choose  even on 30th of August 2023. 

Mythology : Why is Bhadra Kaal time avoided :

It is said that Bhadra is the sister of Shani dev and daughter of Lord Surya and Chaya . She has an aggressive personality and was born with a  face of donkey with a long tail and three feet. She has an attitude of fierceness and feisty temper.  Soon after she was born she started destruction by destroying Yagya, Havan , creating hurdles in auspicious works. Looking at her temper no one wanted to marry her and this caused a lot of anxieties in Lord Surya’s life.

Lord Brahma came to his rescue and gave a part of time in the panchanga to Bhadra and said that she will be the 7th Karana in Panchang and allowed her to do whatever she would want as per her nature during this 7th part of time in the Panchanga. Bhadra agreed to Lord Brahmas boon and stopped destruction in other time expect the time dedicated to her in the Panchanga.

This is the reason any auspicious work is not done during Bhadra kaal.

.

How to Tie Rakhi:

Prepare a plate with Roli , Akshat (rice grains), sandalwood paste , ghee diya, sweets, mauli ( auspicious thread) / Rakhi .

First apply roli , akshat etc to Gods in your prayer altar and tie Rakhi to them . Offer them sweets , light incense and ghee diya in front of them and mentally pray that whosoever shall wear this Raksha sutra should be blessed by the Divine supreme and will be protected always by the Divine energies.

After that  on the same plate keep Raksha Sutra for your brother/ sibling ..

Make your brother sit facing East and apply roli , akshat, sandalwood paste on his forehead , then keep some rice grains and coin in his right hind and ask him to fold his palms like a fist. then tie the Rakhi to him chanting the following mantra. :

“Yen Badho Bali Bali Raja, Danvendro Mahabalah,

Ten Tvam Raksha Badhnami, Rakshe Machal Machal ‘

( Meaning: I am tying on your hand this Raksha Sutra (auspicious thread), with which the most powerful and generous King Bali himself was bound. May you be blessed and protected always – May this Raksha sutra bring you Divine protection always.)

The brother in return thanks her sister for such prayers and offers her gifts and in return vows to protect her too..

Rakshabandhan is a beautiful festival of love and eternal bonds between siblings, brothers and sisters..

Have a beautiful Rakshabandhan.