A lot is being shared regarding the time of tying Rakhi this Rakshabandhan and something called bhadrA, normally unheard of.
So, what is this so-called inauspicious time for tying the sacred Resham Ki Dori, or for that matter doing any other good stuff? Is it something we need to give importance to, or is it all utter bunkum?
Well, my personal take on this is, if you truly believe in the tradition of tying Rakhi, and that it does work its magic between a sister and brother, then you might as well go the whole hog, and follow the ritual to the tee, as far as feasible. Let the pundits make timetables and do their thing of making the rituals sacrosanct and you, simply follow what is to be done, unquestioningly.
Unfortunately, we don’t think that way. We want to add our own sensibilities to the rituals and traditions and do only what we find convenient and easy. Thus, we begin refuting and dissenting. We bring in science and logic. We add our own bit, or remove what we find impractical, absurd and untenable.
It’s not really the rituals that we are interested in, but the feelings that they invoke, we tend to argue. We want to be done with time consuming and long winded procedures. We look for quick fix alternatives. We are in a screaming hurry to finish the whole jamboree and get back to our phones, partying and work.
However, if you are the kind of person who sincerely believes in these things, you can find much joy and happiness in each of these processes and rituals. Maybe, they do make sense, at least in pulling you out of the daily whirlwind of worldly affairs for a while, and bring much needed succour and peace.
So, what is this bhadrA that is the bane of this year’s Rakshabandhan? Why is the time inauspicious?
The term comes from Vedic astrology. It is related to tithi or the moon’s phases. A pretty complicated affair, we don’t want to get into. Suffice to say that Bhadra Kaal is a specific time period in Hindu astrology that is considered inauspicious for certain activities and is one of the five inauspicious time periods, collectively known as Panchaka.
Bhadra is the sister of Lord Shani Dev and the daughter of the Sun God. She was very beautiful but had a very rigid nature and could control her temper. It’s said that as soon as she was born, she ran to swallow the entire universe. Lord Brahma then pacified her ferocious nature and she was recognized as Vishti Karana, a major part of the Panchang or the Vedic five element astrological chart.
When the time of any auspicious work is considered in Jyotish, special care is taken of the Bhadra period and all auspicious work is done at most times, except in the Bhadra period.
According to Muhurta Chintamani, the residence of Bhadra is determined by the sign of the Moon. It is believed that when the Moon is in Cancer, Leo, Aquarius, or Pisces, then Bhadra resides on the earth. When Moon is in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Scorpio, then Bhadra resides in heaven. When the Moon is situated in Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, or Capricorn, Bhadra’s abode is believed to be in Hades. In the calculations, the abode of Bhadra on earth is considered heavy. Many works are considered taboo in Bhadra. Such head-shaving ceremonies, home commencement, marriage ceremony, home entry, Rakshabandhan, auspicious journeys, starting a new business, and all kinds of auspicious work are considered taboo in Bhadra. Good work done in Bhadra is inauspicious.