Kathmandu

Yein baddo bali raja danavindro mahabala

Tena twom pratibadhanami rakshya maachala maachala

(I tie on you (the devotee) the raksha which was tied on Bali, the King of Demons. Therefore, Oh Raksha! Do not ever fail to protect this devotee, do not ever fail.)

Many of us have tried uttering this verse without knowing the meaning. The priest who visits our homes during Rakshya Bandhan or Janai Purnima ties a colourful thread on the right wrist of our family members uttering this mantra.

Sacred Thread Festival

Janai Purnima (Sacred Thread Festival) is one of the great festivals of the Hindus that falls on Shrawan Shukla Purnima. Janai is a sacred thread, and Purnima means full moon day, and this sacred thread is changed on the full moon day. Therefore, this festival is termed as Janai Purnima.

On this festival, people consume kwati — a soup prepared by mixing sprouts of nine different pulses.  Apart from janai, doro and kwati, this festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi on a brother’s wrist by the sister for his long life and prosperity.

“Ashad and Shrawan are the months for people to fall sick as this time is ripe for bacteria and germs to germinate and to help maintain immunity people eat the soup from made from cooking these mixed sprouts,” shared Sharma.