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Rakshabandhan - Day of Girls

Raksha Bandhan is a festival to protect mental tendencies and develop self-respect. Girls tie a thread on a boy's wrist, making him her brother. His duty is to protect her; her duty is to protect and help him. This must be a true sibling bond. Using it as a trick to later marry is wrong. A Raksha Bandhan brother can be more helpful than a real brother. If the boy is older, he gives the sister a present yearly. If the girl is older, she gives presents. All boys collectively sponsor the festival meal. The girls can choose the food. It is nice to have this brother-sister relation.

"But then, slowly, slowly, to marry him—that is wrong."

"A Rakṣā Bandhan brother is more helpful than a real brother."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

To protect certain vṛttis (mental tendencies) and to develop self-respect, we have a tradition in India, a festival called the brothers and sisters festival. Tomorrow is Raksha Bandhan. Rakṣā means protection, and Bandhan means a knot. So, the girls tie the rakhī on the wrist of the boy, signifying that he will always be as a brother to her. It then becomes the duty of that boy, from now on, to protect that girl and help her in all situations. And her role is also to help that boy in all situations and to protect him. They should have a relationship of true siblings. Get closer to him and say, "Oh, you are my Rakṣābandhan brother." But then, slowly, slowly, to marry him—that is wrong. About five years ago, one girl made a Rakṣābandhan brother. This is a true story; I am not telling you incorrectly. Then, after two and a half years, she wanted to have a consultation with me because she wanted to marry him. So I said, "But he is your brother. That is a better brother." That was her trick for fishing, a trick to hunt him. It was not honestly meant. So you should not do this trick, neither boys nor girls. If you do not have the feeling, do not do it. But it is nice to have brothers, and you should always remember that in many cases, a Rakṣā Bandhan brother is more helpful than a real brother. Now, if the boy is older than the girl, then he is obliged to give her a present every year—like you give a birthday present or a Christmas present—and you should remember him every time: your birthday, his birthday, Christmas time, New Year's, and all occasions like Guru Pūrṇimā, and so on. And if the girl is older than the boy, then, lucky boys, you will get the presents. You will get chocolates. So tomorrow is Raksha Bandhan, and tomorrow is the full moon. Tomorrow we are going to have a Rākṣabandhan festival. You can prepare some thread, or in the office they have some thread, and we will do it in the garden. I think that will be very nice. Those who do not want to do it can just look and wait for next year. I think it is nice to have some brother and sister's relation. And then tomorrow, nice food will be cooked—something like halvā or something—and it will be sponsored entirely by the boys. So, all boys collectively, you can put something in the donation box. The girls can wish for what they want to eat tomorrow: spaghetti, pizza, halvā, purī, sabjī, or something. So tomorrow is the day of girls and happy brothers.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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