The First Raksha Bandhan Was Between a God and a Demon
Riya Kumari | Jul 24, 2025, 18:04 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Highlight of the story: Long before modern rituals turned Raksha Bandhan into a sugary celebration of protection, its first story was rooted in something far deeper: trust between opposites, the strength of dignity, and the quiet intelligence of a woman who didn’t raise her voice, but changed fate. We often think of festivals as rituals, routines, days marked on the calendar. But the ones that last, the ones that keep coming back generation after generation, are never just about rituals.
Some stories are remembered for their miracles. Some for their battles. But a few are remembered because they tell the truth, quietly, without performance, without demand. This is one of those stories. Raksha Bandhan is celebrated today with sweets, laughter, and the symbolic thread of protection. A sister ties a rakhi, the brother vows to protect. It’s warm. It’s affectionate. And for many, it’s the simplest reminder of family. But the first Raksha Bandhan wasn’t simple. It wasn’t between a brother and sister by birth. It wasn’t sweet. It was sacred. It was between a god and a demoness. And in that story is a truth most people overlook: The strongest relationships are not built on blood or rituals. They are built on choice. And on the willingness to keep your word.
1. The Demon Who Was Too Noble
Bali was an asura, a "demon," if we go by categories. But to call him that would be incomplete. He was disciplined. Devoted. He ruled not with cruelty, but with fairness. He performed yajnas, gave generously, and honoured his word, even when it cost him everything. And that’s exactly what happened. When Lord Vishnu appeared before him as a humble Brahmin boy and asked for three steps of land, Bali agreed without hesitation. It was a test. Vishnu expanded in cosmic form, covered the heavens and earth in two steps, and then asked for the third. With nowhere left, Bali offered his own head.
That should’ve been the end of the story. But it wasn’t. Vishnu, moved by Bali’s unshaken sense of dharma, chose to stay with him, in the underworld. The god who came to humble him chose to live beside him. Not to punish. But to honour. That in itself is profound. Even the divine bows to integrity. Even a demon can be a teacher of righteousness.
2. The Woman Who Knew Her Power
Then came the moment we rarely talk about. Bali’s wife, known by different names in different traditions, was not angry. She was clear. Her husband had kept his word. Now, she would keep hers. She approached Vishnu not as a victim, not as someone seeking pity, but with quiet determination. She tied a rakhi. And in doing so, she reminded Vishnu: This is not a request. It is a sacred bond now. And you, as my brother, must return my husband’s freedom.
Vishnu listened. Why? Because he saw something we often miss. She was not demanding protection. She was offering trust. And when trust is offered by someone who has every reason not to trust, that is the highest form of dignity.
3. What This Story Actually Tells Us
Raksha Bandhan was never just about a brother protecting a sister. It was about what protection really means. Protection is not muscle. It is presence. It is honour. It is saying: If I have power, I will use it justly. If I have strength, I will not let it become arrogance. If I make a promise, I will not forget it when it is inconvenient. This story doesn’t live in the realm of gender roles or rituals.
It lives in something deeper: moral clarity. A demon king who gave up everything but kept his word. A goddess-like wife who didn’t plead, she reminded. A god who did not insist on hierarchy, he chose humility. There is no shouting in this story. No war. Just decisions. And every one of them reveals what real power looks like.
4. Why This Story Still Matters
In a world where promises are casual, and loyalty is often convenient, this story quietly asks you: Will you keep your word, even if no one is watching? Will you use your strength to lift someone instead of control them? Can you stay true, even when you don’t get the credit? That is Raksha Bandhan. Not a thread for show. But a vow of inner discipline. A moment where two beings, who had every reason to stand on opposite sides, chose to trust instead. And in that trust, something ancient and eternal was born.
So when you tie a rakhi this year, or receive one, pause. Not to perform, not to follow a custom blindly. But to ask yourself: What kind of bond am I honouring? Is it shallow or sincere? Is it about show, or about substance? Because long ago, in the stillness of the underworld, a woman tied a thread that changed the fate of a king and touched the heart of a god. No one celebrated it. But the universe remembered. So should we.
1. The Demon Who Was Too Noble
That should’ve been the end of the story. But it wasn’t. Vishnu, moved by Bali’s unshaken sense of dharma, chose to stay with him, in the underworld. The god who came to humble him chose to live beside him. Not to punish. But to honour. That in itself is profound. Even the divine bows to integrity. Even a demon can be a teacher of righteousness.
2. The Woman Who Knew Her Power
Vishnu listened. Why? Because he saw something we often miss. She was not demanding protection. She was offering trust. And when trust is offered by someone who has every reason not to trust, that is the highest form of dignity.
3. What This Story Actually Tells Us
It lives in something deeper: moral clarity. A demon king who gave up everything but kept his word. A goddess-like wife who didn’t plead, she reminded. A god who did not insist on hierarchy, he chose humility. There is no shouting in this story. No war. Just decisions. And every one of them reveals what real power looks like.
4. Why This Story Still Matters
So when you tie a rakhi this year, or receive one, pause. Not to perform, not to follow a custom blindly. But to ask yourself: What kind of bond am I honouring? Is it shallow or sincere? Is it about show, or about substance? Because long ago, in the stillness of the underworld, a woman tied a thread that changed the fate of a king and touched the heart of a god. No one celebrated it. But the universe remembered. So should we.