bhai phota by Pratim Das

Comments

Login or register to add a comment

No comments

A SPECIAL OCCASION FOR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN INDIA... BHAI PHOTA/BHAI DUJ .... WATERCOLOUR...7INCH * 6 INCH ...2014 ... Bhai Phota(????????) is an eminent Hindu festival, celebrated primarily by Bengalis in West Bengal on ‘Bhratri Dwitiya’, which comes two days after Kali Puja. The event is to venerate love and affection between brothers and sisters and cherishes this sweet bond of warmth and care. Siblings eagerly await this festival round the year. Bhai Phota also marks the end of month long festivities that start with Durga puja. It is the last day of Puja vacation in Bengal. Three different legends are associated with the festival of Bhai Phonta, all of them as intriguing as the festival itself is. According to Rig Veda, Yamuna, the twin sister of Yama, the Lord of death once longed to see her brother and he visited Yamuna on the day of Dwitiya. She welcomed him warmly with sweets, lit diyas, applied ’tilak’ (a sacred sign applied on forehead) and served him an opulent meal. Yama was overwhelmed with his sister’s concern and love and he declared that a brother who receives ‘Tilak’ from his sister on the day of ‘Bhratri Dwitiya’ will never have to visit hell. The legend of Lord Krishna entails the event when Krishna visited his loving sister Subhadra after slaying Narakasura and she greeted him with Tilak. Another tale states that when Lord Mahavira accomplished Nirvana, his brother King Nandivardhan suffered utter distress and bereavement. His affectionate sister Sudarshana consoled him with care and compassion. All of these legends portray the eternal bond of love and concern between a brother and sister. Significance of Festival The tender relationship between a brother and sister initiates by sharing the mother’s womb and the festival of Bhai Phota is a fond occasion to commemorate this bond. It strengthens the brother-sister bond further and also unveils the importance of this relationship in our lives.