Krishna, Draupadi, and the Thread

One day, the god Krishna hurt his hand, and his finger began to bleed. It was only a small cut, but the blood would not stop, and there was nothing close by to bind it with.

Nearby stood Draupadi, a princess and a dear friend of Krishna’s. The moment she saw his bleeding finger, she did not stop to think, and she did not hesitate. She simply reached down, tore a long strip of cloth straight from the edge of her own beautiful, costly sari, and wound it gently around Krishna’s finger until the bleeding stopped.

It was such a small thing. A torn corner of cloth. But Krishna was deeply, deeply moved by how readily she had given it, without a second thought, just to help him.

“Draupadi,” he said softly, looking at the little bandage on his hand, “for this small piece of cloth that you gave me so freely, I make you a promise. I will always be there for you. Whenever you are in trouble, whenever you call for me, I will come, and I will protect you.”

And Krishna kept his word. Long afterwards, when Draupadi found herself in terrible danger and cried out for help, Krishna remembered that little thread, and he came to her aid, and he protected her, exactly as he had promised all those years before.

And that is the spirit of the festival of Raksha Bandhan. A sister ties a thread, called a rakhi, around her brother’s wrist, a small and simple thread. And in return, the brother promises to look after her and keep her safe, always. A little thread, and a very big promise.