A friend from India writes
Unique Opinions
PTP The tourist trade is beginning to increase, all this year I have been able to take more tourists on my shikara on Lake Dal. They and other visitors to this region have often taken the pictures of myself and my sister. That is so, but we do not tell them that we have the relation.
When we were in the teenage years and helping our father and our mother to take the shikara out on the lake, we were told by an American that we are a "very romantic couple". That is so. When we came home that evening I surprised my sister with a lotus blossom that I had picked and hidden in my bag.
She wondered at the gift until I told her that it was part of being a "romantic couple". We laughed about it, and for the next three days we joked about it again often. She would play the part of a wife and I would be her husband.
After or during that incidents, she looked into my eyes seriously. She said "You mean it don't you, (name deleted)". I was almost going to laugh and say "maybe" or "I mean it if you do" but my heart knew better than me, and I said "Yes".
My sister sighed and put her head against my chest. My heart became full. She whispered "I love you". I said "I love you too". I could not speak further.
It is said that love will find a way for its own expression, and that is so with us. The family relation between us does not get in the way. We kiss. We give ourselves to each other in bliss. She is so beautiful. I look into her eyes and she looks into mine. There is everything I will do for her. That year I studied hard for the entrance exam to high school. I do well because I want to look after her.
Now we have a home of our own and our family is growing. The love deepens year after year. To the tourists we look like romantic couple, because the love in our eyes when we look at each other, and that will always be so.
Your friend, PTP
(name deleted)
Unique Opinions
I understand and sympathize with your friend from India. When you love someone, it carries you forwrd into their arms, whether you're related or not. Here's a relevant repost about the Indian sacred ritual of Raksha Bandhan, which I first posted some years ago on Raksha Bandhan day. - Dianne
It's Raksha Bhandan Day! The day we all celebrate the spiritual bond of love between brothers and sisters all over the world! It is a day for feasting, dancing and celebrating the love bond within families.
For those who don't know yet what Raksha (protection)
Bandhan (bond) is, here's a brief explanation. First, a brother and
sister makes a sacred vow to the God of their heart to live a life
of purity in thoughts, words and actions, so that you bring honour
to the other participating sister or brother.
Then the
sister ties a sacred thread called a Rakhi, on the right hand of
her brother, as a symbol of their bond, and its presence on the wrist serves as a gentle reminder that we must protect ourselves spiritually from any temptations we may experience to commit wrongdoing such as promiscuity, self-indulgence or to be influenced by materialism.
This vow to live a life of purity and to remain
free from material bondage elevates the soul to its original pure
condition of inner peace and calm. A sacred vow is made to the
sister to always do one's utmost to protect her always from harm,
especially spiritual harm but also emotional and physical harm.
To compare Raksha Bandhan with marriage, we would say that it is as
sacred as marriage should be, but in practice it is actually far
more sacred than marriage is. There is no such thing as a divorce
from the bond of Rakhi. The sister places her complete trust in her
brother's love and knows that he will always honour her love, even
if it means sacrificing his life to try to protect hers.
Sisters
tie the Rakhi thread of love to their brothers amongst chanting of
mantras, put roli and rice on his forehead and pray for his well being. She bestows him with gifts and blessings. The tying of the Rakhi string is the ceremonial expression of her pious hope and wish that her brother be guided by spiritual vision.
If the
brother and the sister both feel the deepest love for each other,
and a lifelong commitment for each other, then a part of that bond
will be to express their divine love in the most sacred act of all,
the beautiful ritual of holy incest. But those who feel less love
may
choose not to, there is no pressure whatsoever. This sacred act is the highest fulfilment of the Rakhi bond.
Today there is a
lot of pressure from the anti-love, anti-life, anti-sex, anti-incest
elements of our society to suppress or deny the nature of the
loving bond between brother and sister, and deny that the sacred
act of love between them is divine.
So some people who
practice it have been protecting themselves from the hatred and
prejudice by denying that they approve of it, and sometimes even
denying that the Rakhi bond has anything to do with it. That is understandable - why create unnecessary trouble for yourself by making public an act that is completely private, just between a brother and a sister?
The lesson we can all learn in this is to trust in one's own conscience, and follow the innocence and beauty and the love that we find within, honouring our brothers and sisters by remaining in harmony with the inner peace, without allowing ourselves to be influenced in any way by the storms in the hearts of others.
Dianne