If you believe mythological stories or trust the annals of the past, then you would find that the festival of Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan started all of a sudden. Though there had been some political reasons for the beginning of the festival, the social form of the festival started without any concrete reasons. It happened to develop into a great festival later on where the brother promised security to his sister. Here, the term ‘security’ has a great meaning. The brother does everything to safeguard his sister from everything.
The term does not bring any limitation as far as the responsibilities of a brother are concerned. Here drawing any inspiration or resemblance from the past cannot help people at present. Things of the past had been buried in the graveyards and it is not wise for a person to dig them out at present. Nowadays, we are living in a society that is facing some kind of socio-economic absurdities where women are the worst affected. If you look around yourself, then you may find a huge amount of cases where women get victimized. A woman can be a sister of a person and that is why the role of a brother gets intensified.
The Responsibilities of A Brother Towards His Sister
Usually, the rank of a brother gets higher in the absence of the father. He must promote himself to that rank even if the father is alive. He must take all possible care of his sister as a father takes care of his daughter. He must understand his duties towards his sister and must keep himself ready to carry them out without any hesitation. He must take a vow to do everything possible to protect his sister in all adverse conditions.
Some of the prominent responsibilities include the following:
- He must provide the sister with all necessary facilities so that she could grow well and succeed in establishing herself. He should do well to provide her with the mental support to move ahead.
- Instead of getting married before the sister, the brother should get married after her. He should do it even if the sister is younger than him.
- Being with the sister is important, especially if the sister is going out somewhere alone. However, it would be better for every brother to make the sister self-confident. He can provide her with physical training, like Judo and Karate, so that she could protect herself alone.
- Finding the perfect matrimonial alliance is a big responsibility of a brother. He must never make any kind of hurry as it may make them make some inevitable mistakes. Completing all necessary formalities is a must so that he could find the best husband for her who can keep her happy throughout her life.
- He must take the sister to his home when she is pregnant and take every possible step to care for her. This responsibility becomes mandatory in the absence of the father.
In a nutshell, the brother is an embodiment of the father who must be very careful about taking the place of the father, even if the father is alive. It is true that the relationship between a brother and a sister is very pious and that is why it is one of the most respectable relationships on this earth as far as a Hindu relationship is concerned.
