Globalization has led to the marketing of colorful trinkets and friendship bands for the celebration of friendship day across the world. Cafes raise a toast to the heavenly connection of friendship, which is celebrated worldwide on the first Sunday in August each year. The bond of friendship dates back to it’s existence in our mythology and holy books. The legends, stories, and teachings from them are the biggest evidence of the fact that- friendship in its simplest, most innocent, and selfless form has existed for ages. They teach us about the valuable gift of friendship and how it can make you a better person in life.
To extract from the riches of Indian mythology the values of friendship. Here are a few stories from Indian mythology that are valued as timeless illustrations of friendship and have been celebrating friendship day in its purest form since ancient times.
Krishna And Sudama- The Eternal Bond Of Friendship
Krishna and Sudama share a friendship that is eternal and transcends all barriers of caste, creed, or socio-economic class. Despite the enormous socio-economic gap that at the time divided society, it is stated that both were the closest of friends. It is said that once, Sudama, who was struggling with extreme poverty, traveled all the way to Dwarka with a little gift for Lord Krishna at the persuasion of his wife. His act served more as a souvenir to commemorate their unbreakable friendship. Despite not having enough food for her own children, Sudama’s wife packed a tiny bit of rice for his dear buddy. It made Lord Krishna very happy to see his boyhood buddy. He enjoyed the rice and described it as the nicest dish he had ever tasted. Lord Krishna and Sudama are known for the exchange of customized gifts Sudama bought rice from Shri Krishna, and Shri Krishna presented Sudama a Golden City. Gift your friend a customized present that underlines your relationship sans the boundaries of economics and social status
Arjuna And Krishna-The Friendship That Teaches You Lessons For Life
Their bond, which is generally referred to as a “teacher-disciple” relationship, is renowned for its “friend-philosopher-guide” approach and the unshakable dedication Arjuna maintained towards their heavenly connection. Legends are filled with stories about Krishna and Arjuna’s relationship. It looked like a teacher-student relationship to the world, but this wonderful bond has so much to learn from. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita’s epic tale is composed of the verses spoken between Arjuna and Krishna on the battlefield. We can learn from their connection that friendship and mentoring go hand in hand. The greatest teachings of good and bad are always taught with the help of sermons given by Krishna to Arjuna during the 18-days of war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Friendship represents blind faith in your friend and should be celebrated every day. This beautiful friendship which is the most talked about truly deserves a friendship day cake to celebrate this divine connection.
Draupadi And Krishna- A Friendship Beyond Comprehension
Legendary stories reveal that the core of Draupadi and Krishna’s friendship was the enduring connection between “Sakha” and “Sakhi.” The roots of Rakshabandhan are often attributed to this story of brotherhood and respect. According to legend, when Krishna flung the Sudarshan Chakra at Shishupal, he cut his finger. Draupadi noticed this and wrapped Krishna’s finger with a piece of her sari to stop the bleeding. Krishna promised to guard Draupadi forever after being moved by this gesture. This was the very reason Draupadi couldn’t think of anyone else except for – Krishna when the Pandavas lost in the game, and she was staked by them. The innocent bond between Krishna and Draupadi has also been illustrated in multiple books written by renowned authors, for example- The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
Duryodhana And Karna- The Most Underrated Friendship
According to legend, despite Duryodhan’s desire to befriend Karna for his personal purposes, their partnership turned out to be one of the most well-known examples of togetherness. Duryodhan broke conventions and norms at the time by selecting Karna as the King of Anga in the midst of an encounter between Arjuna and Karna. At the time, Hastinapur was plagued by the social stigma of caste and prejudice. Even though Karna was talented, Kripa laughed at him when she learned about his caste since he had the proper lineage to support him. Duryodhana recognized this and crowned him as the King of Anga, making him Arjuna’s equal in that power struggle. Duryodhana had never thought that he would end up sharing such reverence and respect for his friend Karna- who stood by him through the thick and thin of life. The most underrated friendship, however, is that they sacrificed everything, even their life, for friendship.
Trijata-Sita- Friendship Can Blossom Anywhere.
Despite being Ravana’s servant in the Ramayana, Trijata longs for Lord Ram to triumph. She supports Sita through all of her hardships and gives her comfort by keeping her up to date on everything happening outside Lanka, where she was imprisoned by Ravana. Folklore has it that Trijata was rewarded by Sita and Rama for being her loyal companion following Ravana’s death. Whoever comes across this folklore they are amazed by the sense of service and love for Sita showered by Trijata. She is a perfect example of the fact that- no matter where you come from- you can always do something good in your life. Trijata, the demoness, never caused any harm to Sita. Sita and Trijata’s friendship is one of the finest examples of friendship blooming in one of the most unexpected situations. Trijata is worshipped as a regional deity in Ujjain and Varanasi.
Ram And Sugrive- Friendship That Represents Selfless Love And Compassion
Sugriva was fortunate to be associated with Rama, and their relationship turned out to be advantageous for both of them. The conditions that led to the blossoming of Rama and Sugriva’s relationship were favorable when Sita went missing, and Rama and Lakshmana searched for her close to Pampa lake. Sugriva and his army of monkeys helped them to locate Sita. The bond between Rama and Sugriva is the finest example of selfless friendship and compassion.
