Bhai Dooj
The Dwitiya of the Kartik Shukla paksha, when a sister puts tilak on her brother's forehead and he eats a meal cooked by her own hands, at her home. The day goes back to Yamuna feeding her brother Yama and the boon he gave in return, which is why the shastras also call it Yama Dwitiya. It closes the five-day arc of Diwali with the brother-sister bond, the way Raksha Bandhan marks it in Shravan. In Maharashtra it is Bhau Beej, and in Nepal and the hills, Bhai Tika.
Next date: 2026-11-11
vidhi
Bathe in the morning — brother and sister both — and where the Yamuna or any river is near, a dip together on this day is considered especially meritorious.,The sister prepares the thali: roli, akshat, kalava, a dry coconut (gola), sweets and a ghee lamp — everything ready before the muhurta, so the tilak itself is unhurried.,Draw a chowk of rice flour and seat the brother on a patla or asan facing east or north, with a rumal or cloth on his head.,Apply the tilak of roli and akshat on his forehead, tie the kalava on his right wrist, and place the dry gola in his hands.,Do his aarti, feed him a sweet, and pray for his long life — the sankalp of this day is the sister's, made for the brother.,Serve him a meal cooked by your own hands, saying the Bhratri shloka as you serve — in the katha it is this meal, eaten at the sister's home, that pleased Yama.,The brother gives a bhet — a gift or dakshina — touches the feet of an elder sister, and takes the vow of her protection; this exchange completes the vidhi.katha
Yama and Yamuna were children of Surya — brother and sister. Yamuna asked her brother, again and again, to come and eat at her home; bound to his grim duties, Yama kept putting it off. On the Dwitiya of Kartik's bright fortnight he finally came. Yamuna's joy knew no measure — she bathed him, put tilak on his forehead, and served him a meal cooked with her own hands. Pleased, Yama asked her to name a boon. She asked nothing for herself: only that he come to her every year on this day, and that any brother who receives his sister's tilak on this tithi and eats at her home should not fear untimely death. Yama granted it, and it is said that on that day he lightened the punishments of the souls in his keeping. The tithi became Yama Dwitiya — Bhai Dooj — and a bath taken together in the Yamuna on it is held to be especially dear to both brother and sister of that first Bhai Dooj.mantra
[object Object]samagri
Roli or kumkum and akshat for the tilak,Kalava (mauli) for the brother's wrist,A dry coconut (gola) to place in his hands,Ghee lamp, dhoop and flowers for the aarti thali,Sweets — and in many homes the brother's favourite dish, cooked by the sister,Rice flour for the chowk, and a patla or asan for the brother to sit on,Supari, paan and dakshina, as the region's custom keeps,A gift (bhet) from the brother for the sisterUpcoming dates
- 2026-11-11