Two days after the festival of lights Bhai Dooj or Yam Dwitiya is celebrated with great enthusiasm. This festival symbolizes the bond of deep love between brother and sister. It is believed that brother and sister should bathe in river Yamuna on this day.

It is extremely auspicious for a sister to put a tilak on her brother’s forehead and a brother to have his meal at her house. On this day, sister performs her brother’s puja and prays for his long life and her own fortune with folded hands before the Lord Yamraja. Brothers should gift gold coins and clothes to their sisters.

There are quite a few legends that go with this festival. According to one of them, Yamuna was the sister of Yamraja, the God of Death; she used to send messages frequently inviting her brother to her house, but was disappointed. One day her wish was fulfilled when Yama visited her, she was overwhelmed to see her brother at the door of her house and welcomed him with great joy.

She put ‘mangal-teeka’ on his forehead and prepared several delicious dishes herself. Highly pleased with the hospitality of Yamuna, Yamraja told her to ask for a boon. She said that his visit had gladdened her heart greatly and she needed nothing more. Yet, on insistence of Yama, she said that the day should always be remembered as a celebration of brother-sister relationship. Her boon was granted by Yama, it is a popular belief that if on this day, a sister offers delicious food with love to her brother and he in turn gives valuable gifts to her, his glory spread all over the world and he is freed from the fear of Yama.

In another legend, a poor brother goes to his sister for ‘teeka’. On his way, he meets a lion, a river and a mountain. All of them stop him on the way telling him that his mother had promised to make offerings to them on his birth which she had not done. The poor man told them that he would fulfill their wishes while returning home. So, he was allowed to proceed on his journey.

His sister was overwhelmed to see him, he was warmly welcomed by her. She put a tilak on her forehead and fed him with tasty food. At the same time, she asked Lord Yama to protect his life. He had the auspicious, so on their return journey with his sister, she pleased the lion, the river and the mountain with her puja and all of them blessed the man.

So from that day, the occasion is celebrated as a day of bonding between a sister and her brother.

Yama Dwitia has special significance for some communities like Kayasthas. It is said that after creating the world, Lord Brahma asked Dharmaraj to keep the record of all the actions of the living beings so that they could be rewarded and punished on the basis of their deeds when they died.

To accomplish this stupendous task, Dharmraj asked for an assistant, Brahma immersed himself in deep thought and as a result an intelligent and righteous being called Kayastha Chitragupta came into being. Chitragupta was named Kayastha as he had emerged out of ‘Kaya’. Later on Chitragupta went to Iwala Devi to worship her. He had twelve sons who were named after the places they settled in e.g. Mathur, as they settled in Mathura.

Once Saudas, a King of Saurastra, who was a big sinner went hunting in a forest, he saw a Brahmin worshipping Yamaraja and Chitragupta. After his death when Saudas was presented before Yamraja, Chitragupta said that though the king was a sinner he had once worshipped Yamaraja and Chitragupta , hence he should not be sent to hell. So to escape hell, people still perform puja on Yam Dwity. This is the occasion on which Kayasthas ask Lord to bless their pen-ink (dawat-kalam) so that they can perform their duties efficiently through the year.

With Yama Dwitya and Bhaidooj, concludes the five-day long Diwali festivities.