Kalava

Kalava (Sanskrit: कलावा) is the sacred Hindu thread also called mauli or charadu in Hindi. It is tied by a priest or an older family member, typically grandparents or parents on the wrists of all the people attending the prayer ceremony. The Kalava is tied on the right wrist of men and unmarried women and on the left wrist of the married women. Cotton strings in form of yarn in full red are most common as is red with small bits of yellow, however, other dye combination exist. It sometimes has knots which are tied up while reciting sacred mantras to invoke Satvik state of human nature and is worn to ward off evil from the person who wears this red thread. A stylised form of the Kalava is used for the holiday of Raksha Bandhan.

In scriptures

According to Bhagavad Gita, no one on Earth is free from three Guṇas (tendencies, qualities, attributes) of nature: Rajas (passion), Tamas (darkness or destruction) and Satva (purity). These gunas deeply affect our state of mind, our moods, nature and our behavior. For example : A mother who feeds her baby is said to be Satvik; She plays and adores his baby as Rajas and gives her naps generously as Tamas. The thread on the wrist helps one control mood swings that one experiences time and again in their daily life and gets them into the Satvik state, which is pure and placid.