Yama & Yamuna
Bhai Dooj
The sister's tilak that even Yama honoured.
Tithi: Kartik Shukla Dwitiya
In the simplest words
The sister's day of Diwali week: she puts a tilak on her brother's forehead and prays for his long life; he promises to always stand by her.
The story & purpose
Yamuna fed her brother Yama on this dwitiya and marked his brow; moved, he granted that any brother honoured so on this day walks protected. Diwali's arc closes where Rakhi began — in the bond of siblings.
The day belongs to Yama's ledger-keeper too: Chitragupta, recorder of every deed, is worshipped this dwitiya with pen and ink by the Kayastha tradition — accounts and affection settled together as Diwali's arc closes. Bathing in the Yamuna with one's brother today is held specially dear: the river herself set the precedent as the first sister.
What is done
Tilak & aarti
The sister's tilak, aarti, and sweets; the brother's gift and vow.
The shared meal
Eating at the sister's home is the heart of the rite.
Best timings
Aparahna is the classical window for the tilak.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition — for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
In Maharashtra it is Bhau Beej; in Bengal, Bhai Phonta with its own chants.
The tithi's older name is Yama Dwitiya; the Bengali phonta rhyme says it plainly — with the sister's mark, 'a thorn falls at Yama's door'.
In Nepal the same day is Bhai Tika, the last of Tihar's five days — a seven-colour tika on the brother's brow.