Akshya Tritiya

Akshaya Tritiya

Monday was akshaya tritiya and many of us went jewellery shopping but how many of us really know the meaning and significance of akshaya tritiya???? after some research here’s what I've gathered….

The meaning of Akshaya is (A + Kshaya), which means never ending or infinite. If a Akshaya Tiritya comes along with Rohini Nakshatra and Wednesday it is considered to be highly auspicious. It is believed that whatever Jap, Tap, Daan etc done on this day would return infinte or Akshaya Punya. It is believed that if Gold is bought on this day would never end and will keep growing keeping the house with wealth and prosperity. Hence lot of people throng jeweler shops to purchase Gold.It is believed that Treta Yuga started on Akshaya Tritiya day. It is believed that any work started on this day would be successful.

Shloka extolling the greatness of Akshaya tritIya

Yah Pashyati TRutIyAyAm KrishNam ChandanbhUshitam |

VaishAkhasya Site PakshE Sa Yatyachyutamandiram ||

Meaning:
 “One viewing an icon of the Lord adorned with sandalwood paste on the third day in the bright half of VaishAka attains the abode of LordAchyuta”. As followers of Acharya Madhva, adhering to the doctrine of tAratamya (hierarchy of gods) it is very appropriate and fitting that we observe this day by worshipping the Lord within BhAratiramaNa mukhyaprAna who is enshrined within Sri Raghavendra tIrtha (Rayaru). It is very common on Akshaya tritIya for devout mAdhvas to decorate the brindAvanas of Madhva ascetics like Rayaru with sandalwood paste and offer worship to Vayudevaru (BhAratiramaNa mukhyaprAna) and various forms of the Lord like Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, VedavyAsa etc. This is one of the easiest and best ways of attaining puNya (merit).

Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Chittirai month (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, which happens only once every year.

Hinduism

According to Hinduism, Akshaya Tritiya was the day when Ganesha, the god of wisdom and obstacle removal, started writing the epic Mahabaratha to Ved Vyas’s dictation. As per Hindus, this day is ruled by god VIshnu, the preserver-god in the Hindu Trinity . It is also traditionally celebrated as the birthday of the Hindu sage Parashurama the sixth Avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu. According to Hindu Mythology, on this day the Treta Yuga began and the river Ganges, the most sacred river of India, descended to the earth from the heaven.

Legend

It is said that when the Lord wanted to create this world, the first word He uttered was – ‘Akshaya’. The scriptures refer to the Akshaya Tritiya day with great reverence, as is evident from the following stories from mythology.

Puranic Story

During the ancient times, there was a merchant who was so poverty-stricken that he found it difficult to afford even one square meal a day. However, he was intensely religious and noticing his devotion the elders explained to him the greatness of Akshaya Tritiya. The poor merchant decided to follow their advice. 

On an Akshaya Tritiya day, he woke up at dawn, bathed and offered food, water, sugarcane juice, milk and money to poor Brahmins. Despite his wife’s disapproval, he followed all the necessary austerities as advised by the elders. Due to his sincere efforts, he was born as Kushapathy Chakravarthy in his next birth.

Annapurna’s Birth

Annapurna, the Goddess of food, was born on this day. She is a special form of Parvati who feeds the hungry. Once, Shiva disguised himself as a beggar and approached Annapurna for food. On the Akshaya Tritiya day, she fed Lord Shiva himself.

Why should Shiva beg when He is the lord of the Universe? Shiva’s begging is a symbolic act - he begs for all his beggars.

Kubera’s Appointment

Kubera, the Banker in Heaven, received his wealth on this day by worshipping Lord Shiva in the temple at Sivapuram. It is only on this day Lord Shiva blessed Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, with all the riches. Thus, Lord Siva appointed both of them to their coveted positions as custodians of wealth and prosperity.

Akshaya Patram

In the great epic Mahabharata, there was a king named Yudhisthira. He was the eldest brother among the five Pandavas, and was recognized as the son of Dharma. At Thirumanthurai temple, the Gods granted Yudhisthira with an Akshaya Patram or bowl that grants undiminishing food.  He used this for the benefit of the people. He received this bowl on the Akshaya Tritiya day.

Once, Garuda, the divine vehicle of Lord Vishnu, worshipped Goddess Lakshmi. She offered an Akshaya Patram to Garuda. While worshipping the Sun God, he offered food to the deity in this golden Akshaya bowl. These incidents happened in Arasar temple in the previous Yugas.

Krishna and Sudama

On the Akshaya Tritiya day, Sudama went to meet his childhood friend Lord Krishna with the hope of solving his poverty as Krishna was a very rich king. However, he could only afford to carry along rice flakes to greet Krishna. Though he was ashamed initially to share the rice flakes with Lord Krishna, Krishna forced him to give those flakes. The moment Krishna tasted those flakes, Kusela’s poverty vanished and he became rich overnight.

Significance

Akshaya Tritiya is the perfect day to make new beginnings so that they produce imperishable results, to practise the art of giving to ensure infinite returns, and to maximize the divine blessings in your life by performing only auspicious actions.

The ancient seers reveal that prayers on this day will pave a road for riches both materially and spiritually. When you are lighter in the inner, the outer universe responds with abundance and happiness.

The Grand Day of Generous Giving

If you want maximum benefit for your donation, this is the one day when you can do it. If you have been planning on giving, this day is the day. There are specific items for giving on this day - poor feedings at certain temples, cow and calf, land, gold, umbrellas, hand fans, and cool refreshing drinks. Bless the money or material that you are going to give away today and you could see that it multiplies many times over.

The Divinely Golden Day

Gold is the purest emotion of creation. Gold is the emotion of God. That’s why in every culture people have accepted gold as money. Gold, especially in India, is much more than just a precious metal. It is part of the fabric of the culture and an inseparable part of the belief system. It is the essence from which the universe was created. 

Hri – Root word, meaning imperishable

Hiranya - Sanskrit word for Gold

Hiranyagarbha – The one born out of Gold, refers to Brahma - the Creator God

As per Vedic mythology, the Creator deposited a seed in the waters of the dark and lifeless universe. The seed became a bright golden egg as radiant as the sun. From this cosmic egg was born Brahma - the incarnation of the Creator Himself.

Akshaya Tritiya is the golden day to buy gold. 

On this day, wealth will increase in homes where gold coins and items are kept for pooja and worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi. The Tamil Siddhas, the spiritual scientists of Southern India, spoke of an unchallenged Divine law – ‘Wearing Gold attracts Gold’. 

This makes it an ideal and very auspicious day to purchase gold, silver, gems, ornaments, jewelry and valuables. It is believed that if a person purchases a small amount of gold (at least 1 gm) on this day, the gold will accumulate more round the year.

The Sacred Day for Ancestors

This day is very blessed for your departed ancestors. You can yourself do a ritual offering on this day before sunset. Place black sesame seeds and rice or rice powder on your right palm. Pour water over the items. Think of your departed ancestors and offer the rice powder and sesame. After this ritual, discard the material. This will do a lot of good for you.

Make New Beginnings

Praying on this day can help you make swift progress in life and eliminate deep-rooted negative thoughts about money. It is the best day to go for new investments like fixed deposits in banks, post office savings scheme, insurance policies, share market, mutual funds, and so on. It is an ideal day for starting new ventures. Thousands of marriages are performed on this day.

It is a wonderful day to forgive and forget the past and renew relationships with friends and relatives. It is also the perfect time to resolve to give up bad habits, and adopt good habits.

* People conduct special Pujas on this day, bathe in holy rivers, make a charity, offer barley in a sacred fire, and worship Ganesha & Lakshmi on this day.

* p.s i’m still looking up for other alternatives other than gold that can be invested on this day…

i know salt is one of the alternatives as salt signifies LAkshmi…