Akshaya Tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya is a Hindu annual festival. Akshaya means
non diminishing, non exhausting, non decreasing, non reducing etc. Kshaya means
one that is reducing, diminishing re decreasing etc. Akshaya is opposite of it.
Tritiya means 3rd day. In the case of Akshaya Tritiya, the 3rd
day is of the lunar month Vaisakh which normally falls during the period
between April 15 and May 15. Since English calendar is based on solar system
the date of Akshaya Tritiya will not fall on the same date of English calendar
every year. Lunar month starts on the next day of Amavasya or the full moon
day. Tritiya will be the 3rd day after Amavasya in normal months but
Akshaya Tritiya is on the 3rd day of Vaisakh lunar month. As the name
suggests this is a day with no Kshaya or no diminish, decrease or non
reducing. It is supposed to mean that the wealth of this day will not diminish
during the year till next Akshaya Tritiya day if the Poojas and rituals etc are
observed to please the concerned deities.
Worship on Akshaya Tritiya day
On this day Hindus are supposed to
do Poojas for Lord Ganapathi (since all auspicious things are to start with the
pooja of Lord Ganapathi (for his removal of the vignas or obstacles), Goddess
Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity), Kubera (the keeper of wealth in
heaven) and the Gaja (elephant). On this day if we meditate on these gods and
imagine that we acquire and keep wealth the effect is to realize these
objectives. Every year repeating this procedure will enable to get wealthier
and maintain the wealth.
It is believed as per the holy scriptures
of Hindus that Akshaya Tritiya was observed from Krithayuga (the origin of the
universe) itself. It is the belief that the best day to offer charity is the
Akshaya Tritiya day. It is expected to bring salvation to the giver of charity.
Significance of Akshaya Tritiya
The
planetary combination especially the positions of the Sun and Moon, on April
24th of this year, i e the Akshaya Tritiya day, is such that all that is lost
can be expected to co me back to us. Try to recollect the losses suffered such
as the wastage happened, the loss in 9jvestments and the loans that was/were
not received back etc. The Kubera banker of the gods has the full records of
the transactions and the loss is clearly recorded by him hence pleasing him so
that he does the necessary steps to see that our losses are recouped through
the blessings of the goddess of wealth Sri Lakshmi.
Akshaya
Tritiya day is the best day to give charity or gift etc. Charity is help to the
needy and gift is the expression of one’s love to the other. A suitable gift is
the symbol of the expression of the emotion of love and care for the living
ones. Similarly for the dead but loved ones’ or the ancestors doing ‘tharpanam’ or obeisance
is like expressing the veneration we have for them. It is a good day for
investments too.
Legends about the significance of
Akshaya Tritiya day
Lord
Brahman created the world on this day.
According
to one legend Akshaya Tritiya is the day used to
calculate the start of the various Yuga namely Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara
Yuga and the Kali Yuga.
It is the starting day of Krita (Satya)
Yuga – that means the starting of the universe itself.
It is on the Akshaya Tritiya day
that goddess Lakshmi got her position in the heart of Lord Mahavishnu and the incarnations
of Aiswarya Lakshmi and Dhaanya Lakshmi out of the Ashta Lakshmis.
It is on this day that the Kubera keeper
of the heavenly wealth and prosperity got the pots of wealth (Nidhi Kumbamgal).
It is on this day goddess Annapoorna's
incarnation took place.
It is on Akshaya Tritiya day that Lord
Siva went to goddess Annapoorna and received food as charity (Anna Dan).
It is believed that it is on the
Akshaya Tritiya day the goddess Sakambari (a partial incarnation of goddess
Parasakti) created the vegetable and medicinal
plants.
It is supposed to be the day on
which Maharishi Veda Vyasa started composing the epic Mahabharata.
This is the day on which Lord
Krishna gave the ‘Akshaya Patra’ (a cooking vessel which produces food items
without diminishing even after taking from it) to Draupadi (Panchali) during
the start of the Pandavas’ ‘vanavaas’ (Living in forests as a punishment for
the failure in the dice game with the Kauravaas, their cousins.
Akshaya Tritiya day is the
Parasurama (the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu) Jayanthi (birth
day). Incidentally Parasurama is supposed to have brought out the land forming
part of the entire Kerala State and the land from border of Kerala up to
Gokarna within the state of Karnataka.
It is on this day that Kuchela or
Sudhama went to meet Sri Krishna and gave pounded rice (poha – avil) and got
wealth from the lord.
What are the beneficial rituals to
be followed on Akshaya Tritiya Day?
It is a day to offer worship to
Goddess Lakshmi and Kubera along with Lord Ganapathi, Lord Vishnu and his incarnations.
It is a good day for giving gifts
and charity especially Anna daan (food offering to needy).
It is a good day to initiate
children for ‘Vidyaramba’ (initiation to education).
A good day for chanting Sanjeevani
Mantra for reducing the intensity of diseases.
It is a good day to do Satru Samhara pooja to
remove enmity feelings.
Writing Mrityunjaya Mantra and
keeping it below the pillow of children is a good practice to ward of the
Dhrishti Dosha (relief from evil eye effects).
The most popular legend about Kuchela, poha and Sri Krishna
Sudhama or more widely known as
Kuchela was a Brahmin who was a co-student with Lord Srikrishna in the then
Gurukul. He was a very poor one but was a favorite friend of Lord Srikrishna.
Lord Srikrishna never allowed anyone to tease Sudhama. After the studies each
went on his own pursuits of life in different places. While Lord Srikrishna
became the ruler of Dwaraka, Sudhama or Kuchela continued his life of Brahmin
of worshiping and offering Poojas to the gods and to his childhood friend
(Chaddi dosth) Lord Srikrishna as the Lord was an extra ordinary power. Kuchela
was in perpetual poverty with no food on many days. His wife persuaded him to
go to his childhood friend Lord Srikrishna who surely will help them in the
difficulties. Finally one day with
reluctance (as Kuchela does not believe in taking others help) He went to his
friend’s palace with small quantity of pounded (flattened) rice packed in a old
worn out cloth (he could not afford anything else). As soon as Kuchela entered
the gate of Lord Krishna’s palace, the Lord got up and went up to Kuchela and
embraced him and brought him to his own seat and washed the feet of Sudhama.
Seeing the prosperity all around, Kuchela was ashamed of the gift he has taken
to give to the lord and hid the same from view of others. The lord however
found the same and snatched and ate 2 hands full of the same. They chatted for
some hours and finally Kuchela started back to his home without asking anything
from his friend.
When Sudhama reached the place of
his old hut in his village he could not find the same but found in its place a
palatial home with all the splendor and wealth. On inquiry he came to know this
to be his own home converted by the lord though his friend Kuchela did not say
anything about his condition and seek any help. This incident happened on an
Akshaya Tritiya day and as the lord made the Kuchela very rich, the belief is
that on this day offering worship will bring splendor and prosperity to the
devotees.
Gold dealers opportunism
The jewelry shops and dealers have started taking full
advantage if this festival by trying to indicate that buying gold on this day
will bring prosperity. If one has to buy some jewelry in the near future it may be O K for waiting till Akshaya Tritiya. Similarly if one want to invest in gold as gold investment is good as of now, investing in gold on Akshaya Tritiya day may also be good. But there is no necessity to buy any gold or precious items only for buying during Akshaya Tritiya day.