Akshaya Tritiya

20th April 2015
विक्रम सम्वत् 2072 वैशाख शुक्ल तीज

“Akshaya” stands for something which never diminishes and “Tritiya” stands for third day. Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the Vaisakh, the first month in the Hindu calendar. On this day the Sun and the Moon are at the height of their brightness.

Akshaya Tritiya is popularly known as Akshya Thiritiya, Akshaya Trutheeya, Akshaya Tritiiya , Akshaya Trithi and also called Akha Teej. The day is believed to bring good luck, eternal prosperity and success.  Any activity, which commences on this day, is regarded to be very auspicious in every form. This day is so auspicious that any moment of the day can be considered to be beneficial for starting something new like a new business etc. According to Vedic Scholars, wedding can be conducted on any time of this day without in-depth study for a “shubha muhurat”. The Hindus all over the world keep this day in mind while undertaking new business ventures or planning for weddings or traveling to distant lands. There are several reasons behind the day to be regarded as auspicious, which takes us to the legends and myths related to this day. Another reason for the significance of this day is that the temples for the pilgrims of Badri Kedar Yatra or the Char Dham Yatra, opens on the Akshaya Tritiya 


Legends
According to Puranas, this day marks the beginning of Treta Yug The Treta Yuga is the second Yuga and is important for the births of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations in the form of Vamana, Parasurama and Lord Ram.
Akshaya Tritiya or Akaha Teej is the birthday of  Lord Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
According to the legend, on this day Veda Vyasa, along with Lord Ganesha, began to write the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. There are two more legends associated with Mahabharata. Lord Krishna had given a bowl to Draupadi, known as Akshaya Patram, when the Pandavas were in exile. This bowl was believed to have given endless food to the Pandavas. This is the reason Goddess Laxmi is worshipped on this day and gold, silver or platinum ornaments are bought and worn in her honor to bring unending wealth to the household. This is also believed to be the day when Panadavas discovered weapons under the earth which made them victorious against the Kauravas. It is also believed that Mother Ganges descended to earth on this day.
Celebrations

Akshaya Tritiya is considered to be the festival of auspicious beginnings. Devotees also buy ornaments of gold, diamond, silver or gold coins and golden dollars with depictions of various gods and goddesses. Many of them keep a day long fast to pay homage to the birth of Vasudeva along with Lord Kubera who is regarded to be the God of  Wealth. Moreover, a dip in the holy river Ganges becomes far more auspicious for individual. Donating money and offering barley in a sacred fire also forms a part of observing this ritual. In north India the day is celebrated as Akha Teej, the birth of Lord Parasurama, an incarnation of  Lord Vishnu. Early morning, a male member of the Jat family heads towards the field with his shovel and expects the presence of good omen indicating rain and crops. The birth of Lord Vishnu is the reason people buy and wear gold ornaments on this day because they believe that Lord Vishnu will protect them from stealth or any unfortunate events. Hindus prefer to buy new ornaments on this auspicious day. The jewelers also keep their shops open till late at night safe in the belief that their belongings are well protected.

Pujas are held on this day, which starts from early morning and lasts till evening. One of the very significant parts of this ritual is a Mantra, which is chanted for 108 times continuously. This is done by keeping the photograph of Godess Lakshmi and Sudarshan Kubera Yantra in front. The mantra is:-

“Kubera Twam Danadeesam Gruha Te Kamala Sithta Tam Devem Prehayasu Twam Madgruhe te Namo Namah”.

Moreover, diya’s are lit up with pure ghee and a ‘tilak’ is put on the foreheads of the devotees made, of kumkum and turmeric.

Donations form an important part of the rituals of Akshaya Tritiya, which is said to give unending good results. A statement of Lord Krishna implies that donating money to those who need it makes a person stronger from within and ultimately liberated, as he develops the power to detach himself from the material aspects of life.

Chandan Yatra also starts on Akshaya Tritiya. This is the day when Chandan or Sandalwood Paste is applied on the body of Lord Jagannatha and then the Murti or the Idol is taken for a procession. According to the legends this is carried out because Lord Jagannatha gave such instructions to King Indrayumma. While applying Chandan the following mantra is chanted:

“Om gandhadvaram duradarsan nitya pustam karisinim  
 isvari'gum sarvabhutanam tvam ihopa hvaye sriyam”