Akshaya Tritiya Or Akshatrij Or Yugaadi Triti Or Navanna Parvam (April / May)

Important Information:

• Occurs on the third day of the bright half of Vaisaakh.

• Aksyaya is a Sanskrit word meaning one that never diminishes nor perishes.

• It is considered to be one of the most auspicious days of the Vedic Calender.

• On this day the Sun and Moon are at their peak of brightness.

• Hindus, Buddhists, Jains celebrate this day. 

•  Every minute of the three and a half days is considered sacred.

•  It is believed that Satya Yuga, Golden Age and Treta Yuga started on this day.

• New beginnings like weddings, business ventures, new deals, new audit books, business trips are considered to bring luck.

• Valuables bought on this day, such as gold is deemed auspicious.

• It is believed that gold multiplies if bought on this day.

• Goddess Vijaya Chamundeshwari killed Asura on this day.

• On Akshay Tritiya the writing of Mahabharata was started by Ganesha dictated by Ved Vyasa.

• It is believed that Lord Narayana comes visiting on this day, so offer something to whoever comes as a guest to your home.

• It is believed that prayers havans done on this day reach the Creator of the Universe-Lord Brahma.

A note from Vimla Patil:

Interesting info, Shakun! The three and half muhurats in the Hindu Calendar are Dussera, Gudi Padva or the first day of Chaitra, Akshay Tritiya and half day (latter) of Diwali Lakshmi puja day. On these days, you can begin any project without looking for an 'auspicious time' because every moment is auspicious. Love and thanks Vimla Patil
 

What kind of worship is done:

• Lord Vishnu is prayed to.

• Tulsi water is sprinkled during Aarti.

• Fasts, charity, a dip in the Sacred Rivers like the Ganga are undertaken.

• People give donations and alms as it is believed that on this day our good deeds are multiplied and one earns much more punya (merit)

• Many people worship Lord Vasudeva with rice grains.

• Chanting of the sacred Gayatri Mantra 108 times.

• Suggestion for performing Havan:

Light up a mixture of coconut fibres, jaggery, rice husk and camphor in a shallow earthen pot and keep chanting either the Gayatri Mantra or Hanuman Chalisa till the jaggery melts.

Akshaya Patram

Lord Krishna gave Draupadi a bowl called Akshaya Patram.

This bowl gave infinite amount of food to the Pandavas when the latter were in exile. This is probably one of the reasons that one brings home Goddess Laxmi in the form siver, gold, platinum...

On Akshaya Tritiya the Pandavas unearthed weapons, which helped the latter to gain victory over the Kauravas.

Parshurama

Parshurama, the personification of Valour and the sixth Incarnation of Vishnu was born on Akshay Tritiya, also known as Aksha Teej.

According to the Puranas Prashurama reclaimed the land from the sea. The Goa and Konkan regions are, even today, referred to as Parshurama kshetra.

Parshurama's father's name was Jamadagni and his mother's name was Renuka.

One day Jamadgini, for some reason ordered Parshurama to kill Renuka. Renuka was Jamadgini's wife and Parshuram's mother.

It was a hard request to fulfill. For Parshurama the quality of obedience was obviously more powerful, so he killed his mother Renuka.

Jamadgini was pleased with Parshurama for heeding his order and asked his son to ask him (his father Jamdgini) for whatever he desired.

Parshuram asked that his mother become alive again! So Renuka was brought back to life.

Parshuram thus proved in himself, the qualities of love, intelligence and devotion towards both his parents.

One thing to note is that Parshuram obviously inherited his short temper from his father Jamadgini.

Jamadgini was killed by Sahararjun, a Kshatriya king. Because of the above reason Parshuram vowed that he would kill all the Kshatriyas on earth. When the kshatriyas fled to escape the wrath of Parshuram, the earth was left unprotected. Kashyap Muni called all the kshatriyas back. Parshuram made mountain Mahendra his abode.

Sudama and Krishna

One of the numerous beliefs associated with Akshay Tritiya, is that of Sudama or Kuchela visiting Lord Krishna in Dwarka with a handful of puffed rice (poha). Story goes that Kuchela, a poor Brahmin and schoolmate of Sri Krishna, visited Him with the intention of asking some financial favour, and had only beaten rice to offer the Lord. On reaching the palace of Krishna at Dwarka, Sudama was ashamed to give the ‘poha’ to Krishna. However, the ever-playful Krishna noticed the small bag in the hands of his schoolmate and soon grabbed it and ate up the ‘poha’. Stunned that a King had given him such honour of devouring his humble poha, and overwhelmed with Krishna’s love and hospitability, the poor Brahmin forgot to ask Krishna for the financial aid he had actually come to ask for, and returned home empty-handed.
   On reaching his village, Sudama saw that a palace had replaced his old hut, and his wife and children were adorned in rich clothes. Hence, the day of Sudama and Krishna’s meeting is observed as Akshay Tritiya, the ever-auspicious day.

An excerpt from 'Mirror' by a Mirror correspondent, dated April 27th 2009

Rishabhdev (Dadi Nani ki Kahaani)

Rishabhdev was the first Tirthankara of Jains.

It is believed that Rishabha invented  pottery, painting, sculpture…

Rishabhdev fasted and meditated for 6 months. After that he went out to collect food (asked for alms) .

However no one knew the procedure of offering food to a monk.

Rishabhdev, therefore could not get to eat for seven months and nine days.

Shreyans was the brother of King Somaprabha. Shreyans recollected from a previous 'life' how to offer food to a monk. Hence on the third day of the second half of Vaisaakh (Akshaya Tritya)  Rishabhdev got to break his fast.

On this day Jains break their fast (Varsitap) by drinking sugar cane juice and visiting the main temple of Risabhdeva in Palitana.