Akshaya Tritiya is a prominent Hindu festival observed across India and abroad.
"Akshya" means that which has no 'kshaya'. Kshaya means to decrease or decay. So, Akshaya is that which is not prone to decrease or fade out. "Tritiya" means 'the third'. It is celebrated on the third day of a particular month. Hence, it is known as Tritiya.
Thus, Akshaya Tritiya is a celebration of abundance. We worship God and seek His blessings for "Abundance".
The celebration involves worshiping Goddess Lakshmi, seeking her blessings for material wellness as well as for the health and prosperity of family members.
Festivities include cleaning and decorating the entrance doors, tidying the worship area, and wearing clean clothes after a full bath.
This festival falls on the third day of the bright half of Shukla Paksha in Vaishakha, the second month of the Hindu calendar.
Health, wealth, and prosperity (involving progress in life) are important aspects of life. Therefore, we worship Goddess Lakshmi, the provider of all these aspects, along with Lord Ganesha and Kubera to seek blessings.
Akshaya Tritiya Significance
Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated by Hindus and Jains as an auspicious day for starting new ventures and purchasing important assets and properties like Gold, Houses, Vehicles, etc.
It is considered a lucky day for doing anything anew. They worship Ganesha, Lakshmi, and Kubera before going for the purchase. They believe that good luck comes to their home by doing so.
This day is associated with Parashurama's birth anniversary. It is believed that Parashurama was born on this day.
Some devotees believe that Treta Yuga started on this day of Akshaya Tritiya.
There are some other stories related to this festival.
In the Mahabharata, Sri Krishna presented the akshaya patra to Draupadi while the Pandavas were in Vanavaas due to the Kauravas. However, the akshaya patra can provide food only once a day for those who are seated and ready to eat. Therefore, when Duryodhana maliciously sent Sage Durvasa along with his disciples to seek food from the Pandavas at midnight, Krishna saved them from Durvasa's wrath by eating one or two grains stuck to the akshaya patra. Otherwise, the sage could have cursed the Pandavas.
Another story is that of the Jain Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. The Jains believe that Lord Rishabhanatha broke his 400-day fast by consuming sugarcane juice from a king named Shreyans on this Akshaya Tritiya date. So, Jains keep fast and celebrate this day to commemorate that event.
There is another belief that Goddess Ganga came to earth on this auspicious day.
It is believed that Kubera was appointed as Lord of Wealth on this day.
One more story tells that Sri Krishna bestowed wealth upon his childhood friend Sudama on this day. Sudama (also known as Kuchela) was a poor Brahmin. He had 21 children after marriage, and he could not provide even enough food for his family. His wife advised him to visit his childhood friend Krishna and seek help from him. Sudama was hesitant but agreed to do so. His wife tied some grains of flattened rice (known as poha) to his dhoti, as Sudama would not go empty-handed to his friend's house.
Sudama was afraid that Krishna might not recognize him after such a long gap of time. But Krishna already knew through his sixth sense that Sudama was coming to meet him and that he was bringing poha for him. So, he came running toward his old friend, took him inside his palace, and made him sit on his throne. Sudama was overwhelmed with joy and did not seek anything else from Krishna. However, Krishna knew of his poverty and pitiful condition. He secretly took the poha that Sudama had hidden in his clothes and ate it. Then he bade farewell to Sudama without further inquiries regarding the purpose of his visit. Sudama was already satisfied with the welcome and the respect he received from Krishna. While returning, he felt sad for his family as he couldn't ask for help from Krishna.
But when Sudama reached his place, he couldn't find his house there. In its place was a huge bungalow, and his wife was standing on the upper floor, waving at him. Sudama was astonished and realized that it was all part of Sri Krishna's Leela. He bowed his head in acknowledgment of the love and generosity shown by Krishna even without asking for it.
This is the great story of Sudama, who received Akshaya Sampatti (everlasting wealth & prosperity) on Akshaya Tritiya Day.
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| Lord Rishabhnatha taking alms |
How to Celebrate Akshaya Tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated by offering special prayers to God, observing fasts, purchasing gold and other valuable items, visiting temples, and engaging in charitable work for the poor. People who are considering their children's marriage or starting new ventures can begin this work on this day after prayers.
- Take a full bath early in the morning and wear clean clothes for performing the puja.
- If you are considering fasting, you can do so and break the fast after the evening puja by consuming either some fruit juice or milk, along with the prasad.
- Prayers to Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha, and Kubera are considered important on this day.
- If you wish to purchase gold or other articles on this day, do so after the morning puja. You can place these items in front of God during your evening worship and apply some turmeric and kumkuma to them, treating them as auspicious gifts from God.
- People purchasing new houses or land should install their God in it before entering the home or land. Hold the idol in your hand while stepping in and then place it at some appropriate place, do some worship by chanting hymns and offering flowers and jaggery to the idol.
- Jaggery (gur) is the best naivedyam according to our scriptures. Along with jaggery, you can offer other items such as bananas and cooked foods like kheer, tamarind rice, pongal, etc. as naivedyam to God.
- Distribute the prasadam to elders and other attendees at the puja before taking any for yourself.
- People observing a fast can offer soaked chickpeas as naivedyam and then distribute them among the attending women, along with kumkuma, turmeric, betel leaves, and a fruit. Their blessings will be an asset for you.
- Visiting temples in the evening can be a blessing for you and your family.
