Akshaya Tritiya is a very popular festival among Hindus and Jains that they celebrate every year. Akshaya Tritiya is also known as Aakha Teej and it falls on the third lunar day of Baisakh Month. It is a one-day event celebrated in late April or early May. It is considered one of the auspicious and lucky days and many people believe that any venture started on this day would bring progress and prosperity. This day also marks the birth of Lord Parsurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Akshaya means immortal or eternal that never diminishes and Tritiya means third lunar day. This further implies that anything we start on the day of Akshaya Tritiya nurtures with time, brings good fortune, and cannot be destroyed. So, people make investments on real estate, stock or start a new company and a new relationship can be started on this auspicious day. One of the most popular activities on this day is buying gold and is believed to be a sign of good fortune for the buyer.
Stories behind the Celebration of Akshaya Tritiya
There are many stories behind celebrating Akshaya Tritiya. A few of the popular stories are below:
- It is this day when Treta Yuga was commenced. The Treta Yuga is the second Yuga and is considered very important as Lord Krishna’s sixth incarnation, Lord Parsurama was born in the form of Vamana.
- Lord Ganesha and Ved Vyasa started writing the epic Mahabharata on this auspicious day.
- This day also marks the birth of Goddess Annapurna
- On this day, Lord Krishna bestowed wealth on his poor friend Sudama who had come to his rescue for help.
- According to Mahabharata, Lord Krishna presented “Akshaya Patra” to the Pandavas while on their exile. He blessed the Pandavas with this bowl that would continue to produce unlimited food that would never leave them hungry.
- It was on the day of Akshaya Tritiya that the River Ganges descended from heaven on earth.
- On this day, Lord Kubera worshipped Goddess Lakshmi and thus was assigned the name “God of the Treasurer”.
- In Jainism, this day is celebrated to remember Lord Adinath, their first God.
Customs on Akshaya Tritiya
- On this day, many people in Southern parts of India are involved in buying gold as it is considered to bring good luck and fortune. As such, buying gold is believed to be pious on this day.
- The devotees worship Lord Vishnu on this day and keep a fast the entire day. The devotees are also engaged in making donations and charities in the form of distributing food items like ghee, oil vegetables, fruits, rice, pulses, and clothes to the poor.
- In Eastern India, Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated in a different way. This day marks the first ploughing day for the upcoming harvest season. Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are worshipped before starting a new audit book for the next financial year. This is known as “Halkhata”.
- Many people take a holy bath in The River Ganga and making donations on this auspicious day.
- Jains complete their year-long tapasya and end their worship by drinking sugarcane juice.
- The devotees of Lord Krishna embalm the deity with sandalwood paste and worship Lord Krishna and is completely devoted to make the Lord happy. This signifies that they by worshipping Lord Krishna on this day would bring growth and prosperity which will never stop.
- People also worship horses on this auspicious day, the horse is considered to represent command and energy. Performing ‘ashwa puja’ on this day blesses the worshipper’s home with mental peace and positivity.
Significance for couples
In South India, Goddess Madhura got married to God Sundaresa (an incarnation of Lord Shiva) on this day. Therefore, the couples who get married on the day of Aakha Teej are believed to be blessed with eternal prosperity and bliss. Akshaya Tritiya always sees an exceptional rush in the number of marriages taking place in the country.
In many states, mass community marriages are organized under a single mandap on the day of Akshaya Tritiya to help the brides and grooms with financial means to have a decent wedding with all religious splendor.
Charities to be done on Akshaya Tritiya
- Jal (Water) Daanam: One can offer jal (water) to Brahmins with betel nuts and give them dakshina.
- Vastra Daanam: Vastra means clothes, donating clothes to poor or old-age homes, orphanages or to any need persons would be one of the best charities and donations done on the day of Akshaya Tritiya.
- Buttermilk Daanam: Offering buttermilk as a charity blesses individuals with the attainment of knowledge.
- Kumkum Daanam: Donating Kumkum blesses the people with higher status in life and women are blessed with their husband’s long life.
- Chandana Daanam: Donating sandalwood, in any form protects the donors with untimely accidents and auspicious.
You can select yourself, what kind of donations you want to do on this auspicious day. Donate anything that you like, but donate! If you don’t believe in these stories and rituals, think you are donating it for a good cause. And you will realize how good you feel after donation.
Celebrate Akshaya Tritiya on 7th May with great enthusiasm, enjoy some mouth-watering sweets, worship Gods, start your new work, make donations and charities and make this day a productive one.
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