Akshaya Tritiya

Akshaya Tritiya is one of the most auspicious days in vedic culture. Anything you start on this day gets multiplied so people use this day for starting a project, business, buying gold and other assets, donations, service, religious rituals, ceremonies etc. Because even the negative effects of the horoscope gets void on this day.

Goddess Lakshmi (source: fineartamerica.com)

Akshaya Tritiya has the energy of abundance. It has the quality to bring abundant prosperity. Akshaya Tritiya means the 3rd day of abundance. Tritiya is the 3rd tithi (day) of waxing and waning lunar cycles. Akshaya means abundance, eternal, everlasting, ever growing, inexhaustible. Akshaya Tritiya falls on the shukla paksha (waxing) tritiya tithi between April and May every year. This year it falls on May 3rd 2022. Shukla paksha tritiya comes every month but this is the most important one since both Sun and Moon are exalted on this day in Aries and Taurus respectively. Sun and Moon are the luminaries, the significators of father and mother, Shiva and Parvati, right and left eye, left and right brain, right and left side of the body, masculinity and femininity. In simple words Sun and Moon are everything. They represent the duality that resides everywhere in the universe.

Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra blesses the possessor with abundance of everything. Akshaya means eternal and Patra means vessel. Its origin story comes from the churning of the ocean of milk (Samudra Manthan). It came out from the ocean along with Kamadhenu, Karpaka Vriksha. Later in the story of Mahabharata, Lord Surya gifted this patra to pandavas on this day when they were in trouble so that they’ll have food and offer food to others in abundance.

Many other stories from different Puranas are associated with Akshaya Tritiya are as follows:

1. Lord Parashurama, the 6th avatar of God Vishnu was born on this day.

2. It was on this day the epic Mahabharata was narrated by Rishi Veda Vyasa to Lord Ganesha to write.

3. Lord Krishna bestowed endless supply of food to his childhood close friend Sudama on this day.

4. Lord Kubera became the treasurer of wealth on this day.

5. Goddess Annapoorna devi, the goddess of food was born on this day.

6. Goddess Ganga, pleased by King Bhagiratha’s austere penance agreed to descend on earth as river Ganges on this day.

7. Adi Shakaracharya recited the Kanakadhara Stotram towards Goddess Lakshmi on this day.

8. Treta Yuga (when Lord Ram was born) started on this day.

9. The chariot construction of the annual Rath Yatra of Puri Jagannath temple begins on this day. Puri is famous for having Lord Krishna’s heart.

Special activities

Dharmic activities such as pujas, homas like Lakshmi Kubera homam, Ganpati homam, Lakshmi Narayan homam etc. can be done. Charities to the needy, group prayers, group meditations, feeding the animals esp. cow, planting trees, foundation for building and all those mentioned in the first para can also be performed on this day for greater benefits. Keep a positive attitude and resonate on it.