Akshaya Tritiya is also called Akha Teej in Rajasthan and Gujarat and Akti in Chattisgarh. It is a very holy and auspicious day for both Hindus and Jains.
It is on the third day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Vaisakha (May-June), as per the Hindu lunar calendar.
AKSHAYA TRITIYA 2023: AUSPICIOUS TIMINGS
According to Drik Panchang, Akshaya Tritiya Pooja Muhurat is from 07:49 am to 12:21 pm.
Tritiya tithi starts on April 22, 2023, at 07:49 am.
Tritiya tithi ends on April 23, 2023, at 07:47 am.
The Special Aspects of Akshaya Tritiya
In the Hindu tradition, there are 3 Vijay Muhurats – Vasant Panchami, Akshaya Tritiya, and Dussehra. These occur every year. On these days, one can perform any activity without fear or hesitation, as they are very auspicious days for events like engagement, marriage, starting a new activity or business, inauguration, purchasing vehicle, assets, property, gold, silver, precious items, doing charity, etc.
Supposedly, the effect of Akshaya Tritiya Tithi will not diminish in any era. So, the results of auspicious activities done on this day will endure forever. Also, one may get a lot of Punya if one does good deeds and spiritual activities like Japa, Yagna, Pitru Tarpan, and Donations. One can donate barley/oats, rice, wheat, chickpeas, and other cereals, as this can bring very good results.
Akshaya Tritiya is especially significant for purchasing gold. It is said that this can bring enduring wealth, peace, and good fortune. Worshipping Lakshmi on Akshaya Tritiya is important. The deity who rules this day is Vishnu. So one should worship Vishnu on this day.
Farmers worship their plow on this auspicious day and begin to plow the fields to prepare the land for monsoon crops before the rains start.
There are many stories associated with Akshaya Tritiya. Here are some of them.
The Birth of Parashurama
This day happens to be the birthday of Parashurama, or the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. Parashurama was the son of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka, a princess. He rid the world of arrogant and unruly Kshatriya kings after King Kartavirya’s son killed Jamadagni. Parashurama is one of the 8 immortals in Hindu mythology.
Vyasa Begins the Mahabharata
On the day of Akshaya Tritiya, Sage Vyasa began to dictate the Mahabharata to Ganesha, who was his scribe. To make Vyasa do the work quickly, Ganesha placed a condition that Vyasa should not stop while narrating the events in the epic. Ganesha was a quick writer who was ambidextrous. Vyasa felt that he could not match Ganesha’s pace. So, he came up with an idea. He agreed to recite the entire epic without pausing, but he wanted Ganesha to understand the meaning of each line before writing it down. This helped Vyasa buy some time.
The Pandavas’ Divine Weapons
It was on this day that the Pandavas took out their divine weapons buried under a Shami tree in a forest during their exile. The weapons were covered in white cloth to look like a corpse. The tree was near a cemetery. It was also the day of Vijayadashami. After retrieving the weapons, they prayed to the Shami tree and Goddess Durga. Then they went straight to the battlefield and went on to achieve victory against the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war with the help of these weapons.
Durga Kills Mahishasura
On this day, Goddess Durga killed the buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura, after a fierce battle lasting 10 days.
Kubera Becomes Wealthy
Akshaya Tritiya finds mention in many Puranas. As per the Shiva Purana, Kubera received immense wealth as a boon from Shiva and also became the divine treasurer.
Beginning of Treta Yuga
As per Hinduism, there are 4 ages or Yugas in the history of mankind. Treta Yuga is the second of these. Akshaya Tritiya marks the beginning of the Treta Yuga, or the age of Rama. During this era, people were righteous and followed the path of ‘Dharma’. It is believed that beginning anything new on this day guarantees success and prosperity.
The other Yugas are Satya Yuga, Dwaparayuga, and Kaliyuga. Treta Yuga comes after Satya Yuga, the age of perfect morality, and before the Dwaparayuga. Vishnu’s fifth, sixth, and seventh incarnations occurred during the Treta Yuga.
Ganges’ Descent to Earth
The Ganga is the holiest river in Hinduism. It is believed to have descended to earth from the heavens on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. This was due to the intense penance done by King Bhagiratha of Kosala (in present-day Uttar Pradesh) to remove a curse that fell on his kingdom due to his forefathers.
Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva to break the fall of the mighty river, and he agreed. As Ganga gushed down from heaven with all her might, Shiva captured the river in matted hair so that she flowed down to earth without causing any destruction.
