21 April 2010

Akshaya thrithiya

Akshaya thrithiya falls on the May 16th of 2010.Its called Akkha Teej by the North Indians and is widely celebrated day in the year all over India.It falls on the third day after amavasya in the month of "Vaishaka" in shukla paksha(which is the waxing phase of moon).It is said both Sun and moon are best placed on this day.It is such an auspicious day that it is said there is no need to look for muhurat on that particular day as every second is auspicious.Akshaya in sanskrit means"that which never diminishes.It is the most ideal day to make new beginnings and make investments.Sri Parushurama Jayanti is also observed on this day.There are many legends associated with this day-

1. Pandavas received the Akshaya Pathram (a bowl in which anything placed will never diminish) from Lord Krishna (in the Mahabharata) on this day.

2.It is believed sage Vyasa invoked Lord Ganesha to start the beginning of composition of the most celebrated hindu epic- The bharatha(Mahabharatha)

3.Sudhama(lord krishna's childhood friend) visiting lord Krishna with a handful of beaten rice(hence in hindu tradition people do not visit anyone without carrying an eatable to anybody's house specially if there are kids in the visitor's house.

4.Goddess Annapoorna was born on the auspicious day

5.Lord Shiva came down from the kailash parvatha in form of a beggar to accept the bhiksha(alms) from the goddess Annapoorna


6.Kubera, the Banker in heaven, also got his position on Akshaya Tritiya.

Also in the puranas there is a description of a particular story associated with a merchant.here it goes-

During the ancient times,
there was a merchant who was so poverty-stricken that he found
it difficult to afford even one square meal a day. However,
he was intensely religious and noticing his
devotion the elders explained to him the greatness of Akshaya Tritiya.
The poor merchant decided to follow their advice.

On an Akshaya Tritiya day, he woke up at dawn,
bathed and offered food, water, sugarcane juice, milk and money to poor Brahmins.
he followed all the necessary austerities as advised by the
elders. Due to his sincere efforts, he was born as Kushapathy Chakravarthy in his next birth,
say the Puranas.

This day is very blessed for your departed ancestors. You can yourself do a ritual offering on this day before sunset. Place black sesame seeds and rice or rice powder on your right palm. Pour water over the items. Think of your departed ancestors and offer the rice powder and sesame. After this ritual, discard the material. This will do a lot of good for you.