akshay trithya, religion, learn about akshay trithiya

There are hundred reason to celebrate and for every celebration there is a story behind it. Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej is a holy day for Hindu and Jain.

Akshaya Tritiya is considered one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu Calendar. It is believed, any meaningful activity started on this day would be fruitful. If you buy gold on this day, you propitiate certain god(s) who reward you with prosperity.

When we celebrate Akshaya Tritiya?

It falls on the third Tithi of Bright Half of the pan-Indian month of Vaishakha and one of the four most important days for Hindus.It is an auspicious day of the birthday of Lord Parasurama who is the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On this day Veda Vyas and Lord Ganesha began to write Mahabharata. The meaning of the word Akshaya is infinite that which never recede.

Astrology behind it

As per Hindu electional astrology three Lunar days are auspicious. These are called Sade-Teen Muhurtas also. These Tithis are : 1st Tithi of Bright Half of Chaitra , 10th Tithi of Bright Half of Ashvina , 3rd Tithi of Bright Half of Vaishakha (Akshay Tritiya- Parshu Jyanti) & 1st Tithi of Bright Half of Karttika are called “Sade-Teen (3 ½) Muhurt”. The first three Tithis are counted as full & the last one as half Tithi, and constitute Sade - Teen Muhurt. Sun and Moon are astrologically believed to be at their most exalted equal brightness on this day.

Akshaya Tritiya is also called Navanna Parvam. Akshaya Tritiya falling on a Rohini star Monday is considered more auspicious.

Myths Around Akshaya Tritiya

The day also marks the beginning of the "SatyaYug" or the Golden Age - the first of the four Yugas. In the Puranas, the holy Hindu scriptures, there is a story that says that on this day of Akshay Tritiya, Veda Vyasa along with Ganesha started writing the great epic Mahabharata. Ganga Devi or Mother Ganges also descended on earth on this day.

Akshaya Trithiya: Grand Gaja Pooja Festival

This Akshaya Tritiya will be celebrated in a true grand fashion, just like the Kings and Queens in Ancient times. There will be Gajas (elephants), ashwas (horses) and cows and they are being honored for their sacred powers in the Vana Tirupathi Power Spot. These are not just incredible animals but they symbolize royalty, power, magnanimity, energy, love and abundance.

Gaja Pooja: Jupiter is the ruling planet of this magnificent animal. The elephant is a symbol of respect, honor, magnanimity and power. First the elephant is bathed, then dressed and decorated, offered light, incense, flowers and food while Vedic priests voice the appropriate mantras and chants. This invokes the blessings of Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God who removes all obstacles.

Ashwa Pooja: The horse is first bathed, decorated and dressed and then only the Pooja is offered. Horse gram is then offered to the ashwa. The horse is a symbol for the planet Mars that represents energy and command.

Cow Pooja: The cow and her calf are first bathed, dressed and decorated and then only the pooja is offered. The cow is the symbol of love and ever giving and is the symbolic of the Planet Venus.

Krishna Sudama story

 Perhaps, the most famous of the Akshaya Tritiya stories is the legend of LordKrishna and Sudama, his poor Brahmin childhood friend. On this day, as the tale goes, Sudama came over to Krishna's palace to request him for some financial help. As a gift for his friend, Sudama had nothing more than a handful of beaten rice or 'poha'. So, he was utterly ashamed to give it to Krishna, but Krishna took the pouch of 'poha' from him and relished having it. Krishna followed the principle of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' or 'the guest is like God' and treated Sudama like a king. His poor friend was so overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality shown by

Modern days

In modern days festival is commarcialised.It is not just the gold and jewelry traders who cashed in on the beliefs of auspiciousness or quest for prosperity. Supermarkets, car and finance companies and almost everyone who had something to sell found some reason to tell people why they should buy their products.

From a day of giving years ago, Akshaya Tritiya has become a day of consumption.Akshaya Tritiya is a fantastic example of the great Indian superstition industry which may be worth several billion dollars. As the gold rush ended on Monday, Indians had consumed an estimated 25 tonnes of the metal in a single day and had pushed up the country’s trade deficit by US $ 17.7 billion.

It has become a fantastic business with zeero investment

About The Author

Chetan Sharma is an Indian fact-checker and news writer, writing news for Ayupp since 2014.

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