Akshaya Tritiya

Today Akshaya Tritiya is Celebrated.
Any Dharmic kainkaryams by way of offerings to Vedic Pundits in
Cash/Kind, Donations For Annadanams etc., helping the poor and needy especially on this day will bestow significant benefits to the Devotees.

"The hand that gives is the hand that gathers" is a timeless truth. Universe is a mysterious place and has its own secret laws. One of the important secrets to manifesting material success is first to give with a clean heart. Those who have made it really big, clearly understand this power of giving with a pure heart. This act according to our elders brings back the money manifold.... not that you expect it. You can practice this ancient science of giving to get supreme benefits on the sacred "Akshaya Trtiya" or "Day of Gold". No, this doesn't mean gold buying day. This day is the 3rd moon that falls during Mid-April and Mid May every year, is considered to be the single most powerful day for charities. This is also a day when the Sun and the Moon are at their most lustrous state, that is considered most auspicious for any charity and benevolent acts.

Bless the money or material that you are going to give away today and you could see that it multiplies many times over. "Feeding a starved human being and helping the poor with needed items are keys to receive material and spiritual blessings". Giving on this day, therefore, produces great returns (even if one does not expect anything in return). If you have been planning on giving, this day is the day. It is said that when the Lord wanted to create this world, the first word He uttered was Akshaya which means unlimited. This day is the single important time for wealth building. Many buy gold on this day as it forebodes good luck and prosperity for the year.

Sri Vyasa started the composition of great epic Mahabharatha, which is like an Akshaya patram for stories of the various yesteryear kings and spiritual knowledge.
Lord Sri Krishna visited Pandavas and blessed Draupathi with the Akshaya Patram (which they had received from the Sun God earlier).
Sudhama ( Kuchela) visited the Lord Sri Krishna with a handful of hand pound rice (Aval) and was blessed with Akshaya wealth by Sri Krishna in return.
Lord Sri Parashurama, who is Chiranjeevi (Immortal), Jayanthi is celebrated.

Mythologically speaking, Kubera, the treasurer in Heaven received his wealth on this day from Siva. It is on this day Lord Siva blessed Goddess Lakshmi with wealth. In fact Lord Siva made Kubera as Lord of wealth and Lakshmi as Goddess of wealth. Kubera worshiped Lord Siva in the temple at Sivapuram. Buried underneath the land surrounding the temple are thousands of Sivalingams. Just by stepping on the ground here, or by worshiping here, your bad money karma will be dissolved, they say.

According to another legend, the "Akshaya bowl" which creates unlimited food was given to the great king Yudhishtira on this day. This event happened at the Thirumanthurai temple. Also on this day Avatars (Gods incarnation on the earth plane) were blessed to rule their countries. They received wealth on this day. Two people were born on this 3rd moon. One is Parasurama, the warrior Brahmin who destroyed all his enemies and then became a sage. The second one was Annapurani, a special form of Parvati who feeds the hungry. Annapurani fed Siva on this day. Siva disguised himself as a beggar (for Bikshaatana) and approached Annapurani for food. Siva’s begging is a symbolic act. He is the lord of the Universe. Why should he beg? The answer is he begs for all his beggars (the impoverished lots, like us!!).
Also as per another legend connected with Arasar Koil, Lord Ganesha seems to have gifted the Akshaya bowl (divine vessel of inexhaustible food) to Garuda (the Vehicle of lord Vishnu). Garuda worshiped Lakshmi who happens to reside in this temple and Goddess Lakshmi offered this Akshaya bowl in gold to Garuda. Garuda while worshiping Lord Surya Narayana (the Sun God) offered food to the deity in this golden Akshaya bowl. All the above incidences happened in Arasar Koil temple only in the previous Yugas, mind you.

In this temple, Lord Ganesha is in front of Goddess Mahalakshmi' s Sanctum and is known as Akshaya Vinayakar. He is also known as Sri Lakshmi Ganapathy. Since it was Lord Siva who on this day bestowed Kubera as the Lord and Lakshmi as the Goddess of wealth, worshiping Lord Siva on this day and chanting the mantra, “Om Namah Sivaaya” will bring in abundance and prosperity in one’s life. Let the Srivaishnavite's differ on this, and chant "SrimathE nArAyaNa namah: ".

Feeding the poor is the most important charitable act. Also donation of umbrellas and chapels (sandals) for poor children are recommended by some. Poojas and charity acts will yield good results on this special 3rd moon day, i.e.3rd day from new-moon day known as Tritiya, a day for charity.

Buying of Gold and Jewellery items is certainly not listed in the Vedic scripts. These are all the ploy and gimmicks made by the vested interests to hard-sell their product to the gullible in the name of religious faith. Sadly purity, piety & all good have been commercialized. Sure, the industry related advertisements are making the general public crazy for buying. The only auspicious day to buy gold ornaments stated to be of Guru-Pushya day i.e. when Pushya nakshatra falls on any Thursday in any month. And certainly not on Akshaya Thrutheeyai day. To do perform sort of Pooja and prayer and Brahmin feedings were the most important on this day than accumulating gold wealth, which is certainly not the agenda for this Akshaya Thrutheeyai. I list below the deeds and benefits as per the age old practice of doing charity on the Akshaya Thrutheeyai day:

If you do charity, you will conquer the pain of death.
If you help the poor and down-trodden, you will be blessed in your next birth.
If you give clothes to poor people, you will get over diseases.
If you give fruits, you will get higher position in life.
If you give butter milk, buttermilk, etc, you will progress in studies.
If you give grains, you will not die untimely.
If you perform " Deva tharpaNam", you will get rid of poverty.
If you give curd rice, you will get over your negative deeds and you will progress in life

Nowadays, in all over India there are scores of advertisements declaring that buying of Gold on this day would make you rich. And there is a mad rush for buying Gold on this day, that I find everywhere. This is practically a meaningless act as persons have to spend from their own pocket to buy this gold. And this would surely make the shop owners richer than the buyers!! Instead, if they gift some valuables to the needy poor then it would be of immense value added to their life. By spending heavily on this day, on the contrary, this may weaken your purse and making the gold idle for no act of circulation, thus Goddess Lakshmi might even move out of your home. So act wisely, don't get bullied by the false advertisements that are surely contrary to the Vedic principles. Do care for the poor and needy, the result you will get in multiple ways of happiness. Akshaya, the ever lasting bowel may be with you for ever.

From: trsiyengar

As per Hindu astrology and almanac, each
second on the Akshaya Trithiya day is auspicious. It is said that there is no need to look for a ‘muhurat’ on the day. The word Akshaya means ‘that which never diminishes’ and the day is ideal for beginning new ventures as it is believed that all investments on this day appreciates.

In a traditional Hindu lunar calendar, Akshay Tritiya is observed on the third day of Shukla Paksha (waxing phase
of moon) in Vaishakh Month.

It is believed that the sun and the moon are most radiant and best placed on the day. Therefore it is one of the most
popular dates in Hindu calendar for marriages, for beginning new ventures, for investing and for purchasing
valuables like gold and diamond.

Parashuram Jayanti is also observed on Akshaya Tritiya day. There are numerous legends associated with
Akshaya Tritiya; most popular is that of Sudama or Kuchela visiting Lord Krishna in Dwarka with a handful of
beaten rice (poha or aval).

Another legend suggests that the Pandavas received the Akshaya Pathram (bowl) from Lord Krishna (in the
Mahabharata) on this day.

It is also believed that Sage Vyasa began the composition of Mahabharata on the day.

Lord Vishnu and his incarnations are worshipped on the day. People also conduct Lakshmi puja on Akshaya
Tritiya.

But nowadays, Akshaya Trithiya is associated with gold purchase and many people wait for the day to make investments in gold.

OM NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA.

OM SHRI LAKSHMIBHAYO NAMAHA.

OM SHRI GANESHAYA NAMAH.

OM SHRI GURUVE NAMAH.

Omnamoveerabrahmane.

Happy Akshaya Tritiya to all.....may god bless you all on this auspicious day..