5 Things You Must Do on Akshaya Tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated on the third day of the bright fortnight in the month of Vaishakha (vaisakha sukla paksa tritiya). aksaya (sanskrit) means inexhaustible, that which never deteriorates. It is considered to be the most auspicious day to start a new venture.1. Glorify the Supreme Lord who appeared as Parasurama
The Supreme Lord appeared as Parasurama, the son of Jamadagni Maharsi and Srimati Renukadevi, on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya. He uprooted all the unwanted kings who appeared as thorns on the surface of the earth. Sri Jayadeva Goswami glorifies this incarnation of the Supreme Lord as follows:
knatriya-rudhira-maye jagad-apagata-pāpam
snapayasi payasi śamita-bhava-tāpam
keśava dhṛta-bhṛgupati-rūpa jaya jagadiśa hare
O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari who have assumed the form of Bhrgupati [Parasurama]! All glories to You! At Kuruksetra You bathe the earth in the rivers of blood from the bodies of the demoniac ksatriyas that You have slain. The sins of the world are washed away by You, and because of You people are relieved from the blazing fire of material existence.
On the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya please chant this verse and glorify the Supreme Lord who appeared as Lord Parashurama. Also chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra at least 108 times.
2. Recite 18 chapters of Bhagavad-gita
It is believed that Vyasadeva, the great sage who is the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord, started composing Mahabharata on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya. Mahabharata is considered to the fifth-veda and it contains Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all Vedic literatures. It is said that the effects of the past sinful reactions will not act upon one who reads Bhagavad-gita sincerely, with all seriousness. So to get rid of the material dirt accumulated from our previous births, we should take bath in the holy water of Bhagavad-gita.
On the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya try to recite all the 18 chapters of Bhagavad-gita. It takes almost 2 to 3 hours. If not, at least recite one chapter or one verse.
3. Offer Oblations to the Forefathers
One should perform sraddha ceremony on the Aksaya-trtiya day. (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.21)
Sraddha is a Vedic ritual to offer oblations to departed souls and even today people go to Gaya to perform the sraddha ceremony to liberate their forefathers, who may be suffereing from various types of sinful reactions, by offering water and remnants of food offered to Lord Vishnu. In the first chapter of Bhagavad-gita Arjuna expresses his concern that due to the fratricidal war the observance of such ritualistic ceremonies would stop and the forefathers would fall down to hellish conditions. So it is very important to observe this sraddha ceremony and it is very auspicious to perform this ceremony on the day of Akshaya Tritiya.
On the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya you may offer oblations to your departed forefathers to save them from sufferings due to various types of sinful reactions.
4. Annadana – Distribute Prasadam (Spiritual Food Offered to Lord)
It is the duty of the householders (grhastas) to take care of the guests. Guests are called atithi (one who comes without an invitation). grhe satrum api praptam visvastam akutobhayam: It is said that even if an enemy comes to one’s home, one should receive him with all respects. Even if there were no guests, it is the responsibility of the householder to go into the street and call out, “If anyone is hungry, please come. The food is ready. You can dine with us.” and give an opportunity for the guest to come.While the Pandavas were on exile, to help them take care of their guests, the sun-god gave them Akshaya Patra, a mysterious vessel which can supply unlimited quantity of food to cater to any number of people, as long as Draupadi (the wife of Pandavas) had not eaten. Following this tradition, Srila Prabhupada instructed his disciples that everyone visiting the temple should be treated as a guest and must be supplied with sumptuous Prasadam. He said: Let the whole world come, we can feed them.
On the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya you can do Annadana (invite guests and feed them with sumptuous prasadam – food offered to the Lord) or contribute towards Nitya Annadana Seva.
5. Donate Towards Charitable Causes
It is advertised that buying gold on the day of Akshaya Tritiya will make you rich. However, this is not a fact authorized by Vedic scriptures. Traditionally the rulers and rich people of the society used to perform sacrifices (yajna) and distribute their wealth in charity on such auspicious days. Charitable activities can be performed out of compassion to poor or for the spiritual upliftment of oneself. In Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that one should perform charity without expecting any returns, at a proper time (solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, and various other auspicious muhurthas like akshaya tritiya) and place (in a place of pilgrimage or in temples), and to a worthy person (a qualified Brahmana or a Vaishnava devotee). It is also said that one should never abandon yajna-dana-tapah-karma (prescribed duties of performing sacrifice, charity, austerity).
On the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya you can donate towards charitable causes.
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