Akshaya Tritiya Festival Information, Akha Teej, Navanna Parvam

Akshaya Tritiya Festival Information: Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on the third day of the bright half of the pan Indian lunar month of Vaishakha of the traditional Hindu calendar, is one of the most important days of the year for the Hindus. Also known as Akha Teej or Navanna Parvam, it’s in the month of late April or early May that it is celebrated; a time when both sun and moon are in exalted positions and at their brightest best.

Akshaya Tritiya Festival:

Akshaya is a Sanskrit word meaning never diminishing or inexhaustible; the festival puts forth a belief, a belief in the almighty, that any undertaking any meaningful venture or good deed will bring back more of the same to the devotee in terms of success and prosperity, that will not diminish as time passes by. Buying and wearing jewelry made of gold is an important aspect of the day and is known to invite Devi Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth into the households.

It is on this day that people conduct special Pujas, bathe in holy rivers, make charity, and offer barley to the burning fire. There’s also a tradition to sprinkle Tulsi water onto the idols of Gods while performing the aarti. It’s the various mythological legends and traditions that have been carried forward for millenniums that lend more weight-age to all of the above set of beliefs and more. Various Hindu deities like Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva and Devi Laxmi are worshiped on the day for different reasons. Lord Ganesha is worshiped before setting sails for any new venture or deed, Lord Krishna is worshiped for Salvation, Lord Shiva is worshiped for health and good luck, and Goddess Laxmi is worshiped for wealth. Jains, who observe a yearlong fast on an alternate day basis, end it on this day with sugarcane juice.

Astrological & Religious Significance of Akshaya Tritiya:

Along with being a religiously significant day, Akshaya Tritiya has astrological significance as well. Astrologically, each and every second of this day is considered as auspicious. It is also believed that this day is the “brightest day”. The word brightest refers to the Sun and the Moon being at their brightest best. On this day, the Sun enters the house of Aries and the Moon is placed in the house of Taurus. Their positions on this day make all the difference to the brightness emitted by them. Astrology is essentially a study of the universe, of which nature is a part. So, the Sun and the Moon being at their brightest are of immense significance to astrology.

The Legend of Krishna and Sudama:

Lord Krishna had a poor friend named Sudama. When the latter fell through difficult times, he thought of approaching his friend for help. With this plan in mind, Sudama went to his friend with a small bowl of Poha or “flattened rice”. He had nothing else which he could possibly offer to his friend. After reaching his friend’s house, Sudama was welcomed in such a manner that he felt embarrassed immediately. He was reluctant to offer the food which he had brought. But Lord Krishna not only made his friend feel welcome, but also ate the Poha with great enjoyment on his face. Feeling too embarrassed to ask for help, Sudama went back home without asking for anything. When he reached home, he found out that everything had been turned into a grand opulence. Since that day, Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated.

This story encompasses the core belief behind Akshaya Tritiya. The charitable donations which are made on this day essentially celebrate the help extended by Krishna towards his friend. Gaining wealth and donating it at the same time may seem to be extreme opposite but the festival of Akshaya Tritiya beautifully brings them together on the same day.

Things You Must Do on Akshaya Tritiya:

Buying Gold:

This is probably the most important thing to do on Akshaya Tritiya. Regardless of whether a person actually celebrates this festival or not, everybody buys gold on this day. It is the one thing which everybody plans to do on this day.

Start a Business:

As mentioned above, there can be no better day to start a business than the day of Akshaya Tritiya. It is believed that if you start a new venture or a business on this day, it will never fail. Most people first perform a puja of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi before starting a new business on Akshaya Tritiya.

Get Hitched:

Being the very auspicious day that it is, Akshaya Tritiya is the best day for anybody to get married. Thousands of people choose to get married on this day.

Start a Construction:

Starting a new construction or investing on an existing one is also a must-do on Akshaya Tritiya. Staying in one such house will make you prosperous forever.

Donate to Charity:

Choose a charitable organization or even an individual in need and give away. The more you give, the more you will be blessed. Even feeding animals is considered to be a charitable activity. Some people worship the cow on Akshaya Tritiya.

Things Prohibited on Akshaya Tritiya:

Although Akshaya Tritiya is a very auspicious day, there are still some things which shouldn’t be done. Travelling is one such thing which is a strict no-no on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. While Jains end their fast on this day, Hindus don’t consider starting or ending a fast on this day. Some people also believe that indulging in worldly activities shouldn’t take place on Akshaya Tritiya.

There is not one single belief system which tells us what not to do on Akshaya Tritiya. While a lot of people think buying a new property on this day will bring them success, some of them also believe that entering a new house on this day will bring them bad luck. Even planting of trees is not considered a good thing to do on Akshaya Tritiya by some people.

Akshaya Tritiya Date:

• 2024: May 10 (Friday)
• 2025: April 30 (Wednesday)
• 2026: April 19 (Sunday)
• 2027: May 09 (Sunday)