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MAY THIS AKSHAYA THRITHIYA BRING YOU PROSPERITY AND JOY!
from internet i have collected some interesting pieces of infos about akshaya thrithiya and wish to share those for all of your knowledge as well..here are they..
Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh month (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, which happens only once every year.
the vaisakh vrutham
or observance of austerities during this month is considered specially sacred to Vishnu. As the saying goes: There is no yuga like Kali, no tirtha like the Ganga and no vrata like Vaisakha.
The importance of Vaisakha and the mode of observance of the vrata are detailed in Skanda Purana.The main features of the vow: early morning ablutions when the waters are believed to be sanctified by the presence of the Ganga and other gods and goddesses, feeding the poor, abstinence from stale food; partaking of food after it has been offered to the Lord, practising namasankirtana; listening to religious discourses; in short, participating in everything divine.
The third day in the bright half of Vaisakha, known as Akshaya Tritiya is the most auspicious day of the month - it is also the birth day of Balarama. This day is considered so holy that auspicious functions are held and charities are performed.It is stated that “Lord Vishnu caused the Divine Ganga to flow on the earth on Vaisakha Sukla Tritiya.” It naturally follows that bathing in the Ganga and worshipping Lord Vishnu on the day are particularly propitious. There was a king called Dharmikan in ancient Panchala. He was valorous and mighty and was endowed with prosperity. But, despite his valour and prowess, he lost his kingdom to his enemies and was exiled to the forest. There he lived the life of a hunter. Once he invoked his family guru to ascertain the cause of his suffering.The guru told him that he had been a hunter in a previous birth. Never devoted to God, he indulged in such despicable acts like drinking, hunting, dacoity etc. Once he robbed two merchants and killed one of them. A maharshi who was watching this took fright and ran for his life. While doing so he fell down on the way on account of exhaustion. The hunter, however, saw him and tended him. By virtue of this act he was born as a king in his next life.On the advice of the Guru, Dharmikan observed Vaisakha vrata in atonement. The Lord, pleased with his devotion appeared before him and blessed him. That day is AkshayaTritiya which is hence specially holy during the Vaisakha month.
While the observance of Vaisakha vrata is efficacious every where, at Guruvayur it is particularly so. A prince belonging to the ruling family of the erstwhile Travancore State was a great devotee. A saint presented him with a salagrama which the prince treasured and worshipped with great devotion. He and his subjects, however, suffered a series of disasters.The prince sought the saint and asked his advice. He was told that if the salagrama was worshipped in the presence of Lord Vishnu good results would follow. The prince, therefore, resorted to the family deity Sri Padmanabha. Yet things did not improve.Finally, be betook himself to Guruvayur and dedicated the salgrama to Guruvayurappan. Since then the princely family used to offer palpayasam during the midday puja to Guruvayurappan, which continued for several years.
These two legends indicate why Vaisakha is specially holy atGuruvayur and attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees. The devotees have darshan of the Lord during all the pujas; and participating in the sheevelis, listening to Bhagavata and other religious discourses, they remain in constant bliss. Four Bhagavata saptahas are arranged by the Devaswom to cover the entire Vaisakha month.
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.
Krishna and Kusela
On the Akshaya Tritiya day, Kusela went to meet his childhood friend Lord Krishna with the hope of solving his poverty as Krishna was a very rich king. However, he could only afford to carry along rice flakes to greet Krishna. Though he was ashamed initially to share the rice flakes with Lord Krishna, Krishna forced him to give those flakes. The moment Krishna tasted those flakes, Kusela's poverty vanished and he became rich overnight.
Akshaya Patram
In the great epic Mahabharata, there was a king named Yudhisthira. He was the eldest brother among the five Pandavas, and was recognized as the son of Dharma. At Thirumanthurai temple(sun god), the Gods granted Yudhisthira with an Akshaya Patram or bowl that grants undiminishing food. He used this for the benefit of the people. He received this bowl on the Akshaya Tritiya day.
Once, Garuda, the divine vehicle of Lord Vishnu, worshipped Goddess Lakshmi. She offered an Akshaya Patram to Garuda. While worshipping the Sun God, he offered food to the deity in this golden Akshaya bowl. These incidents happened in Arasar temple in the previous Yugas.
Kubera’s Appointment
Kubera, the Banker in Heaven, received his wealth on this day by worshipping Lord Shiva in the temple at Sivapuram. It is only on this day Lord Shiva blessed Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, with all the riches. Thus, Lord Siva appointed both of them to their coveted positions as custodians of wealth and prosperity.
Annapurna’s Birth
Annapurna, the Goddess of food, was born on this day. She is a special form of Parvati who feeds the hungry. Once, Shiva disguised himself as a beggar and approached Annapurna for food. On the Akshaya Tritiya day, she fed Lord Shiva himself.
Bright Births
It is also believed that people born during this time shine bright in life. Many luminaries were born during this period: Basaveshwara born on May 4, Ramanujacharya and Adi Shankaracharya on May 6, Swami Chinmayananda on May 8 and Lord Buddha on May 16. Akshaya Tritiya is also celebrated as the birthday of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Puranic Story
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. Despite his wife's disapproval, 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.
Significance
Akshaya Tritiya is the perfect day to make new beginnings so that they produce imperishable results, to practise the art of giving to ensure infinite returns, and to maximize the divine blessings in your life by performing only auspicious actions.
The ancient seers reveal that prayers on this day will pave a road for riches both materially and spiritually. When you are lighter in the inner, the outer universe responds with abundance and happiness.
"This is the single most powerful day for charities."
The Grand Day of Generous Giving
If you want maximum benefit for your donation, this is the one day when you can do it. If you have been planning on giving, this day is the day. There are specific items for giving on this day - poor feedings at certain temples, cow and calf, land, gold, umbrellas, hand fans, and cool refreshing drinks. Bless the money or material that you are going to give away today and you could see that it multiplies many times over.
Giving on this day produces great returns. Feeding a starved human being and helping the poor with needed items are keys to receive material and spiritual blessings. On this auspicious day when you provide food supplies to a needy family, you will get incredible blessings and will soon find remarkable improvement in your material life. Other forms of giving include sponsoring the education of a deserving child.
The Divinely Golden Day
Gold is the purest emotion of creation. Gold is the emotion of God. That's why in every culture people have accepted gold as money. Gold, especially in India, is much more than just a precious metal. It is part of the fabric of the culture and an inseparable part of the belief system. It is the essence from which the universe was created.
Hri – Root word, meaning imperishable
Hiranya - Sanskrit word for Gold
Hiranyagarbha – The one born out of Gold, refers to Brahma - the Creator God
As per Vedic mythology, the Creator deposited a seed in the waters of the dark and lifeless universe. The seed became a bright golden egg as radiant as the sun. From this cosmic egg was born Brahma - the incarnation of the Creator Himself.
Akshaya Tritiya is the golden day to buy gold. On this day, wealth will increase in homes where gold coins and items are kept for pooja and worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi.
The Tamil Siddhas, the spiritual scientists of Southern India, spoke of an unchallenged Divine law – ‘Wearing Gold attracts God’.
This reminds me of the quotings of famous prema pandurangaji who delivers spiritual discourses as often said that,"we should wear and display our gold ornaments before God than in family functions since it is He who has blessed us with this wealth and it is our bounded duty to prostrate before Him wearing our ornaments as a symbol of thanks giving."
so it is an ideal and very auspicious day to purchase gold, silver, gems, ornaments, jewelry and valuables. It is believed that if a person purchases a small amount of gold (at least 1 gm) on this day, the gold will accumulate more round the year.
The Sacred Day for Ancestors
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.
Make New Beginnings
Praying on this day can help you make swift progress in life and eliminate deep-rooted negative thoughts about money. It is the best day to go for new investments like fixed deposits in banks, post office savings scheme, insurance policies, share market, mutual funds, and so on. It is ideal day for starting new ventures. Thousands of marriages are performed on this day.
It is a wonderful day to forgive and forget the past and renew relationships with friends and relatives. It is also the perfect time to resolve to give up bad habits, and adopt good habits.
prarthana slokam
the following 28 vishnu naamams are especially auspicious to chant during this time of vaishakh month. If we do not have time to chant all 1000 names, we can at least try to chant these 28 naamams.
VISHNU ASTHOSHATISHATANAMA STOTRAM
arjuna uvAcha
kiM nu nAma sahasrANi japate cha punaH punaH |
yAni nAmAni divyAni tAni chAchakShva keshava || 1||
shrIbhagavAnuvAcha
matsyaM kUrmaM varAhaM cha vAmanaM cha janArdanam |
govindaM puNDarIkAkShaM mAdhavaM madhusUdanam || 2||
padmanAbhaM sahasraakShaM vanamAliM halAyudham |
govardhanaM hRiShIkeshaM vaikuNThaM puruShottamam || 3||
vishvarUpaM vAsudevaM rAmaM nArAyaNaM harim |
dAmodaraM shrIdharaM cha vedANgaM garuDadhvajam || 4||
anantaM kRiShNagopAlaM japato nAsti pAtakam |
gavAM koTipradAnasya ashvamedhashatasya cha || 5||
kanyAdAnasahasraaNAM phalaM prApnoti mAnavaH |
amAyAM vA paurNamAsyAmekAdashyAM tathaiva cha || 6||
sandhyAkAle smarennityaM prAtaHkAle tathaiva cha |
madhyAhne cha japannityaM sarvapApaiH pramuchyate || 7||
Happy Akshaya Thrithiya!
MAY THIS AKSHAYA THRITHIYA BRING YOU PROSPERITY AND JOY!
from internet i have collected some interesting pieces of infos about akshaya thrithiya and wish to share those for all of your knowledge as well..here are they..
Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh month (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, which happens only once every year.
the vaisakh vrutham
or observance of austerities during this month is considered specially sacred to Vishnu. As the saying goes: There is no yuga like Kali, no tirtha like the Ganga and no vrata like Vaisakha.
The importance of Vaisakha and the mode of observance of the vrata are detailed in Skanda Purana.The main features of the vow: early morning ablutions when the waters are believed to be sanctified by the presence of the Ganga and other gods and goddesses, feeding the poor, abstinence from stale food; partaking of food after it has been offered to the Lord, practising namasankirtana; listening to religious discourses; in short, participating in everything divine.
The third day in the bright half of Vaisakha, known as Akshaya Tritiya is the most auspicious day of the month - it is also the birth day of Balarama. This day is considered so holy that auspicious functions are held and charities are performed.It is stated that “Lord Vishnu caused the Divine Ganga to flow on the earth on Vaisakha Sukla Tritiya.” It naturally follows that bathing in the Ganga and worshipping Lord Vishnu on the day are particularly propitious. There was a king called Dharmikan in ancient Panchala. He was valorous and mighty and was endowed with prosperity. But, despite his valour and prowess, he lost his kingdom to his enemies and was exiled to the forest. There he lived the life of a hunter. Once he invoked his family guru to ascertain the cause of his suffering.The guru told him that he had been a hunter in a previous birth. Never devoted to God, he indulged in such despicable acts like drinking, hunting, dacoity etc. Once he robbed two merchants and killed one of them. A maharshi who was watching this took fright and ran for his life. While doing so he fell down on the way on account of exhaustion. The hunter, however, saw him and tended him. By virtue of this act he was born as a king in his next life.On the advice of the Guru, Dharmikan observed Vaisakha vrata in atonement. The Lord, pleased with his devotion appeared before him and blessed him. That day is AkshayaTritiya which is hence specially holy during the Vaisakha month.
While the observance of Vaisakha vrata is efficacious every where, at Guruvayur it is particularly so. A prince belonging to the ruling family of the erstwhile Travancore State was a great devotee. A saint presented him with a salagrama which the prince treasured and worshipped with great devotion. He and his subjects, however, suffered a series of disasters.The prince sought the saint and asked his advice. He was told that if the salagrama was worshipped in the presence of Lord Vishnu good results would follow. The prince, therefore, resorted to the family deity Sri Padmanabha. Yet things did not improve.Finally, be betook himself to Guruvayur and dedicated the salgrama to Guruvayurappan. Since then the princely family used to offer palpayasam during the midday puja to Guruvayurappan, which continued for several years.
These two legends indicate why Vaisakha is specially holy atGuruvayur and attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees. The devotees have darshan of the Lord during all the pujas; and participating in the sheevelis, listening to Bhagavata and other religious discourses, they remain in constant bliss. Four Bhagavata saptahas are arranged by the Devaswom to cover the entire Vaisakha month.
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.
Krishna and Kusela
On the Akshaya Tritiya day, Kusela went to meet his childhood friend Lord Krishna with the hope of solving his poverty as Krishna was a very rich king. However, he could only afford to carry along rice flakes to greet Krishna. Though he was ashamed initially to share the rice flakes with Lord Krishna, Krishna forced him to give those flakes. The moment Krishna tasted those flakes, Kusela's poverty vanished and he became rich overnight.
Akshaya Patram
In the great epic Mahabharata, there was a king named Yudhisthira. He was the eldest brother among the five Pandavas, and was recognized as the son of Dharma. At Thirumanthurai temple(sun god), the Gods granted Yudhisthira with an Akshaya Patram or bowl that grants undiminishing food. He used this for the benefit of the people. He received this bowl on the Akshaya Tritiya day.
Once, Garuda, the divine vehicle of Lord Vishnu, worshipped Goddess Lakshmi. She offered an Akshaya Patram to Garuda. While worshipping the Sun God, he offered food to the deity in this golden Akshaya bowl. These incidents happened in Arasar temple in the previous Yugas.
Kubera’s Appointment
Kubera, the Banker in Heaven, received his wealth on this day by worshipping Lord Shiva in the temple at Sivapuram. It is only on this day Lord Shiva blessed Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, with all the riches. Thus, Lord Siva appointed both of them to their coveted positions as custodians of wealth and prosperity.
Annapurna’s Birth
Annapurna, the Goddess of food, was born on this day. She is a special form of Parvati who feeds the hungry. Once, Shiva disguised himself as a beggar and approached Annapurna for food. On the Akshaya Tritiya day, she fed Lord Shiva himself.
Bright Births
It is also believed that people born during this time shine bright in life. Many luminaries were born during this period: Basaveshwara born on May 4, Ramanujacharya and Adi Shankaracharya on May 6, Swami Chinmayananda on May 8 and Lord Buddha on May 16. Akshaya Tritiya is also celebrated as the birthday of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Puranic Story
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. Despite his wife's disapproval, 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.
Significance
Akshaya Tritiya is the perfect day to make new beginnings so that they produce imperishable results, to practise the art of giving to ensure infinite returns, and to maximize the divine blessings in your life by performing only auspicious actions.
The ancient seers reveal that prayers on this day will pave a road for riches both materially and spiritually. When you are lighter in the inner, the outer universe responds with abundance and happiness.
"This is the single most powerful day for charities."
The Grand Day of Generous Giving
If you want maximum benefit for your donation, this is the one day when you can do it. If you have been planning on giving, this day is the day. There are specific items for giving on this day - poor feedings at certain temples, cow and calf, land, gold, umbrellas, hand fans, and cool refreshing drinks. Bless the money or material that you are going to give away today and you could see that it multiplies many times over.
Giving on this day produces great returns. Feeding a starved human being and helping the poor with needed items are keys to receive material and spiritual blessings. On this auspicious day when you provide food supplies to a needy family, you will get incredible blessings and will soon find remarkable improvement in your material life. Other forms of giving include sponsoring the education of a deserving child.
The Divinely Golden Day
Gold is the purest emotion of creation. Gold is the emotion of God. That's why in every culture people have accepted gold as money. Gold, especially in India, is much more than just a precious metal. It is part of the fabric of the culture and an inseparable part of the belief system. It is the essence from which the universe was created.
Hri – Root word, meaning imperishable
Hiranya - Sanskrit word for Gold
Hiranyagarbha – The one born out of Gold, refers to Brahma - the Creator God
As per Vedic mythology, the Creator deposited a seed in the waters of the dark and lifeless universe. The seed became a bright golden egg as radiant as the sun. From this cosmic egg was born Brahma - the incarnation of the Creator Himself.
Akshaya Tritiya is the golden day to buy gold. On this day, wealth will increase in homes where gold coins and items are kept for pooja and worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi.
The Tamil Siddhas, the spiritual scientists of Southern India, spoke of an unchallenged Divine law – ‘Wearing Gold attracts God’.
This reminds me of the quotings of famous prema pandurangaji who delivers spiritual discourses as often said that,"we should wear and display our gold ornaments before God than in family functions since it is He who has blessed us with this wealth and it is our bounded duty to prostrate before Him wearing our ornaments as a symbol of thanks giving."
so it is an ideal and very auspicious day to purchase gold, silver, gems, ornaments, jewelry and valuables. It is believed that if a person purchases a small amount of gold (at least 1 gm) on this day, the gold will accumulate more round the year.
The Sacred Day for Ancestors
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.
Make New Beginnings
Praying on this day can help you make swift progress in life and eliminate deep-rooted negative thoughts about money. It is the best day to go for new investments like fixed deposits in banks, post office savings scheme, insurance policies, share market, mutual funds, and so on. It is ideal day for starting new ventures. Thousands of marriages are performed on this day.
It is a wonderful day to forgive and forget the past and renew relationships with friends and relatives. It is also the perfect time to resolve to give up bad habits, and adopt good habits.
prarthana slokam
the following 28 vishnu naamams are especially auspicious to chant during this time of vaishakh month. If we do not have time to chant all 1000 names, we can at least try to chant these 28 naamams.
VISHNU ASTHOSHATISHATANAMA STOTRAM
arjuna uvAcha
kiM nu nAma sahasrANi japate cha punaH punaH |
yAni nAmAni divyAni tAni chAchakShva keshava || 1||
shrIbhagavAnuvAcha
matsyaM kUrmaM varAhaM cha vAmanaM cha janArdanam |
govindaM puNDarIkAkShaM mAdhavaM madhusUdanam || 2||
padmanAbhaM sahasraakShaM vanamAliM halAyudham |
govardhanaM hRiShIkeshaM vaikuNThaM puruShottamam || 3||
vishvarUpaM vAsudevaM rAmaM nArAyaNaM harim |
dAmodaraM shrIdharaM cha vedANgaM garuDadhvajam || 4||
anantaM kRiShNagopAlaM japato nAsti pAtakam |
gavAM koTipradAnasya ashvamedhashatasya cha || 5||
kanyAdAnasahasraaNAM phalaM prApnoti mAnavaH |
amAyAM vA paurNamAsyAmekAdashyAM tathaiva cha || 6||
sandhyAkAle smarennityaM prAtaHkAle tathaiva cha |
madhyAhne cha japannityaM sarvapApaiH pramuchyate || 7||
Happy Akshaya Thrithiya!
