Today Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated all over India. Akshaya Tritiya, an auspicious day in the Hindu and Jain calendar, has assumed importance of unimaginable proportions in recent times for all the wrong reasons. Akshaya in Sanskrit means that which is ‘ endless’ or ‘ does not recede’ It falls on the ” third Tithi (Lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of the pan-Indian month of Vaishakha”. Jains consider it very important as the day of offering of food to Jain Monks who live a selfless life as ascetics, keeping nothing for themselves, not even cooking their food and consume it only when offered by others.
For the Hindus this day has a lot of religious connotations attached to it:
Said to be the birthday of Sage Parashurama, the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu.
It is said that Lord Ganesha began writing the Mahabharata dictated by Sage Veda Vyas on this day.
It is said that the Treta Yuga began on this day.
River Ganges, considered to be the holiest of all the rivers, is said to have descended down to the earth on this day.
Goddess Annapoorna is said to have been born on this day.
Dharma Raja’s son Yudhistra is said to have received the Akshaya Patra on this auspicious day.
Kuchela is said to have visited Lord Krishna with just a handful of ‘ Aval’ on Akshaya Tritiya day.
It was on Akshaya Tritiya day that Lord Krishna saved Draupadi’s honor by granting unending yards of fabric.
Adi Sankara is believed to have recited the Kanaka Dhara Stotra on this auspicious day to bless a poor couple who had offered him the lone gooseberry that they had when he went to seek Bikshai. At the end of the recital it is said that the poor couple were showered with golden gooseberries.
In earlier times this day was generally observed by fasting , offering poojas and giving away food and other offerings to the needy. Since it falls during the hot summer months it is considered very auspicious to offer curd rice or buttermilk to give relief to people from the harsh heat.Anything started on this day was said to prosper and grow. Many farmers still have the habit of beginning to plough the fields on this day, praying for a good harvest.
However in recent times this concept of growth and infinite theory has been used as a marketing gimmick by merchants to sell their wares and gullible people have been made to believe that any purchase done on this day is likely to multiply. Gold and silver jewelers ably supported by half baked astrologers have brain washed people into believing that buying gold on this day will ensure prosperity. Thus what was celebrated as an auspicious day of ‘doing good ‘ has now turned into one of commercial value and activity.
Swelling around the seams 