On an auspicious note

“According to the Vedas,it is said that it was on the day of Akshay Tritiya,Veda Vyasa,along with Lord Ganesh began writing the epic Mahabharata. It is also observed traditionally as the birth anniversary of Parshuram,the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Hindus all over the nation usually fast and worship Lord Vasudeva with rice and grains,and usually also do charity in the form of rice,ghee,sugar,vegetables,and fruits. In addition to all this,the festival also has a lot of significance as the Jains,the Jats and the Bengalis celebrate the day with a lot of rituals being performed by these communities,” says Vasantrao Gadgil,noted city based Sanskrit scholar,and vice president of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI).

Speaking more about the day he says,“One of the more important rituals of the day is the Tarpan,where people donate edible items or even water as a mark of charity in the name of their fathers and forefathers so that they can rest in peace. As this is the third day of the month of Vaishakh,women who have kept the Vrat (fast) of the Chaitra Gudi,since the day of Gudi Padva,break their fast. The practice of donating edible items and water to people was instructed to Yudhisthir by Lord Krishna. In addition,Brahman organisations across the nation celebrate the Parshuram Jayanti as it’s also the birth anniversary of lord Parshuram.”

S Ramesh,owner of a city based gold jewellery store says,“The day is considered very auspicious by people to buy gold,as according to the scriptures it’s believed that if you buy gold on this day,your wealth continues to grow and doesn’t diminish throughout the year. It is a great time to shop and buy gold because not only is it auspicious,but it’s also considered lucky to buy gold on this day. The religious merit that is acquired by giving gifts on this day becomes inexhaustible.” Many buy new gold jewellery on this day. Most jewel stores stock new jewelry models for this occasion. “Lakshmi-inscribed gold coins,diamond jewellery and golden dollars with pictures of many gods and goddesses sell a lot during this season,” he adds.

“In the Jain community,the day marks the end of the year-long fast by Lord Rishabh Deo at the court of the King of Hastinapura. He ended the fast by consuming sugarcane juice,so it’s a common practise amongst the Jains to go and have sugarcane juice in the evenings. Moreover,it is one of the more auspicious days of the Hindu astrological calendar on which a lot of mass marriages take place. The reason behind this being the fact that it is an auspicious mahurat (time) to solemnise marriages,” adds Gadgil.