Significance
Akshaya Tritiya is widely celebrated in India. Akshaya Tritiya is also known as Akha Teej and it falls on the third lunar day of Shukla paksha of Vaishakha month and this year it is celebrated on the 28th of April. The birth of Lord Parshuram the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is also celebrated on this day. On this very day Veda Vyas began to write the Mahabharta.
Mahurat of Akshaya Tritiya
Akshaya Tritiya is believed to be a very auspicious mahurat. This is also regarded as a Sarve Siddha mahurat. On this mahurat both the Godly planets i.e. the Sun and the Moon are at their exaltation point. You can also say that the Sun and Moon are at their extreme brightness. Besides this, Venus planet is also at its exaltation this month. This auspicious phenomena happens only for a few hours, once in a year. No special mahurat is needed to perform any auspicious work on this day.
Meaning
Akshaya means immortal or something that is indestructible and Tritaya means third lunar day. So anything that we do on Akshaya Tritiya grows with time and cannot be destroyed. Hence it is recommended to begin auspicious things on this day such as purchase of house, land or jewellery etc. Any new investment like real estate or stock, starting a company or website, starting a new relationship or anything that you want to be with you for ever can be initiated on this day.
Story behind Akshaya Tritaya--1
According to Mahabharata it is believed that on this glorious day Lord Sun gifted the Akshaya Patra to the Pandavs. This was an enchanted pot which had a never ending supply of food. One day Draupadi needed food for a visiting sage and therefore prayed to Lord Krishna for food. Krishna appeared and ate the last grain that was stuck on the Akshaya Patra. That one grain satisfied Krishna’s belly and in turn satisfied all the human beings and also the visiting Sage.
Story behind Akshaya Tritaya--2
After a fierce battle with Mahishasura that lasted for ten days, Goddess Durga killed him on this day. According to Puranas, this day also marks the beginning of the Treta Yuga and Satya Yuga respectively.
Krishna Sudama reunion--1
After a span of many years on this auspicious day Sudama visited his long lost childhood friend Lord Shri Krishna. Sudama was very poor and did not have any gift to offer him. Realizing that it would not be nice to go empty handed, he asked his wife to prepare some food that he could give him as a present. Having virtually nothing in the house, she picked up some rice and packed it in a little piece of cloth.
Krishna Sudama reunion--2
Lord Shri Krishna embraced him in a grand way. He bestowed upon him his love, blessings and kindness and thus began a turning point in Sudama‘s life when he had everything that he could have dreamt of.
How to celebrate
Lord Vishnu and his incarnations are worshipped on this day. Puja of Kuber and Goddess Lakshmi is done on this day, who are the bestowal of wealth and prosperity. Lord Brahma is also pleased if sandalwood water and Modaks are offered to him. All the dwars of char dham temples are opened on this day. In the end as per Matsya Puran chanting of mantras, charity, yajnas, and offerings to God and fasting on this day yields inexhaustible fruits.