As Akshaya Tritiya approaches we are bombarded with the offers in newspapers, and mobiles. Offers of buying gold, goods, consumer electronics etc.  Till a few years back we used to buy Gold only on Dhanteras, many did not know about Akshaya Tritiya.  This article is about what is Akshaya Tritiya, why we celebrate it, what are different Hindu Muhurtas, how much returns Gold bought on Akshaya Tritiya have given, comparison with investing in Stocks and Mutual funds.

The word “Akshay” means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. It is believed that if you do charity on this day you will be blessed.

Tritiya means third. Akshaya Tritiya falls on the Indian month of Vaishakh and is the third lunar day of Sukla paksha (bright fortnight).

Hindus look for an auspicious time also called ‘muhurat’ to begin new things. According to ‘Jyotisa’- the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology, the entire Akshaya Tritiya day is auspicious. So there is no need to look for an auspicious time i.e. no ‘muhurat’ required on this day. This is the only day in any year when the Sun which is the lord of the planets and the Moon which is the lord of creativity is in exaltation, meaning at their peak of radiance. This combination of the planetary energies is believed to generate profusion whereby any auspicious act commenced on this day leads to the continued growth of beneficial results throughout the year.

What is Akshaya Tritiya?

The word “Akshay” means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. It is believed that if you do charity on this day you will be blessed. Akshaya Trithya is also called as Narvanna Parvam.

Tritiya means third. Akshaya Tritiya falls on the Indian month of Vaishakh and is a third lunar day of Sukla paksha (bright fortnight).

Akshaya Tritiya falling on a Rohini star is considered more auspicious. Rohini is the star of Lord Krishna who is a great warrior.

Hindus look for an auspicious time also called ‘muhurat’ to begin new things. According to ‘Jyotisa’- the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology, the entire Akshaya Tritiya day is auspicious. So there is no need to look for an auspicious time i.e. no ‘muhurat’ required on this day. This is the only day in any year when the Sun which is the lord of the planets and Moon which is the lord of creativity are in exhalaltion meaning at their peak of radiance. It doesn’t mean that they emit the maximum light, instead, it means they are in the best positions, where the light reached to earth’s surface is maximum. This combination of the planetary energies is believed to generate profusion whereby any auspicious act commenced on this day leads to the continued growth of beneficial results throughout the year.

The day is considered auspicious for starting new ventures: any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya is assumed to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, new ventures, like starting a business, construction, etc. is performed on Akshay Tritiya. People also buy gold on Akshaya Tritiya. 

To know more about the Hindu Calendar you can read here.

To know how gold bought on Akshay Tritiya has performed, click here.

To see the infographic on Akshaya Tritiya click here

Important Events on Akshaya Tritiya

• According to Hindu mythology, on Akshaya Tritiya the Treta Yuga began; Yuga in Hinduism is an era within a four-age cycle. A complete Yuga starts with the Satya Yuga, via Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga into a Kali Yuga. Our present time is a Kali Yuga, which started at 3102 BCE with the end of the Kurukshetra War (or Mahabharata war).
• For Hindus, this day is considered holy as on this day the God of wisdom and obstacles, Ganesha started writing the epic Mahabharata to Ved Vyas’s dictation.
• According to Hindu mythology, on Akshaya Tritiya, the river Ganges, the most sacred river of India descended to the Earth from the heaven
• Akshaya Tritiya is the day on which Lord Parusurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born. His real name was Bhargava Rama. Parashurama, a Brahmin, received his famous axe after undertaking terrible penance to please Shiva, who in turn taught him Kalaripayattu (the mother of all martial arts). Parashurama is most known for ridding the world of kshatriyas twenty-one times over after the mighty king Kartavirya Arjuna, not the famous one of Mahabharata, killed his father. As per the Mahabharata, Parashurama single-handedly successfully conquered the entire world and killed many kshatriyas. Parashurama conducted hundreds of Ashvamedhas and gave away the entire earth he conquered as alms to sage Kashyapa. He plays important roles in the Mahabharata and Ramayana, serving as the mentor to Bhishma, Drona and Karna.
• Another happening of Akshaya Tritiya is the visit of Sudhama to Lord Krishna’s place. Sudhama was an old childhood friend of Lord Krishna who came in regards for financial assistance. On seeing Sudhama, Lord Krishna was at the peak of excitement. He welcomed Sudhama with smile. As a customary act, Krishna washed his friend’s feet and asked him about his arrival. Sudhama was very ashamed to ask Krishna’s help seeing his to luxurious belongings. Also, Sudhama got grains in his hand for gifting his friend. But felt very shy to open it to him sighting his richness. Lord Krishna understood his feelings and he himself got the grains from Sudhama’s hand. Krishna felt the love and affection of his Sudhama. Sudhama returned back home with embarrassment but a shocking surprise he saw was a palace in front of him. His old hut turned into a magnificent palace. Lord Krishna gave respect to his love by offering a big gift to Sudhama in return for his care and friendship.
• For the Jains, this Akshaya Tritiya is considered holy as it is associated with Lord Adinatha, also known as Rishabhadeva, first of the 24 Tirthakaras.
• Also, people who observe year-long alternative-day fasts known as Varshi-tap finish their Tapasya by doing parana by drinking sugar cane juice.
• Akshaya Trithya marks the beginning of summers, farmers enjoy this time of crop harvesting by observing fasts and organising fairs.

Investment in Gold on Akshaya Tritiya

Gold bought on this auspicious day 10-20 years ago earned double-digit returns. But returns have diminished in recent years and gold is no longer a hedge against inflation. Even so, rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions could push up gold in 2018. Image Ref: Economic Times 16 Apr 2018

Comparison of investments in Gold with Stocks and Mutual funds on Akshaya Tritiya

Had you invested in Stocks and Mutual Funds on Akshaya Tritiya your returns would have been as follows

Hindu Calendar, Muhurat and Akshaya Tritiya

As per Hindu astrology which follows the lunar calendar, three lunar days (tithis) are auspicious. Sun and moon are astrologically believed to be at their most exalted equal brightness on this day These are called Sade-Teen Muhurtas also. The first three tithis are counted as full and the last one as half Tithi and constitute Sade – Teen Muhurt. These Tithis are as as follows:

• first Tithi of Bright Half of Chaitra which is starting of new year,
• tenth Tithi of Bright Half of Ashvina celebrated as Vijay Dashmi,
• third Tithi of Bright Half of Vaishakha celebrated as Akshay Tritiya- Parshu Jyanti.
• first Tithi of Bright Half of Karttika.

Astrology has a name for an auspicious and inauspicious time which is called ‘muhurat’. It is said that chances for the success of a task are maximised if it is done in an auspicious muhurat. That is, it will give you the maximum result as per your destiny if you perform the task in the right Muhurtha. That is why it is important to consider muhurat before initiating an activity. For example, Marriage is believed to be the beginning of a new life. Muhurat is of great importance in marriage as it predicts the auspicious time and date of the marriage for maximum compatibility and a good life. So typically you will see cards especially marriage cards with Muhurat, an example is shown in the image below.

According to ‘Jyotisa’- the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology, the entire Akshaya Tritiya day is auspicious. So there is no need to look for an auspicious time i.e. no ‘muhurat’ required on this day. This is the only day in any year when the Sun which is the lord of the planets and Moon which is the lord of creativity are in exhilaration meaning at their peak of radiance. This combination of the planetary energies is believed to generate profusion whereby any auspicious act commenced on this day leads to the continued growth of beneficial results throughout the year.

The day is considered auspicious for starting new ventures: any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya is assumed to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, new ventures, like starting a business, construction, etc. is performed on Akshay Tritiya.

The image below shows the Hindu Calendar and Seasons

Infographic on Akshaya Tritiya

Video On Akshaya Tritiya

The Importance of Akshay Tritiya | Why is Akshaya Tritiya Celebrated?

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Do you believe in Akshaya Tritiya? What do you do on  Akshaya Tritiya?