CHENNAI: On this Akshaya Tritiya, how about a little charity? After all, it is perhaps a touch ironic that the day of birth of ascetic-warrior Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, has become all about shining metal and stones.
Over the past decade-and-a-half, the day has been prescribed for buying the costly yellow metal. There is a strong belief that anything that one begins on this day would grow manifold and hence the craze for buying gold, and as a result, tonnes of gold is being sold on this day.
To the more spiritual, however, the day is associated with charity. The word ‘akshaya’ means ‘that which will never diminish’. According to gurus, sastras direct that people should engage themselves in as many charitable deeds possible on the day — feeding the hungry, bearing the education expenses of poor children and the like.
As per Hindu spiritual belief, Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Tamil month Chithirai (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation. Believers conduct special poojas in their houses as well as in the temples on this day, bathe in holy rivers, donate to charity, and worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi.
In the northern part of the country, Akshaya Tritiya day is a preferred date for weddings. It is also considered to be an auspicious day for starting new ventures like business, construction, etc.
T R S Iyengar, a well known astrologer, says in his website that Akshaya Trtiya does not mean gold buying day. On the other hand, this day is “the 3rd moon that falls during mid-April and mid-May every year, considered to be the single most powerful day for charity. This is also a day when the Sun and the Moon are at their most lustrous state, that is considered most auspicious for any charitable and benevolent acts.”
“Buying of gold and jewellery is certainly not listed in the Vedic scripts. These are all the ploy and gimmicks made by the vested interests to hard-sell their product to the gullible in the name of religious faith. Sadly, purity, piety and all good have been commercialised. Sure, industry related advertisements are making the general public crazy for buying. The only auspicious day to buy gold ornaments stated to be of Guru-Pushya day ie when Pushya nakshatra falls on any Thursday in any month. And certainly not on Akshaya Tritiya day,” he adds.