Candana yatra starts on this day, which is celebrated as well as
the day on which treta yuga began. Barley, one of the main
ingredients for homa, which is the yuga dharma of Treta Yuga, was
also created on this day. Ganga devi also descended to earth on
this day. Many common people have special puja on this day. One
should bathe in a sacred river, give charity, perform japa and
offer barley in a sacred fire, and offer barley preparations to the
deity.
Akshaya Tritiya day is the very auspicious day - there's no
inauspiciousness to be found today so even checking muhurthas is
considered unnecessary, so auspicious it is. Whatever one does for
devotees, and for Krsna that person will get more benefit and it is
eternal benefit and never lost.
He said one story of a brahmana: there was a brahmana who had a
very good wife and was poor. Whatever little money he got would get
spent somehow. Also he did not have children. So under the strong
request of his wife he went to Vasishta muni to know the reason for
his suffering. Vasishta muni told him that in his previous life he
was very rich and also had many children. But he was very stingy,
he was not even spending for his own children. This is the reason
for his being poor, also without children. Then that brahmana asked
Vasishta muni why he got a good wife. So that Muni replied that
somehow with some reason, he observed that the vrata of Vaishaka
month for the last 5 days. So he got a good wife and also the
brahmana birth. Then the muni advised him to follow at least the
last 7 days left of Vaishaka month, with devotion to Lord
Krsna.
Since that brahmana observed the vrata of Vaishaka month for that
at least the left out 7 days, he got sons, he became rich,
ultimately he got Love of Godhead and went back to the spiritual
world!
It is important to hear such a story/pastimes as this so that at
least by hearing this, we engage ourselves in the service of Guru,
the Vaishnavas and Krsna. Thus becoming inspired to always render
service the devotee is always the beneficiary of such interaction
with the Vaishnavas, one's Guru and Lord Sri Krishna.
Akshaya tritiiyaa: (from the Calendar of the Madhwa Vaishnavas)
The third day in the bright fortnight of vaishaakha is the day of
the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parashurama. The icon is
decorated with an axe, to depict Him in a heroic pose.
This coincides with the anniversary of passing of Sri Vijayadhvaja
Tiirtha, the sixth piiThaadhipati in the lineage of Sri Pejawar
Mutt. He is famous for his commentary upon the Srimad Bhaagavata
epic. He lived in the 15th century and his vrindavana (samadhi) is
in Kanva Tiirtha. There is also a pipal tree by the side of the
vrindavana under which he is believed to have written his
commentary.
During the tenure of Sri Pejawar MaTha a special festival is
arranged in Sri Krishna Mutt on this day and the akshaya paatra
given by Sri Madhva is offered a special puuja. This akshaya patra
is said to have been given by the Sun god, it is the same pot that
mother Draupadi used to cook in. It is said that from the time of
turning it upwards for use on a day the pot will provide unlimited
amounts of foodstuffs for the satisfaction of the Lord. There is a
story in this connection wherein the angry sage Durvasas came to
Draupadi demanding foods:
On the Pandavas return to Hastinapur they resided in the palace
created for them by the demon Maya Danava. Mayasura built this
palace out of gratitude to Krsna for saving him in the forest fire
in the Khandava Forest where he was hiding when Agni devoured it.
He also presented Bhima with a magnificent fighting club. After the
Rajasurya sacrifice was performed, Duryodhana, being always envious
of the Pandavas, came to the mansion created by Maya Danava's
illusions. Bewildered by illusions of many kinds, Duryodhana
mistook the solid floor for water and lifted the end of his garment
to walk forward on what he thought was shallow water but it was
solid floor, and after a few more steps he fell into waist deep
water mistaking it for a solid floor. Proud Duryodhana, who was
wearing his crown and a costly necklace was very angry, but when he
fell into the water everyone laughed, especially Draupadi and
Bhima. Yudhisthira tried to check the laughing of all the women in
the palace, by raising his hand and his glances. Lord Krsna
however, encouraged it by the suggestive gestures of His eyebrows.
Humiliated and swearing revenge, Duryodhana turned his face
downwards and went back to Hastinapura.
The Kurus then made a conspiracy to trick Yudhisthira into a
gambling match by which the Kauravas (Kurus) could cheat the
Pandavas out of everything with the dice made from Sakuni's bones.
During the match Yudhisthira lost his kingdom, wealth, jewelry,
clothing and finally even gambled and lost his wife. When Dussasana
went to fetch the chaste Draupadi, she said she couldn't come to
the assembly as she was undergoing her monthly period, and was only
dressed in one piece of cloth (a simple 'sari'). Draupadi had a
beautiful bunch of hair which was sanctified at the ceremonial
Rajasurya Yajna, but Dussasana defiled that sacred lady and grabbed
her by her hair just to insult her. When he started to pull off her
sari just to make her naked, Draupadi, realizing that she had no
hope of help from her husbands as they too had been lost, by
Yudhisthira being tricked into upholding mundane moralistic codes
and now had no free will to act (though Bhima was transcendentally
situated from such sentimental codes his brothers tried to make him
restrained to follow Yudhisthira's mood and etiquette). Draupadi
then cent per cent, completely surrendered to Krsna, and to the
amazement of the assembly, as much 'sari' as Dussasana took from
her body, as much again replaced it. Lord Krsna, though protecting
his surrendered devotee, decided that for their sinful behaviour
the Kurus would be inevitably killed at the Battle of Kuruksetra
and all of their wives would too loosen their hair in public, but
this time as widows.
When the Pandavas were exiled to the forest for twelve years after
a second gambling match, the Kurus made a clause, that after the
completion of twelve years the Pandavas had then to spend one year
incognito, thus making thirteen years all told. If, during the
final year the Pandavas's whereabouts were discovered, they again
had to spend another twelve years in the forest.
Because the Pandavas were concerned how to feed the 'brahmanas' who
accompanied them to the forest, Srimati Draupadi Devi was given a
pot by the sun god called by Aksayapatra. This pot would never be
empty until Draupadi had taken her meal and turned the pot upside
down. Then it would produce no more for that day. Once Draupadi had
finished cooking and had just taken her meal when the Muni Durvasas
arrived with many of his disciples. The angry sage Durvasas and his
disciples had secretly been asked to go there by the Kauravas who
knew that by this time Draupadi would have taken her meal, and if
she was unable to offer them anything to eat, she would incur the
wrath of Durvasa. Durvasas and his disciples went to the river to
bathe and freshen up before taking their meal. Draupadi, full of
anxiety, prayed to Lord Krsna to help her. Lord Sri Krsna then told
Draupadi that if there was a morsel of food left He would be
satisfied if that were offered by Draupadi, His pure devotee with
love to Him. Seeing a fragment of spinach stuck to the side of the
pot, Krsna asked for it, Draupadi offered it to Krsna, and simply
by eating that morsel of foodstuffs, all of Durvasas' men and
Durvasa himself became completely full and satisfied, and out of
embarrassment slipped away and didn't come to demand a meal from
Draupadi as the sinful Duryodhana had arranged for them to do.
