Akshaya Tritiya

Candana yatra starts on this day, which is also celebrated 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 Krishna that person
will get more benefit and it is eternal benefit and never lost.

There was a brahmana who had a very good wife and was poor. Whatever little 
money he 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 and without children. Then
that brahmana asked Vasishta Muni why he got a good wife. So the Muni
replied that somehow with some reason, he observed the vrata of Vaishaka 
month for the last 5 days. Thus 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 Krishna.
Since that brahmana observed the vrata of Vaishaka month for that at least
the remaining 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, Vaishnavas and
Krishna. 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 tritiya (from the Calendar of the Madhva Vaishnavas)

The third day in the bright fortnight of vaishakha 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 Tirtha,
the sixth pitha-adhipati in the lineage of Sri Pejawar Mutt. He is famous
for his commentary upon the Srimad Bhagavatam. He lived in the 15th
century and his vrindavana (samadhi) is in Kanva Tirtha. 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 Mutt a special festival is arranged in Sri
Krishna Mutt on this day and the akshaya patra given by Sri Madhva is
offered a special puja. 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 how the angry sage Durvasa came to
Draupadi demanding food:

On the Pandavas's return to Hastinapur they resided in the palace created for
them by the demon Maya Danava. Mayasura built this palace out of gratitude
to Krishna for saving him from 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 Rajasuya sacrifice was performed, 
Duryodhana, 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 
Krishna 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 Duhsasana 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 Rajasuya
Yajna, but Duhsasana 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 Krishna, and to the amazement of
the assembly, as much 'sari' as Duhsasana took from her body, as much again
replaced it. Lord Krishna, 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. 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 akshaya patra. 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 Durvasa arrived with many of his disciples. The angry
sage Durvasa 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 Krishna to help her. Lord Sri Krishna 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, Krishna asked for it, Draupadi offered it to
Krishna, 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.


My dear Giriraja Swamiji,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I'm not sure of the history of Aksaya Tritiya. But ksaya means to diminish,
so aksaya means that which never diminishes, or which goes on increasing. So
this day is considered a very auspicious day to start anything from which
you want the fruits never to diminish.

I see that people start their businesses on this day, do grha pravesha on
this day, start their journeys on this day. And there is a big festival in
Nandagram on this day. But if you want to come and see it, you have to book
your taxi well in advance, because on this day there are a lot of marriages
and all the taxis will be booked up!

The festival in Nandagram celebrates Pavana Sarovar. When Nanda Maharaj
established his residence in Nandagram, he excavated this huge lake and it
became know as Nanda Sarovara. He and his family and all the brijbasis used
to bathe in this lake. Sometimes, he and his family would bathe at one end
of the lake, and Vrsabhanu Maharaja would occasionally come and bathe with
his family at the other end of the lake. The Brijbasis say that Radha and
Krishna used to swim underwater to the middle of the lake and have
underwater pastimes.

One day, Nandanandana saw that Mother Yashoda was making very strange type
of prasadam. Not the every day rice, dal, subji and chappattis. But she was
making fried dal, little fried noodles, and little fried cracker-like things
we call muttry. Like that she was cooking all these fried things.

So Nandalala came and asked, "Oh Meiya, oh Meiya, what kind of funny prasad
are you making today? Meiya, what kind of funny prasad are you making today?
Oh Meiya?"

She replied to her darling little son, "Lala, today Your Baba is going on
pilgrimage, so I'm making all these fried things so they will last for
several days and he will eat them along the way."

"And where's Baba going, Meiya? where's Baba going, Meiya? Tell me, Meiya,
where's Baba going?"

"Lala, Baba is going to Prayaga."

"And where is that, Meiya? Where is that, Meiya? Tell me, Meiya."

"O Lala, I'm busy cooking and you ask so many questions. Go ask you ask
your Baba, Lala, go ask your Baba."

So Nandanandana went to Baba and pulled on his cloth, repeatedly asking,
"Where are you going, Baba? Oh Baba, where are you going? Tell me, Baba,
where are you going?"

Nanda Maharaja smiled at the beautiful face of his inquisitive son and
replied, "Lala, I'm going to Prayaga."

"And where is that, Baba? Oh Baba, where is that? Tell me, Baba, where is
that?"

"Oh Lala, that is a very sacred place where Ganga, Jamuna, and Sarasvati
join in Sangam. So I'm going there to take my bath, Lala."

"But, Baba. But, Baba, today is a very inauspicious day to start a journey.
Baba, you should go tommorrow. It's Aksaya Tritiya tommorrow and that is a
very auspicious day to start your journey. Baba, you should go tommorrow."

Ok, Lala, since you are asking, I will go tommorrow. Is that ok, Lala?"

So the next morning, Nanda Maharaja got up early in the morning, like he
does everyday, to go take his bath in Nanda Sarovara. When he got there,
however, he saw one great big person like a king or something, rolling in
the dust of Braja and laughing, "Ho, ho, ho! Ah, hah, hah!" Then he would
bathe in Nanda Sarovara. Then again he would come out and roll in the Braja-
raja and laugh, and again bathe in the sarovara.

Nanda Maharaja had never seen a personality like this before in Nandagram,
so he went over to that person. He asked, "Maharaja, who are you?"

"Baba, I'm Prayaga."

Baba, in his simple Brijbhasa, said, "Pryag? Prag? I don't know anyone in
Nandagram with that name?"

"Ahrey, Baba! I'm not from here. I'm Prayag Raja, king of all the tirthas!"

"And why have you come here today, Maharaja?"

O, Baba! All year long people come and put their papa on me. So one day in
the year, on Aksaya Tritiya, I come here, roll in the dust of Braja, and
bathe in this sarovara and become pavana."

You know pavana? Pavana means to be purified.

"Accha? Is it?" Nanda exclaimed.

Then on the other side of the lake, Nanda saw so many beautiful ladies
bathing, but not like his Nandagram ladies. With beautiful silk saris with
gold and silver threads. He never saw ladies like this in Nandagram.

Approaching them very respectfully, Nanda asked, "Who are you, ladies?"

"Baba, I'm Ganga." Another said, "I'm Sarasvati." And yet another said, "I'm
Godavari." They all responded with the names of different Holy Rivers,
Kurujangala, Kaveri, Narmada, Brahmaputra, Mahananda, etc.

Then Baba asked, "And why have you come here today? I've never seen you all
before."

"Ahrey, Baba! All year long people put their papa on us. One day on this
Aksaya Tritiya day, we come here, roll in the dust of Braja, bathe in this
sarovara and become pavana."

"Accha? Is it?"

Then Baba took his bath and went up the hill to Nandagram. By this time
Nandalala is awake. Coming before his father, he asked, "Baba, now you're
going? Oh Baba, now you're going? Yes, Baba? Now you're going?"

"Ahrey, Lala! Now I'm not going!"

"And why is that, Baba, why is that?"

"Ahrey, Lala! All the places I wanted to go, they all came here today to
take bath and become pavana. So why should I the trouble to go all these
places when they all came here?"

So from that day, the sarovara became known as Pavana Sarovara.

Of course, it comes in the hot season, so thus the Candana Yatra festival
takes place at this time. Of course, that is all nicely described in CC, so
I'll end here.

In Service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,
Deena Bandhu dasa