In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores Akshaya Tritiya and its traditional significance as an auspicious day in the year.

Akshaya Tritiya literally means “never decreasing.” Tritiya means the third, and in this case refers to the third day of the lunar fortnight. Akshaya Tritiya is the third day of the waxing lunar fortnight. The waxing lunar fortnight of the Indian month of Vaishakha is the period in which, twelve days after Akshaya Tritiya, there is Buddha Purnima, the birthday of Gautama Buddha.

Akshaya Tritiya is considered, certainly according to Vimalananda, the most auspicious day of the year. In Maharashtra, it is celebrated as a day when you do not need to look at any muhurta or worry about the exact time when something should happen, because any time during that day is considered auspicious. On that day, people in Maharashtra celebrate with aamras, mango juice, because this is the season when mangoes are available. That mango juice has become almost a symbol of success and enjoyment that does not decrease.

Akshaya Tritiya is considered a good time for performing charity, buying gold, purchasing property, starting something new, and engaging in positive activities. There are different opinions about why Akshaya Tritiya is such an auspicious day. In my opinion, the reason is that it is the one day of the year when the Sun and Moon are both exalted.

At local noon, when the Sun is directly overhead, the Sun will not only be exalted but will also have dig bala, directional strength. The Moon will be in the eleventh house, and all planets are considered favourable in the eleventh house. The Moon will be exalted, often in the nakshatra of Rohini, which is the nakshatra where the Moon most likes to be, and it will be exalted in the eleventh house as the lord of the ascendant.

From the perspective of muhurta, this is truly an excellent time. It is a very powerful muhurta that happens once each year.

Akshaya Tritiya is particularly meaningful to me because our Guru Dev Rashi resided in the temple area of Simhachalam for many years. The deity at the Simhachalam temple is a combined form of Varaha and Narasimha. For 364 days of the year, the deity is completely covered with sandalwood paste, making it appear like a large Shiva linga. But one day each year, the sandalwood paste is removed, and the true form of the deity can be seen.

So for me, Akshaya Tritiya is not only a day when it is auspicious to begin things and perform positive actions. It is also a day when I remember Simhachalam, remember Guru Maharaj, and remember the great blessings of having been exposed to such a wonderful being.

May everyone have an extraordinarily positive experience of Akshaya Tritiya every year. May unceasing and completely undiminishing success and prosperity be everyone’s portion in life.