Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh, is considered one of the most sacred days to start anything auspicious. Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej is the birthday of Lord Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. It is also regarded as the start of the Treta Yuga.
Not many know about the greatness of Parashurama Avatara and what HE has done for us and given us.
About Lord Parashuram
According to the Hindu Vedic cast system, the task of wielding weapons and protecting the kingdom and its people was entrusted to the Kshitriya cast – the kings and the warrior cast. Over a period of time wealth and power corrupted them and they started oppressing and tormenting the other casts, including killing the Brahmins – the highly respected priestly cast who were there to guide them and to protect the religious aspects of the society. Hence Lord Vishnu took birth as Parashuram Avatara.
Parashurama was the Great Grandson of Bhrugu Rishi and the the son of the Rishi Jamadagni, who belonged to the Bhargava Gotra, and his Soorya Vamsi Kshitriya wife Renuka . HIS incarnation was to protect the Dharma and reinstate the Vedic culture.
Not many know that Parshuram was a great devotee of Devi and learned the great Sri Vidya Tantra, also known as Sri Chakra Nava Avarana Pooja, from Lord Dattatreya, who is considered as the foremost Avatara and was the combined Avatara of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. It is Parashurama who first gave the Srividya to the world in his treatise known as the Parashurama Kalpa Sooktam. He also received an axe from Lord Shiva after undertaking a great penance to please HIM, and learned from Shiva the methods of warfare and other skills.
His father was killed by the Kshitriyas when Parashuram was away and in rage He attacked 21 times and killed the various Kshitriya clans who were tormenting the people. He became such a terror for the Kshitriyas that when HE went to Ayodhya, the great king Dasaratha hid under his wife’s bed! Parashurama spared Dasaratha – no doubt the Vishnu Avatara knew that in HIS next Avatara Dasaratha will be HIS father.
Once the cleansing war was over, HE donated all the land and wealth to the Kashyapa clan of Brahmins and also to the Namboodri Brahmins of Kerala. He went about creating several great temples and regions. In the Kanyakumari Temple HE installed the Idol made of blue stone and installed the idol of Ayyappa on the peak on the Sabarimala Hill in the forest.
HE fought the advancing ocean and saved the lands of Konkan and Malabar – the Maharashtra – Karnataka – Kerala west coastline. He created a temple of worship right after he saved Kerala from the sea. He placed statues of various deities in 108 different places and taught the famous martial arts “Kalari Payattu” to protect the temple from the evils. With HIS divine powers He also created the Goa-Konkan land by shooting an arrow.
Parashurama though born in Treta yuga, is said to be an eternal Avatara still living. Much later, during the Ramayana period, when Lord Rama broke the bow of Lord Shiva during the Seeta Swayamvara, Parashuram got angry and encounters Lord Rama but recognised Rama as the next Avatara and gave blessings. Even during the end of Tretayuga and start of Kaliyuga, during the Mahabharata period, HE was the guru of Bheeshma, Drona & Karna. The Kalki Purana states Parashurama will be the martial guru of Sri Kalki, the 10th and final avatar of Lord Vishnu which is about to come. It is he who will instruct Kalki to perform a long penance to Shiva to receive celestial weapons.
On this Akshaya Tritiya day the Sun, Moon and Venus are in their signs of exaltation and it is very auspicious. According to some scriptures, on this day and with these astrological combinations the ancient Rishis performed the first yagya in the history of mankind and it marked the start of a time regarded as the Golden Age of Indian culture.
Akshaya means eternal or that which never ends. Any good undertaking started on this day will be of a lasting and permanent nature. All over India people celebrate weddings, plan new business ventures, long journeys and other events on this day and buy gold, silver and other assets.
Any Pooja performed and any dana (donating) given on this day is said to give 100 times more results.
