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It's raining gold

It has taken a commercial slant

For astronomy buffs, Akshaya Thritiya is an important day. It is believed that on this day, the third day of the month of Vaishakha, the Sun and the Moon are at their brightest. For hordes of others people what shines even brighter on this day is the gold waiting to be lapped up. According to the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna presented the akshaya paathiram, a vessel that would give an endless quantity of food, to Draupadi, when the Pandavas were in exile. Old-timers believe one must buy rice and jaggery on this day, and offer prayers to God to keep their pot always full for family and guests.

Let's see what all happened on this Golden Day... the Satya Yuga, the most sacred of the four eras mentioned in the Hindu calendar, started on this day. Sages performed mankind's first-ever yagna. Parashuram, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and Balarama, Krishna's brother, were born on this day. Also the day when Krishna showered his friend Sudhama (Kuchela) with wealth when the poor man came to see him with a nothing but deep affection and a handful of puffed rice. The day is considered auspicious to make purchases and start new ventures, and in the past few years "good" has become synonymous with "gold".

MALA KUMAR

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