Akshaya Tritiya – The Ultimate Day of Giving

Dear Devotees and TOVP Donors,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Greetings from Sridham Mayapur, and blessings from Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, Panchatattva and Nrsimhadeva.

This Monday, May 9, is Akshaya Tritiya, one of the most important days in the Vedic calendar. Akshaya Tritiya is the appearance day of Lord Parasurama, and it is also the day that the Ganges descended to the earth. Most devotees know it as the beginning of Candana-yatra, but actually many of Lord Krishna’s other pastimes also took place on this day, specifically those which highlight Krishna’s generous and intimate reciprocation with his devotees.

The very word Akshaya means “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be paid back many times over. On this day, Sudama gave the Lord a tiny portion of chipped rice and was rewarded with untold opulence. Draupadi was protected by Krishna twice on this day, once when He provided her an unlimited sari at the dice game in return for a tiny piece of cloth, and later, when she needed to provide food for Durvasa muni, the Lord took a single grain from her pot and satisfied the hunger of all the sages.

“If the devotee offers something to the Lord, it acts for his own interest because whatever a devotee offers the Lord comes back in a quantity a million times greater than what was offered. One does not become a loser by giving to the Lord; one becomes a gainer by millions of times.”

Krsna Book Ch. 81, The Brahmana Sudama Blessed by Lord Krishna

Traditionally, this is the best day for starting important endeavors. Vyasadeva and Ganesa chose this day to start writing the great epic Mahabharata, for example, and every year construction of the huge Ratha carts in Puri also starts on this day.

ISKCON’s most important project at the present time is the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, so please consider taking advantage of this auspicious occasion by making a contribution on this day. And if you have already made a pledge but have not yet started making payments or need to restart your payments, this would be an ideal day to do so. As Prabhupada said, you will be rewarded millions of times over.

You can find all the information you need to donate on our website: http://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

Yours in the Service of Sridham Mayapur,

Braja Vilas das
Global Fundraising Director