TOVP – Akshaya Tritiya: A Special Time for Seva

This Wednesday, April 18, is Akshaya Tritiya, one of the most important days in the Vedic calendar. Akshaya means “imperishable” or “that which never diminishes”. Traditionally, this is the best day for starting important endeavors or projects. For example, Vyasadeva and Ganesa chose this day to start writing the Mahabharata, and every year construction of the huge Ratha carts in Puri also starts on this day. Srila Prabhupada chose this day in 1953 to start the “League of Devotees” in Jhansi.

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 demonstrate Krishna’s extremely generous and intimate reciprocation with His devotees.

On this day, Sudama gave the Lord a tiny portion of chipped rice and was rewarded with unimaginable opulence. Draupadi was protected by Lord 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 of rice from her pot and satisfied the hunger of all the sages.

ISKCON’s most important project at the present time is the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. There are only four years remaining till the Grand Opening in 2022 and there is still much work to do. This four year marathon has been appropriately named MISSION 22, and the next two years are the most crucial to achieve our final goal. We require $10 million annually during these two years to close previous contracts, purchase materials, etc.

Please take advantage of this auspicious occasion by making a contribution on this day. 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. If you are able to give a larger portion of your pledge, increase the monthly payment amount to pay it off quicker or pay it off completely on this day, please consider that as well. As Srila Prabhupada assures, you will be rewarded millions of times over.

“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

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