Akṣaya Tṛtīyā — the day that never diminishes
Vaiśākha Śukla Tṛtīyā · April–May
Akṣaya means “undiminishing”. Tradition holds that good done on this day — charity, prayer, a new beginning — bears fruit that does not run out. It is one of the few days considered auspicious in itself (a svayaṃsiddha muhūrta), so many families choose it for weddings, housewarmings, starting a business or a child's first lessons without looking for another muhūrta.
At home, worship Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī: light a lamp, offer tulasī, yellow flowers, sandalwood paste and a simple sweet. In the summer heat, the classic gift is cooling — a clay pot of water, a fan, curd, sattu, cucumbers or sugarcane juice given to someone who needs it, or a water stand set up for passers-by. Many people buy a little gold or silver as a token of lasting prosperity, but tradition puts dāna (giving) at the heart of the day, not purchase; a gift of food or water is just as complete.
The day is also Paraśurāma Jayantī, the birthday of the sixth avatāra. In Odisha, construction of the Jagannātha Ratha Yātrā chariots begins at Puri and the Candana Yātrā starts; farmers begin sowing. In Karnataka it often coincides with Basava Jayantī. The doors of Yamunotrī and Gaṅgotrī usually open around this day for the summer pilgrimage season, and Jains break the year-long Varṣītapa fast with sugarcane juice in memory of Ṛṣabhadeva.
Tradition links many beginnings to this day: the start of the Tretā Yuga, the birth of Paraśurāma, and the descent of the Gaṅgā to earth. A much-loved story tells of Sudāmā, Kṛṣṇa's poor childhood friend, who came to Dvārakā with only a handful of flattened rice to offer; Kṛṣṇa ate it with joy, and Sudāmā returned home to find his hut turned into a mansion. Another tells that during the Pāṇḍavas' exile the Sun gave Yudhiṣṭhira the akṣaya pātra, a vessel that never ran empty until Draupadī had eaten — so that no guest at their forest home would go hungry.
Viṣṇu · Lakṣmī · Paraśurāma · Dāna of water, food, cool things · Self-auspicious muhūrta · Nirṇayasindhu (Vaiśākha)