Akshaya Tritiya Puja
Vishnu and Lakshmi, barley, and giving on the day that never diminishes
Common way — most homes
Akshaya Tritiya, Shukla Tritiya of Vaishakha, in the morning. Muhurtha shows the day on the festival card.
About 30 minutes
Akshaya means undiminishing: what is given or begun today is said to last. The family worships Vishnu and Lakshmi, offers barley and a pot of cool water, and gives something away. Buying gold is a modern custom, not a requirement. If a mantra is hard, "Om Namo Narayanaya" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Om Namo Narayanaya ›Om Jai Jagdish Hare ›Shanti Mantra ›
Get ready
The day before
- Clean the puja place and decide what you will give: grain, water pots, sandals, an umbrella or money.
- Buy tulasi, yellow flowers and barley or wheat.
In the morning
- Bathe early; some add a little Ganga water to the bath.
- Fill a clay pot with water and keep it ready.
What you need
For Vishnu and Lakshmi
- 1Picture or idol of Vishnu and Lakshmi
- 1 small bowlBarley or wheat
- 1Clay pot of water, covered
- A handfulTulasi leaves and yellow flowers
- 1 plateSattu, kheer or fruit
- As you canWhat you will give away
For the altar
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Settle in
Sit facing east or north before the deity on a mat or folded cloth. Keep the plate on your right. Take a breath and let the day wait for a few minutes.
Achamana — sip water three times
Pour a little water into your right palm and sip it three times, saying the first three names, one with each sip. Then wash your right hand with a little water while saying the fourth.
ōm kēśavāya namaḥ. ōm nārāyaṇāya namaḥ. ōm mādhavāya namaḥ. ōm gōvindāya namaḥ.Salutations to Keshava, Narayana and Madhava; salutations to Govinda.Purify yourself and the place
Hold a flower dipped in water and sprinkle a few drops on yourself, the plate and the altar while saying this verse.
ōm apavitraḥ pavitrō vā sarvāvasthāṁ gatō'pi vā. yaḥ smarēt puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ.Whether pure or impure, in whatever state, one who remembers the lotus-eyed Lord is pure within and without.Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Dhyana — invite the deity
Close your eyes and picture the deity before you. Offer a pinch of akshat as you invite them to be present.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya. dhyāyāmi, āvāhayāmi.Gandha — sandal paste
Apply a dot of chandan or kumkum to the deity with your ring finger.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya. gandhaṁ samarpayāmi.Pushpa — flowers
Offer the flowers at the deity's feet, one or a few at a time.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya. puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi.Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Offer barley and water
Place the barley and the pot of water before them. Touch each, and offer them with folded hands.
Naivedya
Place the sattu, kheer or fruit before them with a tulasi leaf on each. Sprinkle a little water around it and offer it with folded hands.
Chant
Chant this 11 or 108 times, on a mala or on your fingers.
ōm namō nārāyaṇāya.Aarti
Light the lamp or camphor and sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare with the family, circling the flame clockwise.
Pradakshina — circle in reverence
Turn around clockwise in your place three times (or walk around the altar if there is room), saying this verse.
yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntarakr̥tāni ca. tāni tāni vinaśyanti pradakṣiṇapadē padē.Whatever wrongs were done in past lives are destroyed with every step taken around the Lord.Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Give
Give what you set aside to someone who needs it, today if you can. A pot of water for a passer-by in the heat is the oldest form of this gift.
Prasad
Bow down. Take a little of the offered food as prasad and share it with the family. Let the lamp burn out on its own.
Fasting
Some fast until the puja. It is not required.
Good to do
- Begin something good today: a saving, a study, a habit.
- Give with respect, and without announcing it.
Tradition avoids
- Do not borrow to buy gold; tradition asks for giving, not spending.
- Do not skip the giving and keep only the buying.
What lasts is what was given away. One pot of water, offered kindly, is the day's whole teaching.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.