On Akshaya Tritya, Virender Sehwag Shares A Story About "Joy Of Giving"

New Delhi:

On the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej, which is an annual spring time festival of the Hindus and Jains, buying gold is widely considered auspicious. Former Indian cricket opener Virender Sehwag, however, shared a different view. He tweeted a story about the origin of Akshaya Tritiya and said that the day which is usually associated with buying is meant for donation and charity.

In a tweet, he said, "Beautiful story about the origin of Akshaya Tritiya .This is a day to give Daan and not buy. May we all be blessed with the joy of giving."

He added, "Jo dene ka hunar jaante hain, barkat wahin hoti hai! (Those who know how to donate, prosper)"

The story that he shared goes like this:

"Once Adi Shankaracharya went to a house for alms. There was a poor lady all alone in the house and with no food in the house to be given to him in alms. She frantically searched the house and found a gooseberry (amla/nelikai) and she gave it to him. Adi Shankaracharya was very pleased at her willingness to donate the only piece of food she had. Adi Shankaracharya immediately recited the Kanakdhara Stotram and invoked Devi Mahalakshmi. Devi Mahalakshmi was pleased and she showered the lady's house with golden gooseberries. This incident is supposed to have happened on Akshaya Tritya day. It is thus said that little acts of charity/donation done on this day will bring in manifold returns."

Here's his tweet:

Many praised his tweet and agreed with his thoughts.

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"My mom said the same...it's a day to give, to donate but has become a day to give to jewelers," wrote a user.
 

"There is a difference between doing charity selflessly and with a selfish motive but charity is a charity. Its very important to give because that's what makes us human. In this day and age we r becoming more and more self centred and less considerate. #giveasmuchasyoucan"," shared another user.