Akshaya Tritiya falls on 13 Ma 2013.
I repeat, do not waste money by buying Gold or Platinum.
Akshya Tridiya is meant for performing Tharpana for ancestors and for charity.
Deva Yagnam,Pitru Yagyam,Manusha Yagnam,Boo Yagna are some of the regular Yagnas to be performed by every body.
Deva Yagna is thanks giving to Divine beings,Pitru for Ancestors, Manusha for Fellow humans and Boo Yagna for all other Living Beings.
Deva Yagna is by Brahma Yagna,Pitru by Tharpana/Srardha,Manusha Yagna by helping others,and Boo Yagna by feeding the other living beings.
These are to be performed every day.
Of this,Akshaya Tridhiyai comes under Pitru Yagna.
On this day one is expected to perform harpana for Pitrus and engage in feeding the poor.
Nothing about Gold or Platinum purchase at all.
Pity how people are misguided on a Sacred Ritual.
This is akin to Greeting Christians on Good Friday.
Read the following from The Times of India dtd 24 April 2012.
Akshaya means never diminishing. Many things happened on this day: Draupadi was given Akshaya Patra (bowl) by Krishna which supplied unlimited food; Kubera, treasurer of gods, prayed to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, to fill his treasury; Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, was born; Satya yuga ended and Treta yuga began; the Ganga descen-ded from Heaven; Ved Vyasa and Ganesha began writing the epic Maha-bharata; and Sudama, the poor friend of Krishna, came to Dwarka to ask for help. In return for a handful of beaten rice, Krishna gave immense wealth to Sudama. Gates of the Badrinarayana temple open on this day. Construction of chariots for the Jagannath rath yatra at Puri commences. Jains observe fast and break it with sugarcane juice as king-turned-monk Rishabhdeva was offered sugarcane juice after a year-long fast. So the belief is that worshipping Lakshmi-Kubera, buying gold and silver ornaments, investing money in shares and real estate, buying household things, ploughing land, writing new account books – will all bring prosperity.
Each second of Akshaya Tritiya is auspicious. This is the time to put in our best to get eternal benefits.”
In what way the Purchase of Gold/any thing new is associated with Akshya Tritiya?
Akshaya Tritiya, variously spelt as Akshya Thiritiya, Akshaya Trutheeya, Akshaya Tritiiya and also called Akshaya Trithi, falling on the third day of the bright half of the lunar month of Vaisakha of the traditional Hindu calendar, is one of the four most auspicious days of the year for Hindus. Akshaya Tritiya is also known as “Akha Teej”. The birthday of Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu falls on this day. The ‘Dharmasindhu’ mentions this is the adi tithi of satayuga. The word Akshaya, a Sanskrit word, literally means one that never diminishes, and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. Akshaya Tritiya is observed when tritiya prevails more before the noon.
Whoever worships lord krishna and applies chandan all over lord krishna goes to vaikuntha. Any japa, homa, pitru tarpana, or dana done that day becomes a-kshaya means he earns lots of good karma that day. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas received the Akshaya Pathram (bowl) from Lord Krishna on this day. The Akshaya Pathram provided unlimited food for the Pandavas during their exile. Due to this reason, people believe that anything that is acquired on this day will be replenished. This day is specially important as on this day any thing you donate is akshaya or never ending. Therefore people conduct special puja for Goddess Lakshmi and buy new gold and silver ornaments and invest money in shares and real estate. This festival is widely celebrated in all parts of India by different sections of the society irrespective of their religious faith and social grouping.
http://www.mypanchang.com/akshaya-tritiya.php
Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej is a Hindu and Jain[citation needed] holy day, that falls on the third Tithi (Lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of Hindi month of Vaishakha.
Jainism is one of the oldest known religion of world. Rishabhadeva alias Adinath is the first Tirthankara of the Jain. The Day of Akshay Tratiya is worshipped and said auspicious in Jainism because –
Tirthankara Rshabhdeva was king of Ayodhya. He being enlightened gave up all earthly pleasures and chose to lead the life of an ascetic and become a Jain monk. Jain monks do not possess anything,not even food. They do not even cook food for themselves. While hungry or thirsty, they go to people and ask for food or drinking water. Tirthankara Rshabhdeva also went to people and asked food. However, the people of that time did not know anything about the acts of monks, as he was the first monk in this era. People of Ayodhya offered gold, jewellery, gemstones, elephants, horses, expensive garments and even their daughters to honour their beloved king. Rshabhdeva was not in quest of all these. He wanted only 36 morsel of food,and that no body offered him. No body at that time could guess that their king was asking for food. As there was no choice, he had to fast for long time until his grand son Shreyansha kumara understood his need. Shreyansha kumara, finally, offered him sugar cane juice and Rshabhdeva broke his fast with that juice after 1 year. The incident happened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. This is considered by the Jains as one of the best offerings. It is believed that bestowing upon religious gifts on Akshaya Tritiya becomes inexhaustible. Jains, even today, observe longterm fast to commemorate their first Tirthankara Rshabhadeva and broke their fast on Akshaya Tritiya with sugar cane juice.
As per Hindus, This day is ruled by god Vishnu, the preserver-god in the Hindu Trinity. It is also traditionally celebrated as the birth day of the Hindu sage Parashurama, the sixth Avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, on this day the Treta Yuga began and the river Ganges, the most holy and sacred river of India, descended to the earth from the heaven.
The word “Akshaya” means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. It is believed that if you do a charity on this day you will be blessed and will receive blessings many fold. Nowadays jewellers have turned the purity into a marketing gimmick. The day is particularly considered auspicious for starting new ventures. The legend states that any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya shall continue to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, it is normal to see many of the new ventures, like starting a business, ground breaking for construction on the Akshaya Tritiya.