Akshaya Navami (Amla Navami)

About

Akshaya Navami is observed on Kartika Shukla Navami, the ninth day of the bright half of Kartika. It is also called Amla Navami because the amla (Indian gooseberry) tree is worshipped. The word akshaya means "that which never decays". Acts of giving and prayer on this day are said in tradition to bring lasting, unending merit.

It comes between Govardhan Puja and Prabodhini Ekadashi, and falls a few days after Diwali.

Significance and stories

In tradition, Akshaya Navami is counted among the Yugadi tithis, the days on which a new age (yuga) is said to have begun. This day is remembered as the start of the Satya Yuga, the first and most righteous age. Akshaya Tritiya in spring is another such day. Because they mark beginnings, these days are considered good for charity.

Many accounts describe the amla tree as dear to Vishnu. It is believed that Vishnu lives in the tree on this day, so people worship the tree, sit beneath it and eat a meal there. A story from Vaishnava tradition says that Lakshmi once wished to worship both Vishnu and Shiva together, and found that the amla tree combines the qualities of the Tulsi and the bael, which are dear to each. She worshipped under the amla tree, and then served a meal to both deities. This tale is why the meal under the tree is a custom.

The amla is also valued in Ayurveda for its richness in vitamin C. In the Braj region, Akshaya Navami is also tied to the circuit of Mathura and Vrindavan (see Regional customs).

How to observe (puja vidhi)

1. Bathe early and wear clean clothes. Many people begin with a river or a home bath with a few drops of Ganga water.
2. Go to an amla tree, in a garden, temple or park. If there is none, use a small potted plant or an amla branch or fruit.
3. Clean the area beneath the tree. Offer water, turmeric, kumkum and rice at its base.
4. Wind a cotton thread (kachcha sutra) around the trunk, circling it clockwise, usually seven or 108 times. The number varies by family.
5. Offer flowers, a lamp and incense. Pray to Vishnu and Lakshmi for the well-being of your family.
6. Read or listen to the story of Akshaya Navami, or recite the names of Vishnu.
7. Make donations of food, clothes, grain, amla or money.
8. Eat a meal sitting beneath the amla tree if possible, and share it with others. Some families invite Brahmins or the needy to eat with them.
9. Remember ancestors with prayers and offerings of water and food, according to your family custom.

Puja items (samagri)

• Fresh amla fruit or branches, or an amla tree
• Cotton thread (kachcha sutra)
• Water, turmeric, kumkum, rice, flowers
• Lamp, incense, camphor
• Sweets and seasonal fruit, dry amla preparations such as murabba
• Grain, clothes or money for charity

Fasting and food

Many people keep a partial or complete fast until the puja and break it with the meal under the amla tree. The meal often includes amla in the food, or amla preparations. Many families eat only sattvic vegetarian food. People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly and children should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast.

Regional customs

In Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, families hold Amla Navami picnics under the tree. In Mathura and Vrindavan, pilgrims walk a circuit (parikrama) of the sacred area on this day, and the temples hold special darshan. In Bengal, the same tithi is observed as Jagaddhatri Puja, honouring the goddess Jagaddhatri, with Chandannagar and Krishnanagar especially known for it. In some regions the day is called Kushmanda Navami (kushmanda = pumpkin or gourd), and a pumpkin may be given in charity. Customs differ from one community to another.

Celebrating in the USA

Amla trees do not grow in most of the USA. Indian grocery stores often sell fresh amla in autumn, and frozen or dried amla is available. You can set up a small puja at home with the fruit and a picture of Vishnu, and eat a meal with amla pickle or murabba. Some temples hold the observance in their garden or with a potted tree.

If you want to eat outside, check park rules and the weather. Donations can go to a food bank, a local charity or a temple kitchen. Ancestor offerings can be a simple prayer and a plate of food set aside, done in words and gratitude. If the tithi falls on a workday, a short puja in the morning and a meal at home in the evening is enough.