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Sumati-Jñāna different displays and make offerings to worship the five forms of knowledge: mati jnan (normal sensory knowledge), shruta jnan (reason), avadhi jnan (clairvoyance), manahparyaya jnan (mind-reading), and kevala jnan (enlightened omniscience).
But knowledge Fifth is not devoted solely to the worship of Saraswati as knowledge incarnate. It is also a day to worship Lakshmi as wealth incarnate, for the day is also known as Labh Pancham or “Profit Fifth". While many Jains are worshiping books and manuscripts in the libraries and monasteries, Jain merchants go the their shops to conduct the first business of the new year. Thus, we see that Saraswati and Lakshmi both live in the same Jain house--Saraswati in the libraries, and Lakshmi is in the marketplace.
(This essay was first appeared in Young Jains, Nairobi, 2006.)
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