Saraswati
<p ><b>Saraswati</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit" >Sanskrit</a>: सरस्वती, <i>Sarasvatī</i> <sup ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(Indic)" title="Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Indic)" >?</a></sup>) is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu" title="Hindu" >Hindu</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devi" title="Devi" >goddess</a> of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning.<sup id="cite_ref-dkingsley_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-dkingsley-1" >[1]</a></sup> She is a part of the trinity of Saraswati, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi" title="Lakshmi" >Lakshmi</a> and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati" title="Parvati" >Parvati</a>. All the three forms help the trinity of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma" title="Brahma" >Brahma</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu" title="Vishnu" >Vishnu</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva" title="Shiva" >Shiva</a> to create, maintain and regenerate-recycle the Universe respectively.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-2" >[2]</a></sup>
The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda" title="Rigveda" >Rigveda</a>. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic age through modern times of Hindu traditions.<sup id="cite_ref-davidk_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-davidk-3" >[3]</a></sup> Some Hindus celebrate the festival of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasant_Panchami" title="Vasant Panchami" >Vasant Panchami</a> (the fifth day of spring) in her honour,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-4" >[4]</a></sup> and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write alphabets on that day.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-5" >[5]</a></sup> The Goddess is also revered by believers of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jain" title="Jain" class="mw-redirect" >Jain</a> religion of west and central <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India" title="India" >India</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-BMA_6-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-BMA-6" >[6]</a></sup> as well as some Buddhist sects.<sup id="cite_ref-tdonaldson_7-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-tdonaldson-7" >[7]</a></sup>
She is known in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_language" title="Burmese language" >Burmese</a> as <i>Thurathadi</i> (သူရဿတီ, <small>pronounced: </small><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Burmese" title="Help:IPA for Burmese" >[θùja̰ðədì]</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Burmese" title="Help:IPA for Burmese" >[θùɹa̰ðədì]</a>) or <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipitaka" title="Tipitaka" class="mw-redirect" >Tipitaka</a> Medaw</i> (တိပိဋကမယ်တော်, <small>pronounced: </small><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Burmese" title="Help:IPA for Burmese" >[tḭpḭtəka̰ mɛ̀dɔ̀]</a>), in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" title="Chinese language" >Chinese</a> as Biàncáitiān(辯才天), in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language" title="Japanese language" >Japanese</a> as <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten" title="Benzaiten" >Benzaiten</a></i> (弁才天/弁財天) and in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_language" title="Thai language" >Thai</a> as <i>Surasawadee</i> (สุรัสวดี).<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati#cite_note-8" >[8]</a></sup></p>