About Labh Panchami
Labh Panchami, or Labh Pancham, is the day Gujarati traders reopen their shops after the Diwali break and make the first entries in their new account books, and in 2026 it falls on Saturday, 14 November 2026. It is the fifth day of the bright half of Kartik. Jain families keep the same day as Gyan Panchami, when scriptures and books are honoured.
The name is plain arithmetic and plain hope. Labh means profit or benefit, and pancham is the fifth: the fifth day of Kartik Sud, the bright fortnight that opens with the Gujarati New Year. Its other name, Saubhagya Panchami, swaps profit for good fortune. In Gujarat this is the day the long Diwali holiday ends. Markets that have been shuttered since Lakshmi Puja open again, and the new year's first sale is made.
The order matters to traders. New account books, the chopda, are worshipped on Diwali evening. The Vikram Samvat year turns on Bestu Varas, and the days after it are for visiting relatives, not for business. Labh Pancham is when the new books are actually put to work.
How is the date of Labh Pancham set?
Labh Pancham falls on Kartik Shukla Panchami, the fifth lunar day after the new moon of Diwali. Like most Hindu festivals it follows the tithi that is running at sunrise, so the calendar date depends on where the tithi starts and ends. Counting Bestu Varas as day one, it is always the fifth day of the Gujarati year. Counted from Diwali night, the gap is usually five or six days: in 2025, Lakshmi Puja was on 20 October and Labh Pancham on 26 October.
Shopkeepers then want an hour, not just a day. Panchangs such as Drik Panchang list a morning puja window for Labh Panchami, and Gujarati newspapers print the auspicious slots for reopening a business, worked out from the day's choghadiya divisions for that city. Take the timing from a panchang set to your own town, because the windows move with local sunrise.
What do traders do on Labh Pancham?
The ritual is short and is done at the shop, the office or the factory gate, usually before the first customer arrives.
- Open and cleanThe shop is swept, the counter washed and fresh flowers hung at the door.
- Mark the thresholdA sathiya, the swastik, is drawn in kanku at the entrance, with Shubh written on one side and Labh on the other.
- Worship Ganesh and LakshmiA short puja with kanku, rice and a lamp. Ganesh comes first, to clear the way, and Lakshmi for prosperity. Many recite the Shri Sukta.
- Open the ledgerIn the new khatu, the account book, the first page gets Shubh on the left, Labh on the right and a sathiya in the centre. Many also write Shri Sava.
- Honour the toolsKanta pujan, worship of the weighing scale, is part of the morning for many traders.
- Make the first saleThe year's first transaction is made inside the auspicious window, and many treat it as a sign for the months that follow.
If you work with a Gujarati firm, expect little to move between Diwali and this day. Invoices, deliveries and replies resume on Labh Pancham, and a greeting that arrives that morning is read as courtesy, not salesmanship.
Gyan Panchami: the same day for Jain families
For Jains the fifth of Kartik Sud is Gyan Panchami, also written Jnana Panchami, a day for honouring knowledge. It comes five days after Mahavira's nirvana, which Jains mark on Diwali night as Mahavir Nirvan Diwas, and a few days into the Vira Nirvana Samvat new year.
Temple libraries are cleaned and their books worshipped, often with vaskshep, a fragrant sandalwood powder. Blank paper and unsharpened pencils are worshipped alongside the books, and many temples hand them out afterwards. In Ahmedabad and other Gujarat cities, upashrayas and pathshalas lay out gyan upkaran, the tools of learning, and old manuscripts for darshan. Some Ahmedabad sanghs have shown handwritten texts several centuries old, including pages in gold ink.
Many Jains fast. Some keep a full upvas, others ekasana, a single meal in the day. A few take a long vow to fast on every Shukla Panchami for five years and five months, beginning on this day. The evening may include pratikraman and devvandan, and the story read is the Gyan Panchami katha, known in manuscripts as the tale of Varadatta and Gunamanjari.
The puja is built around the five kinds of knowledge in Jain thought.
| Knowledge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mati gyan | Knowledge through the senses and the mind |
| Shrut gyan | Knowledge from scripture and teaching |
| Avadhi gyan | Perception beyond the senses, of things at a distance |
| Manahparyav gyan | Knowing the thoughts of others |
| Keval gyan | Complete knowledge, the omniscience of a Tirthankara |
What to write
Labh Pancham messages work best when short and practical. Shop owners are busy that morning, so a wish read over the first cup of tea is the one that lands.
Shubh Labh Pancham. As your books open for the new Samvat, thank you for the trust you showed us last year. Wishing you a strong first sale today and a steady, honest year of business together.
Our shop reopens today, on Labh Pancham. Thank you for standing with us through the last year. Come by for the year's first purchase, and we will have the chai ready.
Labh Pancham ni shubhechha, Pappa. Draw the sathiya big this year. May the new khatu fill up kindly and the counter never feel heavy. (Labh Pancham ni shubhechha means good wishes on Labh Pancham.)
Labh Pancham ni hardik shubhechha. Tamara vepar ma labh ane ghar ma shubh rahe. (Warm wishes on Labh Pancham. May there be profit in your trade and well-being in your home.)
લાભ પાંચમની હાર્દિક શુભેચ્છા. નવા ચોપડામાં શુભ અને લાભ બંને લખાય, અને આખું વર્ષ તમારા વેપારમાં બરકત રહે.
Happy Labh Pancham. The office is open, the new year has properly started, and the inbox is waiting. Wishing you a good first day and a calm year.
Gyan Panchami ni shubhechha. May this year bring you clear understanding and good teachers. If you are keeping upvas today, I hope it goes gently. (Gyan Panchami ni shubhechha means good wishes on Gyan Panchami.)
On Gyan Panchami, may your books be kind to you and your exams kinder still. Keep the blessed pencil for the hard paper.
Do
- Send business wishes on the morning of Labh Pancham itself. It is the first working day of the Gujarati year, which is exactly when a client note is welcome.
- Write Shubh and Labh, or a line about the new ledger, if you know the family keeps books. It shows you understand what the day is for.
- For a Jain friend, wish them a good Gyan Panchami rather than profit, and ask about the darshan at the upashraya.
Avoid
- Don't send sweets or a lunch invitation to a Jain friend on the day without asking. Many are fasting.
- Don't push a sale or a pending payment in the same message as the greeting. Keep the wish clean and follow up the next day.
- Don't assume every Gujarati household runs a business. For salaried friends the day is simply the end of the Diwali holiday.
- Labh
- Profit or benefit, written on the right of the ledger's first page
- Shubh
- Auspicious, written on the left
- Sathiya
- The swastik drawn in kanku on thresholds and account books
- Khatu
- The account ledger opened on Labh Pancham
- Chopda
- The new account books worshipped on Diwali evening
- Shri Sava
- An auspicious mark written at the head of the new books
- Kanta pujan
- Worship of the weighing scale
- Upashraya
- A Jain monastic hall where monks and nuns stay and teach
- Vaskshep
- Fragrant sandalwood powder used in Jain worship
- Upvas
- A full day's fast
How to wish someone on Labh Panchami
A Labh Pancham wish is a wish for the working year. It suits shop owners, traders, business clients and anyone whose office reopens that morning, so naming the shop, the new ledger or the first sale is welcome, not crass. Keep it short and send it early, before the shutters go up. For Jain friends the day is Gyan Panchami, about knowledge rather than profit, and many are fasting, so a quiet line about learning and a good day suits them better than a line about money.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Gujarati + Hindi.
When is Labh Panchami in each year?
Labh Panchami is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 11 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Labh Panchami in 2026?
Labh Panchami 2026 falls on Saturday, 14 November 2026.
Why do Gujarati shops reopen on Labh Pancham?
Gujarati businesses close for Diwali and the new-year visiting days, and reopen on Labh Pancham, the fifth day of the bright half of Kartik. The name means the fifth of profit, so traders treat it as the right day to make the first sale and the first ledger entry of the new Vikram Samvat year.
What is the difference between Labh Panchami and Gyan Panchami?
They fall on the same date. Gujarati Hindu traders keep it as Labh Panchami, reopening shops and worshipping Ganesh and Lakshmi for a good business year. Jains keep it as Gyan Panchami, honouring knowledge and scriptures, often with a fast.
What do traders write in new account books on Labh Pancham?
On the first page of the new ledger, traders write Shubh on the left and Labh on the right and draw a sathiya, a swastik, in kanku in the centre. Many also write Shri Sava at the top before making the year's first entry.
How do you wish someone a happy Labh Pancham in Gujarati?
Say "Labh Pancham ni hardik shubhechha", which means warm wishes on Labh Pancham. For a business friend you can add "tamara vepar ma labh rahe", may your trade bring profit.
Is Labh Panchami always five days after Diwali?
Not exactly. Labh Panchami is fixed to the Panchami tithi of Kartik's bright half, so it is always the fifth day of the Gujarati new year but usually falls five or six days after the Diwali Lakshmi Puja, depending on how the lunar days fall that year.
What do Jains do on Gyan Panchami?
Jains clean and worship their scriptures, honour blank paper and pencils as tools of learning, and visit upashrayas where old manuscripts are put on display. Many fast, either a full upvas or a single meal, and the puja honours the five kinds of knowledge in Jain teaching.
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