Ratna

Aum Shum Shukraya namah

Shukra Ratna

Diamond

White Sapphire

Hope Diamond at the National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC - USA

White sapphire = a colorless variety of corundum having very few impurities; sometimes substituted for diamond

Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that may contain traces of iron, titanium and chromium.

• white sapphire = white corundum

• blue sapphire = blue corundum

• ruby = red corundum

"White Sapphire" = "White Ruby" = "White Sapphire"

Natural Corundum colors include

• Colorless, gray, brown; pink to blood-red, orange, yellow, green, blue to light-purple-blue, violet;

• may be color zoned, "star-sapphire" asteriated

• mainly grey and brown

Here is a White Sapphire page which describes the difference between a White Sapphire and a Diamond.

• http://awesomegems.info/whitesapphire.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corundum

Vocabulary for Shukra-ratna

Koeln Sanskrit Lexicon:

Abhedya

• not to be divided or broken or pierced ; indivisible ; not to be betrayed (as a secret formula

• A diamond

bhArgavapriya

• dear to Sukra or the planet Venus

hIra - hiraka - hiragam

• A diamond

• A thunderbolt

• A serpent

• A lion

• name of Lakshmi

• Of a woman

• hIrAGga: diamond-bodied, Indra's thunderbolt

• hIraka: A diamond (the gem is supposed to be presided over by Sukra or Venus)

indrAyudha

• Indra's weapon

• the rainbow

• diamond

kuliza

• An axe , hatchet

• the thunderbolt of Indra

• kulizAsana: having a diamond seat, name of Shakya-muni

maNIndra

• jewel-chief, a diamond

• maNirAja:jewel-king

ratnamukhya

• chief of jewels, a diamond

SaTkoNa

• A six-angled figure

• the thunderbolt of Indra

• A diamond

• the sixth astrological house

vajra

• the hard or mighty one; a diamond

  • (thought to be as hard as the thunderbolt or of the same substance with it);

• Adamantine , hard , impenetrable

• A thunderbolt

  • (esp. that of Indra , said to have been formed out of the bones of the Rishi Dadhica or Dadhici ,

  • and shaped like a circular discus,

  • or in later times regarded as having the form of two transverse bolts crossing each other

  • thus sometimes also applied to similar weapons used by various gods or superhuman beings ,

  • or to any mythical weapon destructive of spells or charms

• Also applied to a thunderbolt in general

  • or to the lightning evolved from the centrifugal energy of the circular thunderbolt of Indra

  • when launched at a foe;

  • in Northern Buddhist countries it is shaped like a dumb-bell and called Dorje

• wrath; denunciation in strong language (compared to thunder)

• A jet of water

• A form of military array

• name of a configuration of the planets and stars

  • (in which favourable planets are situated in the 1st and 7th houses

  • and unfavourable in the 4th and 10th)

  ---

  vajrAbha: diamond-like

  vajradhAra: whose edge or point is as hard as a diamond

  vajramaNi: thunderbolt-gem, a diamond

  vajramaya: made of diamond , hard as diamond , adamantine, hard-hearted

• vajrAsana: n. a diamond seat Buddh. ; a partic. posture in sitting

  • (the hands being placed in the hollow between the body and the crossed feet);

  • name of Buddha

• VajrasAra: having the essence or nature of a diamond, adamantine

from: Dr. G.S. Kapoor. (1994). Gems and Astrology. Ranjan Publications, New Delhi. p. 113-114:

"... Diamond is very expensive stone.

It will, therefore, do if a Diamond of minimum weight of 1 - to - 1+1/2 [1 to 1.5 ct] carats is used.

It should be set in platinum or silver ring and worn in thelittle finger of the right hand.

• English: diamond, adamantine

• French: carreau, diamant

• Hindi: Heera

• Urdu : Almaas, heera

• Arabic: al-Mas ألماس‏‏

• Abhedya

• Aksaja – Akshaja

• Avika

• Azira

• Bahudhara

• Bhaargava-priya - Bharga-vaka

• Chidaka

• heera - heeraka - Hira - Hiragam - Hiraka

• Indra-yudha

• Maani-raja – Mani-indra

• Ratna-mukhya

• Saffed Pukhraj

• Vajra – Vajra-mani

Uparatna = Secondary Remedial Gemstones

• less expensive, but weaker

• white = colorless sapphire

• white topaz

• white zircon

• colorless quartz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond

Shukra ratna similar to Shani may be worn on either right or left hand. The right hand is a default location but Shukra ratna works just fine on the left hand.

(By contrast, red gems for Kuja or Surya should or even a very bright yellow pushkaraja, "pukhraj" for Guru should stay on the "hot" right hand.)

• The Shukra ratna is traditionally placed upon the "ring" finger

• however it is better suited to the Shani Finger (longest, middle0 and Shukra=ratna is effective also on the smallest finger (the "pinkie").

• Shukra ratna functions especially well on the Shani fingerin combination with a Shani-ratna in the same silver-or-platinum metal setting.

Shukra Venus

• Possible Benefits

Jyotisha viewpoint = diamond strengthens Shukra's gifts of equal weighting, balanced design, harmonious and fair relationships, and personal attractiveness.

Because psycho-emotional conditions form the precursor to physical conditions, on the material plane the Sukra-ratna may help to alleviate some discomforts related to lack of balance:

• health of kidney-pancreas-adrenal

• throat, tonsils, voice

• all paired organs (eyes-ears-lungs. etc)

• unfair terms of contract

• inequity in relationships

• architecture of the body features, beauty

Not good for Simha lagna!

from:

Dr. G.S. Kapoor. (1994). Gems and Astrology. Ranjan Publications, New Delhi. p. 76:

"According to some scholars, Diamond is of three kinds - male, female and eunuch.

• The Male is the best.

• Female medium

• and the eunuch is to be avoided.

Another opinion is that according to its structural beauty and radiance etc; the Diamond is of four kinds: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra.

• The Diamond which has eight or six angles and if reflected on the water displays seven colours of the rainbow, that which is light to weight but looks large, that which is round but explicitly exhibits all its eight facets dots is a *Male Diamond'.

• The Diamond which is round and long, has dots and lines but has other qualities of the Male Diamond is called 'Female Diamond'.

• The Diamond which has only three angles and the angles are turned, that which is round, large and heavy in weight is called *Eunuch Diamond' .

  ---

• The white (colourless) Diamond which is without any blemish is the Brahmin Diamond.

• The white Diamond with a slight hue of red is the Kshatriya Diamond.

• The one with a yellow hue is the Vaishya Diamond

• and the one with a black hue is the Shudra Diamond.

  ---

• The Diamond with a red or yellow hue is said to be very beneficial and auspicious for kings, political leaders and administrators holding high positions.

• The Diamond with the white hue is suitable for those engaged in religious, social and spiritual work.

• The Diamond of yellow colour bestows success and prosperity to Industrialists, businessmen, financiers etc.

• The one with the black hue is suitable for those who are engaged in inferior kind of jobs or professions.

Women who want to be blessed with sons should wear an unblemished white Diamond. There is also a view that such women should not wear Diamond.

Diamond makes a person fearless, gives him patience, purity and good manners.

• The wearer of a Brahmin Diamond is born again as a Brahmin up to seven births. He becomes proficient in religious scriptures and earns great respect and regards from others.

• The owner of Kshatriya Diamond becomes a brave warrior, able diplomat, political leader or administrator and achieves great success in his career of sphere.

• The businessman who wears a Vaishya Diamond becomes wealthy and respected and enjoys all luxuries of life.

• The wearer of Shudra Diamond becomes wise. successful and wealthy and is helpful to others.

The wearer of the Diamond is protected from the bad influences of evil spirits, and snake bites. Sorcery and Tantras (done against him) do not do any harm to him.

A defective or blemished Diamond causes great harm to its wearer.

• The Diamond with the shape of island (Yava) is white, destroys wealth and happiness,

• the one with red island like impression longing to the wearer

• and the one with the black Yava destroys wealth.

• Other defects disturb mental peace and bring disasters and diseases. "

"In Dzogchen, while thoughts are active, rigpa permeates them all, so that even at the very moment when powerful thoughts like attachment and aversion are arising, there remains a pervasive quality of clear light rigpa.

• Dodrupchen says, "in Dzogchen, since the clear light's natural way of being is like the sun and its rays, inseparable, if you are able, through this, to bring out the radiance of genuine mind, you will be able to maintain the experience of clear light in meditation, without it fluctuating, or coming and going."
• Longchen Rabjam speaks of self-arising wisdom, which is in fact rigpa: "Self-arising wisdom is rigpa that is empty, clear and free from all elaboration, like an immaculate sphere of crystal. Its very being is such that it never explores objects of the senses."

This "self-arising wisdom" is rigpa, which in essence is primordially pure.

Longchenpa describes it as "empty and clear".

• To call it empty is to refer to its essence, primordially pure.
• To call it clear is to speak of its nature, spontaneously present.

As such, it is "free from all elaboration", and free from the elaborations of adventitious phenomena. So it is like a flawless crystal sphere, and truly "its very being is such that it never explores objects of the senses".

Q: Having entered the Rahu-Shukra period of my life, I asked an astrologer here to analyze my Janma Patrika and recommend a gem.

He said that it will be good to use a white sapphire for my kundali, which has Simha lagna and Mesha Chandra. Is that correct?

A: Namaste

The reasoning against using Shukra ratna during your Rahu-Shukra period is that:

1. Shukra is an enemy of the lagnesha Surya

2. Shukra is unfriendly toward the lord of bhagya sthana-5, putra-pati Guru.

3. Rahu the mahadasha pati gives the effect of Rahu's lord Chandra.

4. Chandra resides in an inauspicious 6/8 angle from Shukra,

5. while Mangala the lord of both Shukra and Chandra suffers a placement of persecution and marital discontent, uchchamsha in in vyaya bhava.

6. Shukra rules no trine from either Chandra or from radical lagna

7. Shukra = maraka-graha from Mesha Chandra

8. Shukra is the lord of the 6th navamsha (marriage disagreement about money) .

On the plus side,

1. Shukra as L-10 in 4 helps the social status, adding the dignity of material wealth to your public reputation.

2. Shukra also helps to promote commercial business as L-3 in 4, where He is especially gracious in real-estate and confidential financial transactions.

Overall however, IMO, the balance of factors involving Shukra does not justify the cookbook recommendation to always wear the ratna of the bhukti-pati during its bhukti.

Exceptions:

Note that due to potential career-reputation benefits attending the lord of karma bhava, there are exceptions for the usual proscription against wearing Shukra-ratna when Simha governs the lagna; however, these specific Shukra exceptions *do not apply* in your nativity.

The exceptions to the no-Shukra-ratna rule for Simha nativities are delineated in the below quote from Dr. G. S. Kapoor. (1994). Gems and Astrology. Ranjan Publications, New Delhi. p. 110

• "For the Leo Ascendant, Venus is lord of the 3rd and the 10th houses - if, as lord of the 10th, Venus is posited in the 6th, 8th or 12th (where he will be exalted). Diamond will help to offset the setbacks in profession etc.

• If Venus is in his own sign in the 10th, it give rise to two yogas, namely Amala and Maidlavya (one of the Panchamahapurusha yogas).

• The effects of these yogas have been described as under:

• (1) Amala yoga: This yoga is caused when the 10th from the Moon or Lagna is occupied by a benefic (natural) planet. As a result of Amala yoga the person will achieve lasting fame and reputation. His character will be spotless and he will lead a prosperous life.

• (2) Malavya yoga is caused if Venus should occupy a quadrant which should be his own or exaltation sign. As a result, the person will have a well developed physique, will be strong minded, wealthy, happy with children and wife, endowed with clean sense organs and renowned and learned.

• The good effects of these yogas will get an impetus if a Diamond is worn during the major periods and sub-periods of Venus. "

In Jyotisha as in all matters of philosophical thought, the ultimate decision should honor your intuition (inner teaching). If you feel strongly, intuitively that Shukra-ratna can bring you some benefits, I recommend to try wearing a diamond (properly applied) and see what happens.

• For example, it is always possible that there is an error in the birth time which could invalidate the logic of forecasting from the radical lagna and/or the Chandra lagna. In all cases, strong intuition will provide a more reliable guide than the most detailed logic.

Remember that Jyotisha ratna do not cause any action. Pure gems are capable of stimulating the existing flow of psychic energy which originates in one's own thoughts. Even the lower-quality non-conducting gems can serve as effective mental reminders to follow through on one's higher intentions.

However it is essential to remember that it is the thoughts themselves and not the gems which have the power to change our lives.

Wishing you best success in Jyotisha studies,

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

www.barbarapijan.com

Q: Upon which finger should I place the Shukra-ratna? You mention both the ring finger and the middle finger.

A: Either middle or ring finger is OK.

• Ring finger is typically where people like to wear diamonds. Women in particular like to put their troth diamond there (dowry or engagement ring). But the ring finger is technically the extension of the mount of Suraja (Sun) and thus this custom of putting the hira on the ring finger, while widely practiced in the west, is a bit suspect.

• It makes sense only when using hira as a boasting or show-off feature consistent with the program of Surya the center of the drama. (Of course for many women that's what the engagement ring is, a form of boasting about how wealthy or attractive one thinks one is!)

• Middle finger usually the longest finger is properly the extension of the mount of Shani and thus Shani extension or the middle finger is also a good place for Shukra-ratna, as material world Shani creates a hospitable environment for Shukra's energy of attracting material luxury and balancing all the pairs of the universe.

• It would also be OK to wear a diamond and an emerald together on the pinkie littlest finger, since the littlest outer finger belongs to Shukra's friend Budha.

• Even a large diamond and a relatively small emerald is good on the little finger.

• Technically it is the thumb which is extension of the genuine mount of Shukra. The mount of Shukra is the fleshy pad at the base of the thumb. But it's quite awkward to wear a thumb ring so either ring finger or middle finger are really OK, with my preference being Shukra-ratna worn on the middle finger.

• It is also always OK to wear a Jyotisha-setting diamond in a pendant to touch the heart chakra.

• I prefer cold stones (diamond, emerald, blue sapphire) on the left hand and hot stones (ruby, yellow sapphire, red coral) on the right hand, with Chandra-ratna pearl OK on either

Astrologically, Chandra has no enemies ; Soma extends His welcoming friendship to either the hot group or the cold group.

However, Budha+Shani+Shukra+ Rahu+Ketu group ALL see Chandra as "satrugraha" = enemy.

• Pearl generally is easier to wear in a pendant but it is OK on either hand if the native wants to join it with another ratna.

Sincerely, BPL

Question:

I have received two gem prescription that tell me to combine pearl with diamond.

But I've read on your website that pearl should not be combined with diamond.

What should I do?

Answer: Think about your personal nativity. Look at the relationship between Shukra and Chandra, in both D-1 and D-9. Is such a pairing justified? Generally this pairing is not suggested but there may be some cases when it works.

• Shukra sees Chandra as an enemy,

• but Lord Chandra see Shukra as a neutral. (Chandra has no enemies).

It is possible to encounter nativities wherein it is OK to mix pearl and diamond, and there can be nativities where Chandra and Shukra hold an inimical angle, Chandra is a dushthamsha lord, or there is some other reason for not mixing the two ratna. Sometimes a pearl can be worn in a pendant and hira worn in a finger-ring. It depends on conditions within the kundali.

To educate oneself further upon the reasoning involved in gem prescriptions, recommended reading = the brief and concise handbook: Dr. G.S. Kapoor. (1994). Gems and Astrology. Ranjan Publications, New Delhi

Dr. K. disallows matching diamond with any of the ratna for Surya, Chandra Kuja, or Guru . Surya + Chandra = satrugraha for Shukra; Kuja + Guru = samagraha for Shukra.

Sincerely,

BP Lama Jyotisha

file update: 18-May-2012

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