Balāsura and the Gems

The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells how the gems (ratna) found in the earth came from the body of the asura Balāsura. Bhagavān Vishṇu slew Balāsura. Then different devas took different parts of his body and spread them over different lands. In each place a different gem arose. The full list of gems and their origins in Balāsura’s body is the basis of the Ratna-Śāstra (the science of gems) in the Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa.

Balāsura

Balāsura was a powerful asura. His name comes from bala (strength) and asura. Bhagavān Vishṇu slew him. When he fell, devas such as Indra, Vāyu, Agni, Balarāma and Ādiśesha took up parts of his body and spread them over particular regions of the earth. There the parts turned into gems. This is why different gems are found in different regions.

Where each gem came from

Vajra (diamond)

The bones (asthi) of Balāsura fell on the Himālayas and in the Meru region. There they hardened into vajra. This gem is the hardest of all substances. Its grade depends on its hardness, its brilliance and the number of its facets.

Muktā (pearl)

The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa says that muktā comes from several sources: elephants, bamboo plants, conch shells, serpents, fish, clouds and oysters. The finest and rarest pearls come from the temples (the sides of the forehead) of elephants (gaja-muktā) and from the rain of the clouds. A pearl is tested for its lustre, roundness, smoothness, weight and colour.

Padmarāga (ruby)

The blood (rudhira) of Balāsura fell on the Himālayas and hardened into padmarāga. A true padmarāga has a deep red, lotus-like glow. It is the gem of prosperity and long life for the one who wears it.

Marakata (emerald)

The bile (pitta) of Balāsura fell in various regions. From it arose marakata. The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa says that marakata can cure snake poison and disease.

Indranīla (blue sapphire)

The eyes of Balāsura gave indranīla. Indra himself gathered the blue gem and spread it over various mountain regions.

Vaidūrya (cat’s eye)

Vaidūrya came from the fat (medā) of Balāsura. Vāyu, the deva of the wind, gathered it and spread it over the coastal regions of the west.

Pushyarāga (yellow sapphire)

The skin (charma) of Balāsura fell on the Himālayas and gave pushyarāga, also spelled pushkarāga. The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa says that this gem is sometimes taken to be the same as padmarāga in colour, but it has a class of its own.

Karketana

Vāyu gathered the nails (nakha) of Balāsura with great respect. He spread them in the lotus-forest regions. They became karketana gems. They come in many colours: blood red, honey, copper red, yellow, blue and white.

Pīta (Bhīshmaka)

The seed (vīrya) of Balāsura fell in the Himālayan regions and gave bhīshmaka gems. They shine like the midday sun, like conch shells and like lotus flowers.

Pulaka

Vāyu took the part of Balāsura’s body from the nails to the arms. He spread it in the regions of Daśārṇa, Vāgadhara, Mekala and Kaliṅga. From it came pulaka gems. They come in several colours: the colour of añjana (black eye-paint), honey, and the stalk of the blue lotus. The pulaka gems from the regions of the Gandharvas and of Agni are the colour of the banana fruit.

Rudhirāksha

Agni took parts of Balāsura’s body and placed them on the bank of the Narmadā and in the plains around it. These became rudhirāksha gems. They are red like a parrot’s beak or like an indragopa (a red insect).

Spaṭika (rock crystal)

Balarāma, also called Baladeva, took the brain (medha) of Balāsura. He spread it in the regions of Kāverī, Vindhya, China and Nepal. It became spaṭika, which is sky-blue in colour and is also called taila-spaṭika.

Vidruma (coral)

Ādiśesha took the intestines (antra) of Balāsura and placed them in Kerala and other coastal regions. These became vidruma. It comes in the red of a rabbit’s blood, the red of the guñjā fruit, and several other shades of red.

Testing the gems

The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa says that each gem of pure quality gives its own benefits to the one who wears it. It gives detailed ways of telling true gems from false ones: heating, putting the gem in water, and comparing lustre. A gem with cracks, bad colour or a flaw in its make is dangerous and must never be worn.

Sources

• Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Āchāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 46–56 (Adhyāyas 68–80)