Pañcaratna
Pañcaratna · pañca-ratna, “the five gems”
Grammar: neuter noun; a compound of pañca (five) and ratna (gem, jewel): “the five gems”.
Meaning: (1) the five gems, placed in the kalaśa, in the piṇḍikā (pedestal) of the liṅga and with the mūrti in pūjā and pratishṭhā (consecration); (2) a group of five honoured beings, “the five jewels”.
In the scriptures: the Agni Purāṇa uses the word in both senses.
The five gems. In the dīkshā which Nārada teaches, Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped on the sthaṇḍila (the prepared ground) with cloth and the five gems, and is worshipped in the fire as well (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 27). In the pavitrāropaṇa which Agni Deva teaches, the worshipper places the pañcaratna in the kalaśa, wraps a cloth around it, and on it worships Śrī Hari with gandha and the other upacāras; in the vardhanī (the companion vessel) he places a piece of gold (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 34). At the raising of the dhvaja (temple banner), which Hayagrīva teaches Brahmā, a piece of gold and the pañcaratna are placed in a kalaśa, and the cakra is installed with the astra-mantra; then the golden cakra is dipped in mercury, covered with a fine cloth and set in place, and Śrī Hari is remembered in its middle (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 61). At the installing of the liṅga, which Parameśvara teaches, the piṇḍikā is bathed, smeared with sandal and covered with a beautiful cloth; the pañcaratna and the like are put in its hole, which has the form of the bhaga, and it is placed to the north of the liṅga (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 96).
The five jewels in the pūjā of Kubjikā. In the pūjā of Kubjikā Devī which Parameśvara teaches, the “Pañcaratna” is worshipped on the peaks in the south and the south-east, with Jyeshṭhā, Raudrī and Āntikā, the devatās of the three sandhyās (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 143). Later in the pūjā, after Uḍḍiyāna, Jālandhara, Pūrṇagiri and Kāmarūpa, five Devas are worshipped: Gaganānanda Deva with his varga, Svargānanda Deva, Paramānanda Deva, Satyānanda Deva (his pādukā) and Nāgānanda Deva. “Thus the pañcaratnas named varga have been told” (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 144).
Related terms: Ratna · Kalaśa · Piṇḍikā · Pratishṭhā · Kubjikā
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 27, 34, 61, 96, 143–144