70 - On the test of Gems-- Ruby

Süta said: 

1. Taking the blood of the mighty demon Bala, which contained seeds of excellent gems, the sun traversed the sky and shone blue like a sword.

2. He was thwarted suddenly half way by Rāvana, King of Lanka, who appeared like another Rahu, and was proud of his exploits such as the conquest of deities in battles many times before. 

3. Thereupon the sun dropped the blood in the excellent river whose banks were overgrown with Areca-palms and whose deep pools are constantly agitated by the beautiful thighs of the Simhala maidens. 

4. Thenceforward the river became famous as Ravana Ganga¹ since it acquired the same merits as the divine Ganga. 

1. Not identifiable.

5. Ever since, its banks are strewn over with precious gems during nights and they appear as though they are pierced by shafts of gold, blazing inside as well as outside.

6. On its banks and waters, rubies began to appear resembling those found in Saugandhika, Kuruvinda, and Sphatika territories. All of them had great merits.

7. Some of these rubies have the colours of the Bandhūka² flower, Guñjā, Indragopa (glowworm), Javă flower (China Rose) blood, pomegranate seeds and the Kimshuka³ flower. All of them have a shining lustre.

2. Pentapetes phoenicea.

3. Butca monosperma.

8. Some of the rubies have the colour of vermillion, red lotus and Saffron; some have the colour of Låkşhă juice; although the red colour is uniform throughout; their centre has a special manifest brilliance, the rubies are self-luminous. 

9. Some of these rubies of the Sphatika (crystal) variety, endowed with all good qualities, reflect and refract the rays of the sun illuminating all the surrounding objects. 

10. Some of these rubies of the brilliance of the fresh blown red lotus have a mixture of blue colour like that of Kusumbha⁴; others have the lustre of Arushkara⁵ and Kanțakäri⁶ flower and still others have the colour of Hingula (Asafoetida). 

4. Carthamus tinctorius.

5. Semccarpus omacardium.

6. Solanum xanthocarpum.

11. Some of the rubies have the colour of the eyes of the birds Chakora¹, Cuckoo or Sárasa²; others have the lustre of the Kokanada (Red Lotus) in full bloom. 

1. The Greek, Partridge. SSED, p. 200.

2. The Indian crane.

12. In their influence, firmness and weight Saugandhika rubies are similar to crystalline rubies; but they have the colour of the fine red lotus with a slight bluish tinge.

13. The Kuruvindaja variety of rubies are red no doubt, but that redness is not akin to that of the crystalline variety. They are dull hued and the lustre remains within. Their infiuence too is not on par with that of the crystals. 

14-15. In the beds of Rāvanagangå some Kuruvindaka variety of rubies are produced which have the deep red hue of other varieties of rubies, but they have crystalline rays; in Andhra they are not usually found; if at all some of them have the ruby colour they fetch only a less price. 

16. Similarly, in the Tumburu³ territory too, some rubies akin to the crystalline variety are found but are priced very low.

3. Probably the Vindhya-region. GP., p. 158.

17. In brief, the good features of gems are profusion of colour, heaviness, smoothness, evenness, transparency, iridiscence and greatness. 

18. Gems are not good if they are sandy, cracked within, and stained, if they are lustreless, rough and dull although they may have all the characteristic features of their family. 

19. If any one wears a gem of many flaws out of ignorance, then grief, anxiety, sickness, death, loss of wealth and other evils torment him. 

20. Inferior alien varieties of gems are usually substituted for the five genuine ones. The intelligent shall note this well. 

21. The spurious ones alien to genuine rubies but akin to one another are (1) Kalashapurodbhava, (2) Simhala, (3) Tumburudeshottha, (4) Muktapāņiya and (5) Shripurnaka. 

22-25. The first variety of Kalasa has the peculiarity of husky aspect. The second Simhala variety can be detected by its darkness. The third variety of Tumburudeshottha has the tinge of copper colour, The Muktapaniya type has the tinge of the sky and the Śhrīpūrņaka variety is devoid of lustre and brilliance. These characteristics show that they are alien. If one is called upon to distinguish between a genuine and a spurious ruby one shall note whether it has the copper tinge or husky aspect; whether it appears to be smeared with oil; whether on being rubbed it loses its lustre; or whether on placing two fingers on the top it casts dark shade on either side; or whether on being tossed up and caught hold of retains all the qualities. Of two gems put to test the one with more weight is genuine. 

26. If the doubt is not removed, it shall be put on the emery-wheel or scratched with a similar gem and tested. 

27. On ruby and sapphire no gem except diamond and Kuruvinda can make a scratch mark. 

28. There are many spurious ones alien to the genuine ruby but of similar colour. Still here some are mentioned only to indicate their names and difference. 

29. A gem belonging to an alien group devoid of virtue shall not be worn along with a genuine one endowed with all good points. Even with Kaustubha (the divine gem of Vişhnu) an alien variety should not be worn by a scholar. 

30. Even one Chândāla¹ can attack and kill a number of brahmins. Similarly a spurious alien gem can nullify the potency of many gems endowed with good qualities.

1. A low-caste person, a person doing wicked deeds.

31. No evil can even touch the wearer of a Padmaraga of great potency even if he is caught amidst his deadly enemies or even if he erts habitually. 

32. He who is mentally and bodily pure and wears Padmarága whose crimson colour is heightened by its good qualities is never sullied by any sort of evil. 

33. The price of a Tandula of well-cut, well-polished diamond is equal to that of a Mäşhaka of purified Padmarāga of great potency. 

34. A gem is prized for its colour and brilliancy. Hence any defect in these two qualities lowers the value.