Gajamuktā
Gajamuktā · gaja-muktā, “the elephant-pearl”
Grammar: feminine noun; gaja (elephant) and muktā (pearl).
Meaning: the pearl of the elephant, a rare jewel (the Telugu says ēnugu muttyamu).
In the scriptures: In the Śrī Kṛshṇa Janma Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, the devas come to the sixteenth door, the main door of Rādhā Devī’s inner dwelling, where her sakhīs stand. Their noses steal the beauty of Garuḍa‘s beak and are adorned with ornaments of gaja-muktā, elephant-pearls (Chapter 5). When Śrī Kṛshṇa adorned Rādhā in the rāsa, one of the ornaments was a rare elephant-pearl on her nose (Chapter 28).
Related terms: Muktā · Ābharaṇa
Sources
- Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janma Khaṇḍa, Chapters 5, 28