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[Full title: Item-wise Discussion on Gems with Decreasing Hardness; (14): The Oyster Pearl]

Now let us return to the well-known and the best variety of pearl: sukti mukta or the pearl from the oyster. We have earlier presented the modern scientific knowledge about oyster-pear and the description of its 'superlative worth' given by Buddhabhatt (Ratna-pariksha 69 and Garuda-purana 1.69.17). The chief sources of the oyster-pearl were mentioned in all the ancient Sanskrit texts; Kautilya (in AS. 2.11.2) named Pandvakavataka, Pasika in Pandya country, Kauleya in Sri Lanka, Curni in Kerala etc. Varahamihira referred (BS. 81.2).to eight Sources: Pandyavataka (Ramnad and Tuticorin area), Paraloka (Purali in Travancore coast), Simhalaka (Sri Lanka), saurastra (Kathiawed), Tamraparni and Keveri river in the Pandya country, Parasava (Persia and the Himalayas (?). Ratnapriksa (Ratna-pariksha 75-76) and Garuda Purana (Garuda-purana 1.69.23-24) provided a similar list of the sources. Agastimata (Agastimata 109) mentioned Barbara which was probably the African coast of the Red Sea. Megasthenes (4 th century B.C.) mentioned large pearls of Sri Lanka and Taprobane, a corruption of Tamraparni, the river in

VII-68 the Tinnevelly region in the southernmost part of India. Pliny and the author of the Periplus (1 st century A.D.), and later, Fa-hien, the Chinese pilgrim (399-414 A.D.), described the pearl fisheries in South India and Sri Lanka. In Raghuvansa (4.50), Kalidasa wrote about the pearls from the marine estuary of the ramaparni: tamraparni sametasya muktasaram mahodadheh T Centuries later, Pheru (Rayanaparikkha 49) provided additional names of places as the sources of pearl: ramavaloke barvare simhale parasike kesiya desesu ca Ramavaloka or Ramavaloa was probably Rameshwaran where pearl- -fishing was witnessed since the days of Ptolemy. The activities were centred around a chayl or coil, literally the temple on the sandy promontory of Ramnad (Balfour, Encyclopaedia (Asiatica Vol.7, p. 168). Kesiye was probably the island of Qays in the mouth of the Persian gulf. Barbara, as we have said earlier, is the Africar coast of the Red Sea. The best oyster-pearls have been characterised in the various Sanskrit texts. Kautilya/wrote: sthulam vrttam nistale prajisnu khetam guru snigdha desaviddham ca prasastam

VII-69 dus (that which is) big, round, without a flat surface, lustrous white, heavy, smooth and perforated at the proper place is excellent (AS. 2.11.5). Buddhabhatta described (Ratna-pariksha 95) : sitam vrttam guru snigdham sutaram nirmalam tatha white, round, heavy, smooth brilliant and translucent'. There are similar descriptions in Garuda-purana 1.69.41, RS 7 and LRP 3. Navaratnapariksa described an excellent pearl as: suvrttam svaccham dosavinirmuktam nirmalam gurutvam sitamsu vimbasamkasambha rekhavihinam idrsa sarvagunopetam mauktikam 'well-rounded, transparent, free of defects and dirt, heavy, bright as the moon, without scratches, with all these virtues' (Navaratnapariksa 85-87), and defined sutara as: taraka yutisamkasam sutaram tat nigadyate 'a good pearl is sutara, which throws out starry bears' (Navaratnapariksa 85). Manimala (304-306) described a good pearl as ghana dense, suchchhaya projecting fine shadow, Asphutita not indented and resembling svetakaca white glass. Pearls originating from different geographical sources were known to have specific features (Agastimata 109-113, BS. 81. 3-6, Navaratnapariksa 71-74 and Manimala 288-290). The pearls from Sri Lanka were described as multi-shaped, glossy, swan white and large; those from the Tamraparni river estuary are white with a slight red tinge

VII-70 and bright; the ones from Paraloka (Travancore) are blackish, white or yellow. Saurastra pearls are of intermediate size with the lustre of butter. The Persian pearl is yellow, lustrous and heavy (BS 81.3-6). Navaratnapariksa described: rukmini akhya bhavet sakti tasyam jatam prabhauktikam | 'nirmalam kumkumacchayam jatiphalasamam varam || *There is a particular kind of oyster called Rukmini which produces clear pearls which are shaded like saffron and as large as jati fruit or nutmeg'. (Navaratnapariksa 71; also Agastimata 112 and Manimala 290) LL Kautilya described (AS. 2.11.4) the defective pearls as 'lentil-shaped, trangular, totroise-shaped, semi-spherical, layered, coupled, cut up, rough, spotted, go rd-shaped, dark, blue and badly perforated'. The statements on the defects of pearls mentioned in the other Sanskrit texts (Ratna-pariksha 96-101, Agastimata 118-121, Navaratnapariksa 75-84, ARP 29, LRP 4 etc.) were collated in Manimala (313-321) as follows. If any part of an oyster remains fast attached to a pearl, the defect is called sukti-lagnadosa. Minaksah is the pearl with marks like the eye of a fish. When a pearl is without lustre and shade, it is said to have the jathara defect. Atirakta has the shade of a coral. It a pearl has three bracelet-like streaks, it is called trivrtta. triangular one is tryasra and the kraaparsva is a pearl with a broke side Manimala 313-321; see also Agastimata 118-121). Cipita pearl is not perfectly circular; the Skanda Purana reported (SP.23.105-106) that the oyster pearl samples were given different names depending upon their colour and lustre vaisnava (blue), manendra (yellow), yanya (cloud-colour), vayavya (red), Egneya (slight red) and varuna (pure and white).

VII-71 Like diamond, ruby etc., pearls were also classified into four 'castes': brahmin (white), ksatriya (red), vaisya (yellow) and sudra (black) (Manimala 250, 263-64, 292-94, 299-301). Somewhat more scientific of a categorisation was attempted by declaring that pearls could acquire characteristics of any one of the five elements: ksiti or earth (corresponding pearls are heavy), ap water (cool and white), tej energy (light), marut air (brittle), vyam sky (pearls are soft and light) Manimala 296-298). Another alternative postulate was that a pearl could be fomed under the influence of three things: water (when the pearl become transparent and soft), energy (then round and bright) or air (when the pearl is tender and light). For fish-pearls, three influences were listed as air, bile and cold. Three binary, one and temary influences were also deemed to be possible, and hence there could arise seven different varieties of pearls (Manimala 259,260 and 274-276).