saptaratna (navaratna)

Peter Wyzlic pwyzlic at UNI-BONN.DE
Wed Dec 17 15:32:29 UTC 2008


Am Mittwoch, den 17.12.2008, 15:17 +0100 schrieb Arlo Griffiths:

> I am interested in the concept of 7 (or 9) 'jewels' denoting certain  
> standard lists composed of people and insignia at the king's court,  
> as e.g. in Mahaavastu I.49 (ed. Senart):
> 
> tasya imaani sapta ratnaani abhunsu | sayyathiida.m cakraratna.m  
> hastiratna.m a;svaratna.m
> ma.niratna.m striiratna.m g.rhapatiratna.m parinaayakaratnam eva  
> saptama.m
> 
> I have hitherto failed to find good examples of this meaning of  
> saptaratna in brahmanical texts, nor am I aware of any discussions of  
> this list (or similar lists) in secondary literature.

See, e.g., Lin Li-Kouang: L'aide-mémoire de la vraie loi
(Saddharma-Smṛtyupasthāna-Sūtra). Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1949, pp.
253-257 (les sept joyaux du Cakravartin and les sept joyaux
secondaires).

For a short comparative treatment see 
Armelin, Indumati: Le roi détenteur de la roue solaire en révolution
(Cakravartin) selon le brahmanisme et selon le bouddhisme. Paris:
Geuthner, 1975
On page 44, note 40 she says: "La tradition brahmanique met l'accent sur
le parasol blanc (dhavala chatra) et sur les deux aigrettes (cāmara)
mais non sur les sept joyaux que nous avons mentionnées".

Hope it helps
Peter Wyzlic

-- 
Institut für Orient- und Asienwissenschaften
Abteilung für Indologie
Universität Bonn
Regina-Pacis-Weg 7
D-53113 Bonn





More information about the INDOLOGY mailing list