Part 1 - Characteristics of Pearl (mukta)

Pearl (mukta) is cool, beneficial to eye-sight, giver of strength and nutrition. It is astringent, sweet, and increaser of beauty and affection in women. It pacifies an excess of vayu and pitta, and is efficacious in cough, asthma, and loss of the power of digestion. It increases beauty, vitality, and longevity. It is laxative and efficacious in inflammation and poison.

Pearls growing in the sea (viz. oyster-pearls, conch-pearls, and fish-pearls) are increaser of the power of digestion and pacifier of all the diseases affecting the digestive organs.

Varieties of Pearls.

Pearls grow in the following:—elephant, frog, boar, conch, fish, oyster, and bamboo.

(a) Elephant-Pearl.

Elephants of noble origin are those which are descendants of Airavata (owned by kings of Svarga in ancient times), and are born on a Sunday or Monday with the moon appearing to be in the fixed star of Pushya (in the sign of cancer) or Shravana (in the sign of capricorn), at that part of the year which begins after the Winter Solstice and ends with the Summer Solstice, and at a time of the eclipse of the sun or the moon. In the frontal globe on the fore-head or in the place of origin of the tusks of such an elephant grow several pearls of big size and varying structure. They are very bright. They should not be subjected to valuation, neither are they to be perforated. They are givers of sons, victory, and immunity from diseases. They should be worn by kings.

(b) Snake-pearl.

A snake pearl is beautiful, blue-lustred, and highly brilliant. It may be of three different sizes, viz, of the size of (1) jackal-plum, (2) amalaki fruit, and (3) gunja seed.

The test of genuineness of a snake-pearl is as follows:—

Keep it in a silver pot on a clean piece of open soil. If it is a genuine snake-pearl, it will cause immediately a shower of rain falling from the sky all on a sudden; otherwise, there will be no such rainfall.

(c) Fish-Pearl.

(1) A fish pearl is as big as a gunja fruit. It grows in a kind of whale living in deep oceans. It is light in weight, and has the colour of a patala flower. It is not so bright and is very globular.

(2) A fish pearl has the appearance of the eyes of a fish. It is sacred, endowed with several properties, and big in size. It grows in the mouth of whales growing in mid-ocean.

(d) Hog-Pearl.

Pearls sometimes grow at the root of the teeth of some hogs. These pearls are as bright as the moon’s rays. They possess several merits.

(e) Bamboo-Pearl.

A pearl growing inside a bamboo plant is as bright as the moon’s rays. It is greenish white in colour. (It is to be distinguished from vansa-lochana, a sugar-like substance, sometimes found inside the reeds of a bamboo plant). Vansa-lochana is soft and light, whereas a bamboo-pearl is strong and heavy.

(f) Conch-Pearl.

A pearl growing in a conch-shell is as white as the moon. It is globular, bright, and beautiful. It is as big as a plum fruit, and sometimes, so big as the egg of a pigeon.

(g) Frog-Pearl.

The pearls which sometimes grow in the heads of frogs are like snake-pearls.

(h) Oyster-Pearl.

Rain drops, falling from the clouds at the time when the sun appears to be in the fixed star of swati (in the sign of Libra), if drunk by oysters, develop in course of time into bright pearls growing inside their shells.

Of all sorts of pearls, those which grow in oysters and conch-shells are inferior to the rest.

The pearls which grow in the ocean (viz. those growing in whales, conch-shells, and oyster-shells) are strengthening and efficacious in diseases relating to the digestive organs.

Classification of all the pearls according to colour.

Pearls of the best type are clear, white, heavy, and bright. Those of the second-class are thick, with tawny colour and brightness. Those of the third class are slightly yellow, appearing to be smeared with oil, white, and bright. Those of the fourth class are white, small, thick, and have a black lustre.

Characteristics of goodpearls.

A goodpearl is agreeable to eye-sight, white, light, appearing to be smeared with oil, bright as sun’s rays, big in size, praised by lookers-on, clear as water, and globular.

Characteristics of bad pearls.

Pearls of the following description are to be rejected:—coarse, devoid of brightness, tawny-coloured, having the colour of copper, resembling salt in appearance, half-white, ugly, and full of knots.