ജ്യോതിഷത്തിലെ മുത്ത്: ചന്ദ്രന്റെ രത്നം — ഗുണങ്ങളും മുൻകരുതലുകളും

Classical Origins of Moti as Chandra Ratna in Ancient Vedic Texts

Moti (Pearl) is the designated ratna of Chandra, the graha governing manas (mind), emotional temperament, mother, nourishment, and the subconscious realm in Vedic Jyotish. The Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira (Chapter 81) lists pearl among the navaratnas and prescribes strict quality criteria: a Jyotish-grade pearl must be perfectly spherical, luminous with a deep orient (inner glow called chandrakanti), unblemished, and free from spots, pits, dullness, or asymmetry. The Garuda Purana identifies seven primary sources of sacred pearls — from the ocean (samudra), the elephant's temples (gaja), bamboo stalks (vamsha), the conch (shankha), the serpent's hood (sarpa), clouds (megha), and the wild boar's snout (varaha). Among these, samudra-moti (sea pearl) remains the only practically available type and the highest-valued. Natural saltwater pearls from Basra (Persian Gulf), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and the Persian Gulf historically command supremacy in classical reckoning. A minimum of three rattis is conventional, though five to seven rattis is preferred for full manas-stabilisation. Crucially, cultured pearls — which constitute nearly all commercially available pearls today — are considered by orthodox Jyotishis to lack the cosmic resonance of genuinely natural pearls, though many contemporary practitioners accept high-quality cultured specimens as functional ratnas.