Shaivite story of Navaratna gemstones

As a part of my birthstone series, I have been writing about a birthstone every month. As this is the month of June, my birth month, and I love gemstones, I bring to you the story of not just one gemstone but nine gemstones or the Navaratna came to be veneered in India. Before delving into the story which is a Shaivite myth, let me give you some research background.

In 2024, during my visit to the Government museum a.k.a the Egmore Museum at Chennai, I came across a painting titled “Shiva selling precious gemstones.” Intrigued by the title, I went in search of the story, hoping to add it to my Jewelry in Narratives initiative. My research me to led to Thiruvidaiyaadal Puranam – 64 stories of Lord Shiva’s divine play. It was in the Madurai Kaandam section of this text I found the origin story of Navaratna gemstones.

While I have written about the connections that the Navaratna gemstones have to various planetary bodies in a past post, I did not explain how the connections came to be. I simply wrote about the link between gemstones and astrology. This story, I believe, will offer more context and help you understand how and why the practice came to be.

Thiruvidaiyadal Story- Shiva selling precious gemstones

Once upon a time, King Veerapandian, ruled over Madurai. Though he had many sons from his numerous concubines—each one bearing a cruel disposition—his queen, the legitimate consort, remained childless. Desperate for a righteous heir, Veerapandian undertook many rigorous fasts. Pleased by his devotion, God blessed the queen, and in time, she bore a virtuous son.

When the boy was just five years old, Veerapandian was killed by a tiger during a hunting expedition. The king’s wicked sons fled, taking with them the royal crown and precious jewels. In this moment of crisis, the loyal ministers, who sought stability for the realm, resolved to crown the rightful young prince. However, there was no royal crown to place on his head, for all ceremonial jewels had been stolen.

You might wonder why the ministers did not crown the prince using a simple metal band or a tiara of leaves. That was because a crown is a powerful signifier.

The crown with Navaratna Gemstones

The function of a crown is not just to adorn but also signal power. Crowns are usually weighed down with jewels and they are rather inconvenient to wear. This is to remind the wearer that they must understand the burden of wearing the crown and not crave the attention and power that comes with it. The beauty in them balances the ugly the head wearing the crown has to see, hear, and process. Indian gemmology believes that this awareness and clarity is improved by wearing navaratna gemstones. These nine different gemstones correspond to nine different planetary objects, reminding the wearer to seek wise counsel when in doubt. Loss of a crown is not just loss of power, but the erasure of wisdom that was passed down the ages.

A king without a crown appears weak and makes the kingdom susceptible to invasion. Therefore, the ministers ran to the main temple to ask for divine guidance t oremedy the situation.

Sale of Navaratna gemstones

In their distress, the ministers turned prayed to Lord Shiva for flawless gems that would be worthy of adorning the young king. At that time, a jeweller approached the ministers and asked why they looked so troubled. When they explained their need for flawless gems for the coronation, he smiled knowingly. He then laid out his collection upon a velvet cloth spread on a nearby mount. Wary of this approach, the ministers asked the mysterious jeweller if he truly understood the nature of the jewels he carried. The jeweller—Lord Shiva in disguise declared that the gemstones were sacred. As gemstones are found on earth ( both land and water) they are connected to the physical body. However, they must be worshipped as representations of the nine celestial deities the Navagrahas, who control the life force that powers the body. The nine gemstones and the Navagrahas are

• Sun (Surya) – Ruby
• Moon (Chandra) – Pearl
• Mars (Mangala) – Coral
• Mercury (Budha) – Emerald
• Jupiter (Guru) – Yellow Sapphire
• Venus (Shukra) – Diamond
• Saturn (Shani) – Blue Sapphire
• Rahu – Hessonite
• Ketu – Cat’s Eye

Curious, another minister asked, “Do you know the origin of these divine stones?” The jeweller smiled and began to narrate another story.

The Origin story of Navaratnas

Long ago, there lived a powerful asura named Valan. He a devout follower of Lord Shiva and through intense penance, secured a boon of invincibility in battle and the ability to become eternally precious after his death. So great was Valan’s power that even Indra, the king of the gods, could not defeat him. Seeking to outwit him, Indra approached Valan and offered to grant him a boon. Valan scoffed in vain and offered to grant Indra a boon instead.

Cunningly, Indra requested that Valan become the sacrificial offering for his yajna (offering to fire). To honor his word and maintain his pride, Valan crowned his son and followed Indra willingly. He was slain by Indra and offered to the fire. But something unexpected happened.

His Bones turned into Diamonds
Teeth became Pearls
Blood transformed into Rubies
Hair became Cat’s Eyes
Flesh turned into Coral
Eyes became Blue Sapphires
Phlegm (Kapha) changed into Yellow Sapphires
Bile (Pitta) became Emeralds
Fat became Hessonite

Thus, the Navaratna gemstones were born of divine sacrifice and became imbued with celestial energies. Through the blessings of Lord Shiva, the sacred symbols of cosmic forces, aligned with the nine planetary deities. From that day on, they have been venerated not just for their beauty, but for the divine power they carry.

Mesmerised by the story and the storyteller, the ministers offered whatever little gold that they had to the trader. But he instructed them to make a new crown and disappeared. Temple histories state, that Lord Shiva reappeared with his wife Goddess Parvati in their celestial form blessing the ministers. That prince was eventually crowned with the Navaratnas and took on the moniker, Abhisheka Pandian.

References

Find this story titled as “Lord Somasundarar selling rubies as a trader” in this e-book on Scribd. The Tamil book Thiruviladayal puranam yenum Shiva Leelaigal By R. Ponnammal details all the 64 Thiruvidaiyaadal or divine acts of play of Lord Shiva. However, the sale of Navarathnas post by SS was the one introduced me to this story.

I hope you find it interesting

Cheers