The Best Kept Secret of Pukhraj by Alok Jagawat
Article By Alok Jagawat
“Ratnen Shubhen Shubham Bhavati nripanamanishtamshuben”
Yasmadtah parikshyam daivam ratnashritam tajagaye”
This is the first stanza from the chapter “Ratnaparikshadhyaya” from the ancient classic “Braht Samitha”.
It says that auspicious, clean and best quality gems bring prosperity to kings, and bad quality gems bring bad luck to kings. So an astrologer should always choose a gemstone with utmost care as gems are the harbinger of fortune.
The last line says it very clearly that gems have powers inside them; that they are the carriers of fate. But questions still get mounted in the mind as which stone is the true gemstone for a planet and this can also raise some controversy as well. Before writing this article, I shared this knowledge with many of my friends; and to my surprise and astonishment everybody tried to discourage me to write this article. I assure you that this article would remove all your doubts related to a very particular gemstone known as “Pukhraja”. I have been threatened to write this article as this will definitely bring down the businesses of people who have been selling a different gemstone as Pukhraja through all these years. I myself am; one of the culprits as I also sold the same gemstone calling it “Pukhraja”. I was not aware of it and I acted as been informed but researches and discovery into this subject has forced me to share this knowledge with everybody.
Please note that I am writing this on the basis of proofs from
ancient classics, and I am backed by the same classics that gave birth to the pure spirit of astrology.
The synonyms of Pukraja are :
- Pushparagah
- Manjumani
- Vachaspati Vallabha
- Pitah
- Peetsphagtikam
- Peetraktha
- Pitaashm
- Gururatnam
- Peetmani
- Pushpraja
- Topaz
- Most important in these synonyms is the colour of this gemstone which is Yellow. “Peeta” means yellow. But there are several gemstones which are yellow in colour. This includes yellow beryl, yellow sapphire, yellow topaz, yellow citrine and yellow tourmaline.
So what exactly is Pukhraja or “Pushpragam”?. Please note that most of the commentators of classics have used the word “topaz” as the synonym for “Pukhraja”. Also nobody can claim that yellow sapphire was called topaz in those times; as topaz or pushparaga has a hardness of 8. Yellow sapphire has hardness of 9.
Today almost 99% of the astrologers and gemstone dealers sell yellow sapphire as “Pukhraja”. The reason is very simple. A clear and bright coloured yellow sapphire can cost you anywhere between Rs 5000 /carat to Rs 25000 /carat; depending on its size, cut, clarity & colour. But a real topaz can only cost you 2000 to 3000 Rs /carat in its utmost finest quality.
Now there is a problem with yellow topaz as well. If you go to market to buy a yellow topaz, you will only end up with citrine which is far cheaper than yellow topaz itself. It is so controversial that if you happen to differentiate between topaz and citrine while buying it, the seller will strongly oppose it and you may get dejected as a fool.
First of all let me quote some classics texts to prove that “Pushragam” is the stone related to Jupiter:
Vaidyanath (Describing Jupiter and its qualities):
“Devacharya Saukhyavigyansagara subhdo devejya jeevastubhaytovrajet purandaracharya dvipaat budhalayagramcharo guruh; trishat varshani guruh shakhadhipo jevah ; devta indrah; devjayasya cha Pushparaga”
Mantreshwar. Grahbhedadhyaya, sloka 29:
“Manikayam Tarne, sudharyamamalam muktaphalam sheetgo,
Maheasya cha vidrum, markatam saumyasya garutmatam,
Devdayasya cha pushpragam suramatyasya vajram shane”
Vrihadjataka, Vrhat Samhita, Rajvallabha, Rasratnasamuchya, Shushrut Shanita, Garud Purana , mention gems related to planets.
Manimala mentions different traits of “pushparagam”, sloka 388:
“Aapeetpanduruchirah pashanah pushpragamsangyastu”
A certain ash coloured stone having a beautiful yellowish shade goes by the name of topaz.
Please note that yellow sapphire belongs to corundum class and is found with blue sapphire. Topaz is an entirely different gemstone with a far lesser value then its popular false counterpart.
For your benefit here is the technical structure of the gemstones as mentioned earlier:
| Properties | Yellow sapphire
(Peela Neelam) |
Yellow Topaz
(Pukhraj) |
Citrine
(Sold as topaz) |
| Crystal System | Trigonal | orthorhombic | trigonal crystal system |
| Crystal Habit | six-sided barrel shape tapering to pyramid terminations | elongate, prismatic | Enantiomorphic |
| Hardness Scale | 9 | 8.00 | 7 to 7 1/2 |
| Refractive Index (RI) | 1.760 to 1.773 | 1.610 to 1.630 | 1.550. |
| Specific gravity (SG) | 3.90 to 4.10 | 3.54 | 2.6 – 2.7 |
| Gem Colour | Yellow | Yellow | Yellow |
| Chemical Composition | Al2O3 | Al2SiO4(F,OH)2 | SiO2 |
As it must be clear through the pictures, all the three gemstones look equally alike and appear like Pukhraja. A true Pukhraja can only be determined through lab tests. It is generally clean and should not cost much. Yellow sapphire which is sold as Pukhraja is not pukhraja and it is a very expensive gemstone.
In Manimala sloka 395, author says:
“ That a man who wears a faultlessly yellow topaz possessed of a beautiful shade, weighty, exceedingly cool, flawless, and perfectly round, reaps fame, heroism, happiness, wealth and length of
days. That topaz which is spotted, rough, white, yet dirty, light, void of lustre and containing grits is noxious.”
Pukhraja or Topaz as known to ancients:
This stone was called in Hebrew, “Pittdoh”, by professor Aaron Pick, and “Pittdoh” by Gesenius, who thought that it was derived from the Sanskrit word “Pitta” and that the Greek “Topasion” is a transposition from “Pittdoh” to “Tipdoh”. The topaz is one stone noticed in the Bible and was in the middle ages, considered to be the emblem of Apostle James the Younger.
According to the ancients the topaz would become pale and obscure if it came in contact with the poison. It soothed anger and quenched the heat of boiling water. It drove away nightmares and sadness, strengthened the intellect, sharpened the wit, bestowed courage and if bound on the left arm or hung round the neck, set in gold, it dispelled enchantments.
Who Should Wear A Pukhraja:
All gemstones should only be worn in the case when a certain planet associated to a gemstone is weak but benefic. The gemstone of malefic planet who are functional malefic should be strictly avoided. Topaz should be worn when Jupiter is benefic but weakly placed in the horoscope. Good results from a weakly placed Jupiter in horoscope and Shadbala table, can be acquired by wearing a clean and proper coloured Pukraj.
Pukraj should not be worn with Rahu Ratna Gomedaka and Markat Mani or Emerald. It should be embedded in Gold and should be worn in Index finger of the right hand. It can also be embedded as a pendant in the necklace.
Weight:
Please note that weight of gemstone is not specified in classics. It is not necessary to wear gemstones in particular weights. It is clear and understandable that gems should be of certain weight and size so they can allow the light to pass through (which can be any size above a carat). But particular weights are not mentioned in classics. I have seen astrologers recommending gemstones in rattis and heavy weights without any specific reasons. This is a bogus practise and has no base behind it.
When It Should Be Worn:
Topaz can be worn on a Thursday of a brighter lunar half. The ring should be offered milk and water. It should then be cleaned with clear water. A brihaspati beej mantra can be recited 108 times to bring auspiciousness to this object. According to “Ratna Prakasha” the ring should be worn during one and half hours before sunset.
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