GEMS THERAPY
The gems therapy has its roots in ancient Indian traditions. One can find its links in the Jyotish Shastra, which is the name for the specialized astrological beliefs of
The Navgrahas of Jyotish Shastra
In order to make its beliefs more concrete, Jyotish Shastra believes in a system of nine planets. These planets are not the same as in astronomy. This is because Jyotish Shastra places the earth at the center of the cosmic universe and every other body is taken in relation to the fundamental position of the earth. The Sun and the Moon are also considered as grahas or planets in Jyotish Shastra. Out of the solar planets, only the closer ones visible from the earth are considered. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. In addition to these solar planets, the lunar nodes – both north and south – are also considered to be grahas. In Indian mythology, the north lunar node is called as Rahu, and the south lunar node is called as Ketu. Rahu and Ketu are supposed to be the head and tail of a demon who was exiled by the Sun into the solar system.
The Kundali
When each person is born, the positions of the bodies in the sky play an important role in determining how the future life of the person will shape up to be. These positions are mapped in a zodiac chart, which is called as the birth horoscope or the kundali of the person. Each aspect of this kundali is an important deciding factor in shaping the person’s life. The kundali cannot be changed once a person is born, but there are several ways to modify the things that are going to happen later. Though the planetary positions cannot be changed, their effects can be either magnified or diminished. One way to do this is by gem therapy.
Principles of Gems Therapy
Gems or precious stones can exert both malefic (negative) or benefic (positive) influences in a person’s life. Since ancient times, Indian rishis and munis have believed that every graha is related to a particular gem which favors their prevalence. These gems could be expensive or cheap, that does not matter. What matters is how strongly the gems influence a particular graha.
Each graha has a gem that represents it. It is the color of the gem that is distinctive and bears the influence on the person’s life. For this reason, most Ayurveda doctors would suggest their patients to wear specific gems as long as the treatment continues. The gem therapy is considered to be an addition to the Ayurvedic treatment. The following table shows the name of each graha with its favoring gem.
Let us now see the manner in which the gems are influential in a person’s life.
(1) Ruby
Ruby is the gem of the sun. It is a red colored stone made of aluminum and oxygen with traces of iron and chromium in it.
It is observed that wearing a ruby is favorable in headache, skin diseases and heart ailments. It can keep minor ailments like constipation, coughs and flatulence at bay. It helps in cooling the mind down, consoling in times of dejection and increasing the concentration. Due to its red color, ruby is associated with the formation of blood. Hence people wearing rubies will not suffer much loss of blood, and whatever loss takes place, it will be replenished soon. Ruby is also found to be beneficial in problems of a spiritual nature such as hallucinations, appearance of ghosts and spirits, etc.
In order to get all these benefits of the ruby, it must be prepared and worn at a specific period. The preparation should be done on a Sunday – the day of the Sun – between
If the ruby is not available, or is too costly, then there are some other gems that have similar beneficial effects. These are lalmani, garnet, padanranga, neelganthi and uparatna.
(2)
All calcium related problems like weak bones and weak teeth can be resolved by using pearls. Pearls are helpful in many other diseases such as tuberculosis, goiter, typhoid, dropsy, dysentery, problems with urination, etc. Among minor ailments that pearl can cure are included cough and fever.
Wearing a pearl for positive effects does not require as rigorous a ceremony as wearing a ruby does. It is enough if the pearl is worn anytime in the period of the waxing moon, i.e. the Shuklapaksha. While wearing, an incantation to the Lord Shiva is required, and must be followed by a daily recitation of the Shiva Mahima Stotra.
Alternative gems for pearls are moonstones and opals.
Here we continue the discussion on how various gems are influential on a man’s life. Let us see which the beneficial gems for the navgrahas are in this article.
(3) Emerald
Emerald represents the planet Mercury. It is a green colored gem. It contains the elements beryllium and aluminum, and its green color is due to the presence of chromium in it. Just as Mercury stays close to the Sun and absorbs its solar heat all the time, the emerald also has the capacity to absorb the excess heat from the human body and create a cooling effect in it. Emerald is called as panna in Hindi.
Emerald is found to be beneficial with lethargy-related problems such as laziness, lack of concentration, no desire to do work, etc. It can be helpful for people whose memories are weak and also for those who are intolerant of changes in their surroundings. The stone has powers to increase the fertility in males. It is believed that wearing an emerald can also help in solving family and business problems, and in easing the labor pains.
Wednesday is the best day to wear an emerald for the first time. It must be seen that any Mercury constellation must be present on that day such as Hasta, Revathi or Jyeshtha. The gem must be encrusted in a gold ring and worn on the little finger of any hand.
If a person is not able to get an emerald, then alternative stones are the peridot and the vairaj.
(4) Diamond
The properties and the scintillating beauty of the diamond are widely known to everyone. It is also the costliest of all the gems available on the earth. It is generally colorless, but artificial colors could be put in it. However, the most effective color for a diamond is pristine white. Diamond is the representative gem of Venus.
The powers of the diamond are most effectively felt in the alleviation of the sexual functions of the human body. The diamond can reduce the sexual drive in men and women in whom it is excessive. Problems such as lack of semen are also done away with by wearing diamonds. Hence, it could be said that diamond can treat several marital problems that could cause due to a deficiency in either partner.
Apart from its sexually healing powers, diamond can also reduce other diseases such as constipation, flatulence, dysentery, paralysis and epilepsy. It can increase the blood count and decrease the fluid buildup in hydrocele.
Diamond is also useful in the materialistic life of a person. It can bring success in love, money and career. It has a special significance in improving the person’s career if it is pertaining to some art form like music, films, paintings, etc.
A diamond must be encrusted on a gold ring and worn on any finger on any morning. Ascetics suggest the chanting of the invocation to Shukra before wearing the diamond ring.
There is a lesser known gem known as the turmali, which can be used as a substitute for diamond. This is a light blue colored gem, and is much cheaper than the diamond. However, the effects of this gem are found only in men.
(5) Coral
Corals are red colored gems available in many different hues. These are gems that are formed in the seas by aquatic fauna. Since there are many different hues to corals, they have different influences on the human beings. It is generally believed that the lighter the color, the better the effects as far as coral is concerned. Blood red corals must be avoided as they could lead to accidents. Instead faint red corals are the best. The effects of corals depend from person to person depending on how the principle planet, Mars, is placed in his/her kundali.
People wearing corals could experience a sudden spurt of courage and self confidence. The person may begin to believe in his/her own capabilities. The positive zest of life is one of the chief benefits of corals.
Corals are also very advantageous in people with blood pressure problems. In fact, there are a lot of people who claim to have their blood pressure under control by the regular wearing of a coral on their fingers. Other diseases that can be kept under check by the regular wearing of coral are cardiovascular problems and piles. If coral is put in water and then the water is drunk (not the coral), then it is very beneficial in people who have piles problems.
Wearing coral is advisable to people who have Mars in their 4 th, 6 th, 8 th, 11 th or 12 th houses in their kundalis. However, if the position of Mars is strong, then there is no purpose achieved by wearing a coral.
The best day to wear a coral is the day of Mars, i.e. Tuesday. It should be encrusted in a silver ring and worn on the third finger of either the right or the left hand. The benefits of wearing coral on the right hand are more than on the left hand.
Alternative stones to be used in place of coral are akik and rudraksha. Though rudraksha cannot strengthen a weak Mars, it has more or less the same beneficial properties in increasing blood circulation.
(6) Topaz
Topaz is the gem of the great planet Jupiter. It is a white color gem in its pure form, or it may show slight coloration of faint yellow. However, other colors such as blue, pink, green are also seen.
The qualities of topaz are beneficial in making social adjustments in life. By wearing a topaz, the person becomes charming and charismatic, and is able to win over people. Hence this stone is much in demand within the glamour world. Topaz can also help to make a person increase in his/her popularity in the world. Wearing a topaz can eliminate the negative thoughts from the mind, like the will to do something bad to others. It can remove the negative traits of laziness, anxiety, destructive thoughts, sorrows, etc. and fill the mind with positive energies.
Topaz is also suggested for people who are trying to break some vicious habit, such as gambling, smoking and alcoholism, or visiting prostitutes. Topaz can do this because it increases the willpower of the person. It can bring about success in a job or in exams, and also help to recover lost monies.
The positive points of topaz are the generation of happiness, luck and prosperity in an individual. Hence, topaz may be called as the master-gem in deciding a person’s life.
Thursday is the day of Jupiter – that’s the day when the topaz must be worn. Care must be taken to see that the Thursday selected has a Pushya Nakshatra in the period of the waxing moon. But, bear one thing in mind. Wearing a topaz in such circumstances could lead the wearer to live an almost spiritual and virtuous kind of existence.
The qualities of topaz are found to some extent in another lesser known gem, sunela. This is used as an alternative for topaz.
(7) Sapphire
Sapphire is a bright blue colored stone, for which it is known in Hindi as neelam. It is a characteristic stone for the planet Saturn.
The beneficial powers of sapphire are felt in people who have long-lasting problems with their bodies such as nervous system disorders, comas and bronchitis. It can cure melancholia and bring the person to a happy state of mind. Problems of a bilious nature are also brought in check by sapphire. Sapphire is beneficial in hiccups, incapacity of the brain and memory problems. A person who wears a sapphire increases in courageousness and consistency in thought.
Sapphire is used to remedy the weak position of Saturn in the kundali. The day of Saturn is Saturday; hence the stone must be first worn on any given Saturday, provided it has a Dhanishtha, Shravana, Uttarashada, Swati, Vishakha or Chitra nakshatras. The ring in which this gem is encrusted is a special ring made of five metals. If such a ring is not available, then it can be worn in a simple iron ring.
Jamuniya is the gem that is used as an alternative to sapphire. This gem is also blue in color. The gem is a powerful combatant of diseases, so it can provide the person with a long and improved life.
(8) Zircon
Zircon is a soft and transparent stone which is heavier than the other stones used in gem therapy. There may be many impurities in zircon, which should be rejected. The purest zircon would be of a straw yellow color with orange hues in it, and it must be completely transparent. Blemishes in the stone such as dots or lines, torn stones, etc. disqualify them in gem therapy.
This stone is good in getting love and happiness. People who are seeking good partners ought to wear zircon stones. Zircon can also bring luck to people who are in the midst of litigation. Zircon is the character stone of Rahu, who is called as the cheating graha. Rahu appears most unexpectedly and attacks the person with disease. Zircon can equip the person to be resistant from such sudden diseases. It also strengthens a person morally and physically to resist the sudden obstacles in the path of progress which Rahu can create.
Among diseases, zircon can be beneficial in epilepsy, piles, syphilis, weakness, fevers, flatulence, melancholia and insanity.
Wearing the zircon stone must be done under a carefully planned and supervised ritual. It must be found out from the kundali when the Rahu is the most harmful. At such a period, the zircon must be worn in a five metal ring in the third finger. The nakshatras auspicious to the ring wearing ceremony are Shatbhisha, Swati and Aridra.
(9) Cat’s Eye
Cat’s eye or lahsuniya is a very lesser known gem that is used to offset the weak positions of Ketu in the kundali. This stone is known to be effective in diseases of a sexual nature like syphilis and gonorrhea, piles, dysentery, cough, cold, diabetes, impotency, obesity, constipation, ocular diseases, labor pains and idiopathic diseases, i.e. diseases whose causes are not known.
Cat’s eye must be worn in the same manner as the zircon stone is worn. The beneficial nakshatras are Ashwini, Magha and Moola.
