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Caste and Colors: The different castes were only permitted to own diamonds of a specific color, as shown in the illustrations below. Only kings could possess all colors of diamonds.
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Brahmin
(priests and rulers)
"the whitest of the conch,
of the lotus, or of rock crystal"
(white to colorless)
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Kshatriya
(landowners and warriors)
"the brown color of
the eye of the hare"
(probably verging on red)
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Vaisya
(merchant class)
"the pretty nuance of a petal of a kadl" (yellow)
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Sudra
(lower classes)
"the sheen of a
burnished sword"
(gray to black)
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Buddism: As Hindu symbols were incorporated into Buddhism, diamond became a Buddhist symbol of religious virtue. The poem "Questions of King Milinda,"* makes the symbolism clear:
Just, O King, as the diamond is pure throughout; just so, O King, should the strenuous Bhikshu [seeker of truth], earnest in effort, be perfectly pure in his means of livelihood. This, O King, is the first quality of the diamond he ought to have.
And again, O King, as the diamond cannot be alloyed with other substance; just so, O King, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, never mix with wicked men as friends. This, O King, is the second quality of the diamond he ought to have.
And again, O King, just as the diamond is set together with the most costly gems; just so, O King, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, associate with those of the highest excellence, with men who have entered the first or second or third stage of the Noble Path, with the jewel treasures of the Arahats, of the recluses of the threefold wisdom, or of the sixfold insight. This, O King, is the third quality of the diamond he ought to have. For it was said, O King, by the Blessed One [the Buddha], the god over all gods, in the Sutta Nipata:
Let the pure associate with the pure,
Ever in recollection firm;
Dwelling harmoniously wise,
Thus shall ye put an end to griefs.
Rama, incarnation of Vishnu and hero of the epic "Ramayana," with his necklaces of fine pearls, diamonds, and rubies. The tiara symbolizes Mont Meru, home of the gods. Fresco, 18th century. |
Caste & Colors images:
Solvyns, Frans Baltasar. "Les Hindous: ou Description de les mouers, coutumes et ceremonies." Mame Freres, Paris, 1808-1812. Courtesy Rare Book Collection, Department of Library Services, American Museum of Natural History. Photographs by Jackie Beckett.
*Kunz (1932), p. 235; translated from the Pali by T. W. Rhys Davids, vol. ii, Oxford, 1894, p. 128.
Rama image: Courtesy Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library, Thanjavur, India.
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