Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s4.54

v2.c4.s4.54

Maṇi is the name in the Rigveda¹ and later² of a ‘jewel’ used as an amulet against all kinds of evil. That either ‘pearl’³ or ‘diamond’⁴ is denoted is not clear.⁵ It is evident that the Maṇi could be strung on a thread (sūtra), which is referred to in the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa⁶ and elsewhere;⁷ the Maṇi was certainly also worn round the neck, for in the Rigveda⁸ occurs the epithet maṇi-grīva, ‘having a jewel on the neck.’ An amulet of Bilva is celebrated in the Śāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka,⁹ and many varieties of amulet are there enumerated.¹⁰ The ‘jeweller’ (maṇi-kāra) is mentioned in the list of victims at the Puruṣamedha (‘human sacrifice’) in the Yajurveda.¹¹