The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

gems"); and at DhA i.274, where it is said of a ratana -- ma*.apa that in it there were raised flags
"sattaratana -- may!." On ratana in similes see J.P.T.S. 1909, 127. -- 2. (fig.) treasure, gem of ( -- ˚) Sn 836
(et!disa' r.= dibb' itthi -- ratana SnA 544); Miln 262 (dussa˚ a very fine garment). -- Usually as a set of 7
valuables, belonging to the throne (the empire) of a (world -- ) king. Thus at D ii.16 sq.; of Mah! --
Sudassana D ii.172 sq. They are enumd singly as follows: the wheel (cakka) D ii.172 sq., the elephant
(hatthi, called Uposatha) D ii.174, 187, 197; the horse (assa, Val!haka) ibid.; the gem (ma*i) D ii.175, 187;
the woman (itthi) ibid.; the treasurer (gahapati) D ii.176, 188; the adviser (pari*!yaka) ibid. The same 7 are
enumd at D i.89; Sn p. 106; DA i.250; also at J iv.232, where their origins (homes) are given as: cakka˚ out
of Cakkadaha; hatthi from the Uposatha -- race; assa˚ from the clan of Val!hassar!ja, ma*i˚ from Vepulla,
and the last 3 without specification. See also remarks on gahapati. Kern, Toev. s. v. ratana suspects the
latter to be originally "major domus" (cp. his attributes as "wealthy" at MVastu i.108). As to the exact
meaning of pari*!yaka he is doubtful, which mythical tradition has obscured. -- The 7 (moral) ratanas at S
ii.217 & iii.83 are probably the same as are given in detail at Miln 336, viz. the 5: s"la˚, sam!dhi˚, paññ!˚,
vimutti˚, vimutti -- ñ!*adassana (also given under the collective name s"la -- kkhandha or dhamma --
kkhandha), to which are added the 2: pa&isambhid!˚ & bojjhanga˚. These 7 are probably meant at PvA 66,
where it is said that Sakka "endowed their house with the 7 jewels" (sattar. -- bharita' katv!). -- Very
frequent is a Triad of Gems (ratana -- ttaya), consisting of Dhamma, Sangha, Buddha, or the Doctrine, the
Church and the Buddha [cp. BSk. ratna -- traya Divy 481], e. g. Mhvs 5, 81; VbhA 284; VvA 123; PvA 1,
49, 141. -- !kara a pearl -- mine, a mine of precious metals Th 1, 1049; J ii.414; vi.459; Dpvs i.18. -- k(&a a
jewelled top DhA i.159. -- palive&hana a wrapper for a gem or jewel Pug 34. -- vara the best of gems Sn
683 (=vararatana -- bh(ta SnA 486). -- sutta the Suttanta of the (3) Treasures (viz. Dhamma, Sangha,
Buddha), representing Sutta Nip!ta ii.1 (P.T.S. ed. pp. 39 -- 42), mentioned as a paritt! at Vism 414 (with 4
others) and at Miln 150 (with 5 others), cp. KhA 63; SnA 201.
Ratana
Ratana2 [most likely=Sk. aratni: see ratani] a linear measure (which Abhp p. 23 gives as equal to 12
angula, or 7 ratanas=1 ya&&hi: see Kirfel, Kosmographie, p. 335. The same is given by Bdhgh. at VbhA 343:
dve vidatthiyo ratana'; satta r. ya&&hi) J v.36 (v"sa'r -- sata'); vi.401 (˚matta'); VvA 321 (so given by
Hardy in Index as "measure of length," but to be taken as ratana1, as indicated clearly by context & C.);
Miln 282 (satta -- pati&&hito a&&ha -- ratan' ubbedho nava -- ratan' !y!ma -- pari*!ho p!s!diko dassan"yo
Uposatho n!gar!j!: alluding to ratana1 2!).
Ratanaka
Ratanaka ( -- ˚) (adj.) [ratana+ka, the ending belonging to the whole cpd.] characteristic of a gem, or a
king's treasure; in phrase aniggata -- ratanake "When the treasure has not gone out" Vin iv.160, where the
chief queen is meant with "treasure."
Ratani
Ratani [Sk. aratni "elbow" with apocope and diaeresis; given at Hal!yudha 2, 381 as "a cubit, or measure
from the elbow to the tip of the little finger." The form ratni also occurs in Sk. The etym. is fr. Idg. *ole (to
bend), cp. Av. ar8pna elbow; Sk. ar!la bent; of which enlarged bases *olen in Lat. ulna, ond *oleq in Lat.
lacertus, Sk. lakuta1=P. lagu)a. See cognates in Walde, Lat. Wtb. s. v. lacertus] a cubit Miln 85 (a&&ha
rataniyo).
Ratanika
Ratanika (adj.) [fr. ratana] a ratana in length J i.7 (a..ha˚); Miln 312 (a&&ha˚).
Rati