Mantra, giving and gems: the order of the tradition

The foundation: mantra, worship and giving

Yājñavalkya Smṛti I.307 (our translation): "Whichever graha is ill-placed for a person at a given time should be worshipped with care." The same verse says that Brahma gave the grahas a boon: pūjitāḥ pūjayiṣyatha, "being honoured, you will honour [those who honour you]". The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (84.26–27) says the same: the graha that brings difficulties at a given time should be worshipped.

In these chapters the remedies are a mantra with a set count, a fire offering, a gift and worship. They are given for every one of the nine grahas, including Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Mantra and giving suit any troubling graha, "kind" or "harsh" in your chart. That is why they come first.

The gem: a graha and its jewel

Each graha has its own gem. The Phaladeepika of Mantreshvara (2.29) lists them; the Jataka Parijata (2.21) gives a close set: ruby for the Sun, pearl for the Moon, red coral for Mars, emerald for Mercury, yellow sapphire for Jupiter, diamond for Venus, blue sapphire for Saturn, hessonite for Rahu, cat's eye for Ketu.

In the teaching of the tradition a gem strengthens its graha. So it is chosen from the whole chart, not from one troubling graha. This is how G. S. Kapoor (Remedial Measures in Astrology), Sanjay Rath (Vedic Remedies in Astrology) and P. V. R. Narasimha Rao teach it.

How the tradition chooses a gem

• The gem of a functional benefic of your Lagna. That is the Lagna lord, the lords of the 5th and 9th houses (the trines) and the yogakaraka, a graha that rules both a kendra and a trine. Kapoor writes that if such a graha is afflicted, its gem softens the harm.
• Especially during its own period. The gem of the current mahadasha or antardasha lord, if it is a benefic for the Lagna, is, in the tradition, most effective in that period.
• A weak benefic is the main candidate. A graha that is already strong in Shadbala is less in need of a gem.
• An exact birth time is needed. The Lagna depends on it, and the Lagna decides which graha is helpful. Without the time we do not choose a gem; the mantras for the period are still given.

Who should not wear it

The tradition also names the cases where a graha's gem is not worn:

• The lord of the 6th, 8th or 12th house and any functional malefic of the Lagna. In the tradition its gem would also strengthen the hard meanings of that house.
• Rahu and Ketu. The schools treat hessonite and cat's eye differently; many teachers give them only under special conditions. We show who holds which view.
• Marakas (lords of the 2nd and 7th), a debilitated graha, a graha combust by the Sun, or one placed in the 6th, 8th or 12th. Here the schools disagree, and we print the caution next to the gem.

We do not mix "gem by Moon sign" tables with the choice by Lagna. We checked all twelve rows of such a table in a popular astrology program. For Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces (counting houses from the Moon itself) it recommends the gem of the lord of the 12th, 8th and 6th, which is exactly what the choice by Lagna warns against.

How to put it on

Kapoor (Remedial Measures, pp. 78–79) describes the rite:

1. Purify the ring: wash it in Ganges water or unboiled milk, offer incense, and offer flowers of the graha's colour.
2. Wear it first on the graha's day: ruby on Sunday, pearl on Monday, yellow sapphire on Thursday, blue sapphire on Saturday.
3. Before putting it on, recite the graha's mantras (Kapoor gives two) 108 times each.

The schools differ on the finger, the metal of the setting and the weight. In "Your upayas" we show the options side by side, each labelled with whose recommendation it is.

A strong stone only after checking

In the tradition blue sapphire is known as a fast and strong stone. Rath writes that it "should be recommended only after thorough checking" (Vedic Remedies, p. 394). In practice it is first worn for a few days on trial, and taken off if it does not suit the wearer.

The quality of the stone

Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita (ch. 80) teaches that a flawed gem harms its wearer. The Garuda Purana (ch. 68) says to have gems assessed by experts.

• Ask an independent gemmologist to check that it is genuine and whether it has been treated. A treated or "composite" stone (for example, a ruby filled with lead glass) is no longer the stone the texts describe.
• A gemmological lab report states the kind of stone, whether it is natural or synthetic and how it has been treated.

Honest rules

1. The mantra of the same graha comes first; the gem goes with it, not instead of it.
2. Do not buy on credit and do not pay "for energy".
3. A gem does not replace medical care. If you are ill, see a doctor.

At JyotiSoft the gem section comes right after the mantras and gifts. It holds the gems for your chart with the reasons, the cautions and a "do not wear" list. Gems are not on sale at JyotiSoft, and we link to no shops.

Sources

• Yājñavalkya Smṛti I.295–308, verse 307.
• Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, tr. R. Santhanam, vol. 2, ch. 84 (84.17–27; ch. 86 in G. C. Sharma's edition); ch. 34 on the functional nature of the grahas.
• Phaladeepika, ch. 2, v. 29; tr. and notes G. S. Kapoor (Ranjan Publications). Jataka Parijata, ch. 2, v. 21.
• G. S. Kapoor, Remedial Measures in Astrology (Ranjan Publications), pp. 78–79: the wearing rite; gems by Lagna.
• Sanjay Rath, Vedic Remedies in Astrology (Sagar Publications), ch. 13 (gems), p. 394 (blue sapphire).
• P. V. R. Narasimha Rao, Lessons on Vedic Astrology (student notes, Sri Jagannath Center), vol. 1, lesson 24: gems of functional benefics. Public PDFs at vedicastrologer.org.
• Brihat Samhita, ch. 80; Garuda Purana, tr. M. N. Dutt, ch. 68.

Questions

See also

• Upaya: what the classical texts actually prescribe
• How and why upayas work: tradition and research
• Graha mantras
• Lagna (ascendant)

Positions and tables: sidereal zodiac, Lahiri ayanamsha — the same as professional Jyotish astrologers use, and the same calculation as the charts in JyotiSoft. Updated 2026-10-19.