The practice of wearing jewellery encrusted with the Navratnas is widely popular in almost all parts of India. Navratnas or the nine gemstones represent the nine planets on which Indian astrology is based. The most common piece of Navratna-adorned jewellery is the Navratna ring.
The popularity of the ring has also been marred by blemishes. On the one hand, wearing the nine gems together is believed to attract good vibes from all the nine plants. Critics, however, point out that the combination of certain gems can be problematic.
The placement of the stones on a ring should be in accordance with ‘vastu’ principles.
The ruling deity, direction, stone and the corresponding planet is as follows:
Inshanya corner –Northeast – Emerald – Mercury (Budha)
Indra – East – Diamond – Venus (Sukra)
Agni – Southeast – Pearl – Moon
Kubera – North – Yellow Saphire – Jupiter
Wind – Northwest – Cat’s Eye – Ketu
Sun – Brahmasthan – Ruby – Ravi
Yama – South – Red Coral – Mars
Varuna – West – Blue Sapphire – Saturn
Niruthi corner – Southwest – Garnet – Rahu
The gemstones should be in the above order when the person wearing the ring extends his hand towards the east. The diamond, emerald and pearl should point towards the wearer’s nail and the sapphire towards the body.
Emerald
The bluish green stone is associated with the planet Mercury, which plays a vital role in aspects like education, intellectual abilities, mental alertness and communication skills. The stone is placed in the ishanya corner since Mercury is the ruling deity of the Northeast direction.
Diamond
Diamond is placed in the space corresponding to that of Indra, King of the Devaloka. Diamond attracts power, wealth and marital bliss.
Pearl
Peace, mental well-being, motherly affections and a general sense of happiness is to prevail where the moon is worshipped. The intensity of Agni (Fire God), which rules the direction of southeast, is mellowed down by the presence of moonstone or pearl.
Yellow Saphire
North is the direction of Kubera, the God of Wealth. Prosperity and luck are attributed to the direction, both of which are enhanced by the ruling planet, Jupiter. Yellow Saphire attracts the qualities of Jupiter such as wisdom, judgement, jocundity, enthusiasm and so on.
Ruby
Ruby, which represents the Sun, is placed at the centre of all Navratna rings, with the rest of the gemstones surrounding it. The design is modelled on the solar system and Ruby takes the vital position called ‘Brahmasthana’. Just as the Sun, Ruby is considered as a source of energy, power, longevity and success.
Red Coral
South denotes the position of Mars. According to myth, Lord Shiva sent Karthikeya to the South to slay the asuras. Red coral, associated with the planet, is worn to ward off the doshas in this direction. Physical strength and beauty, agility and happy marriages are the attributes associated with Red Coral. The ruling deity of the direction is Yama.
Cat’s Eye
Ketu, the planet associated with knowledge and spiritual awakening, is represented by Cat’s Eye. Wearing the ring stone as part of the Navratna ring is highly beneficial for people who do not have well-placed Ketu in their ‘jataka’. Ketu also represents the snake and has the power to affect an individual’s life substantially. Wearing the stone will safeguard them from scandals and bad reputation.
Blue Saphire
Ruled by Lord Varuna, the direction of the West is associated with the planet of Saturn. Blue Saphire can cure all doshas associated with Saturn.
Grosular Garnet
Southeast is the direction of Rahu. The southeast corner is named after the asura called Nairuthi. Garnet can tap into Rahu’s quality of attracting power, fame, legal and political success. The doshas related to Rahu such as excessive worldly desires, hindrances to conjugal relationship and marital discord can be cast off by wearing Garnet.
General rules for wearing Navratna ring
Diamond is considered as the most powerful stone among the Navratnas. It is advisable to wear the ring for the first time on Friday which corresponds to the associated planet of Venus. The ring can be worn within the first hour of sunrise on ‘shukla paksha’ days. Sunday mornings are also considered auspicious for wearing the ring for the first time. On both days, the sunrise hours between 5am and 7am is ideal for a wearing Navratna ring.
If the Navrtana ring does not bring you good results, or, in the worst case, causes problems in your life, then it may be wise to consider the following aspects:
» gemstones maybe arranged in the wrong order on the ring
»The planet Venus, represented by diamond - the most powerful stone in the ring – maybe not be in your favour as per your ‘jataka’
» The doshas from Sun can render Navratna ring powerless
» You may be wearing the ring in the wrong way. For instance, the Blue Saphire should point towards your body and not your nails.
