Seven precious emblems of royalty

From Rigpa Wiki
Revision as of 13:35, 3 July 2009 by Sébastien (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The seven emblems of royalty (Skt. saptaratna; Wyl. rgyal srid sna bdun) are the seven possessions of a universal monarch (Skt. cakravartin). They are:

  1. the precious golden wheel (Skt. cakraratna; Wyl. 'khor lo rin po che),
  2. the precious wish-fulfilling jewel (Skt. maṇiratna; Wyl. nor bu rin po che),
  3. the precious queen (Skt. strīratna; Wyl. btsun mo rin po che),
  4. the precious minister (Skt. puruṣaratna or pariṇāyakaratna; Wyl. blon po rin po che),
  5. the precious elephant (Skt. hastiratna; Wyl. glang po rin po che),
  6. the precious horse (Skt. aśvaratna; Wyl. rta mchog rin po che), and
  7. the precious general (Skt. khaḍgaratna or senāpatiratna; Wyl. dmag dpon rin po che).

These symbolize the seven noble riches.

In the Thirty-seven Point Mandala Offering, the vase of great treasure is added as an eighth emblem.

Further Reading

  • Dagyab Rinpoche, Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture, Wisdom Publications, 1995, 3. The Seven Jewels of Royal Power.