ratana : [nt.] 1. a gem; precious thing; 2. a cubit.
Ratana1 (nt.) [cp. Vedic ratna, gift; the BSk. form is ratna (Divy 26) as well as ratana (AvŚ ii.199)] 1. (lit.) a gem, jewel VvA 321 (not=ratana2, as Hardy in Index); PvA 53 (nānāvidhāni). -- The 7 ratanas are enumd under veḷuriya (Miln 267). They are (the precious minerals) suvaṇṇa, rajata, muttā, maṇi, veḷuriya, vajira, pavāḷa. (So at Abhp 490.) These 7 are said to be used in the outfit of a ship to give it more splendour: J ii.112. The 7 (unspecified) are mentioned at Th 2, 487 (satta ratanāni vasseyya vuṭṭhimā "all seven kinds of gems"); and at DhA i.274, where it is said of a ratana -- maṇḍapa that in it there were raised flags "sattaratana -- mayā." On ratana in similes see J.P.T.S. 1909, 127. -- 2. (fig.) treasure, gem of ( -- ˚) Sn 836 (etādisaŋ 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 Mahā -- 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, Valāhaka) ibid.; the gem (maṇi) D ii.175, 187; the woman (itthi) ibid.; the treasurer (gahapati) D ii.176, 188; the adviser (pariṇāyaka) 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 Valāhassarāja, maṇi˚ 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 pariṇāyaka 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: sīla˚, samādhi˚, paññā˚, vimutti˚, vimutti -- ñāṇadassana (also given under the collective name sīla -- kkhandha or dhamma -- kkhandha), to which are added the 2: paṭisambhidā˚ & bojjhanga˚. These 7 are probably meant at PvA 66, where it is said that Sakka "endowed their house with the 7 jewels" (sattar. -- bharitaŋ katvā). -- 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.
-- ākara a pearl -- mine, a mine of precious metals Th 1, 1049; J ii.414; vi.459; Dpvs i.18. -- kūṭa a jewelled top DhA i.159. -- paliveṭhana a wrapper for a gem or jewel Pug 34. -- vara the best of gems Sn 683 (=vararatana -- bhūta SnA 486). -- sutta the Suttanta of the (3) Treasures (viz. Dhamma, Sangha, Buddha), representing Sutta Nipāta ii.1 (P.T.S. ed. pp. 39 -- 42), mentioned as a parittā at Vism 414 (with 4 others) and at Miln 150 (with 5 others), cp. KhA 63; SnA 201.
Ratana2 [most likely=Sk. aratni: see ratani] a linear measure (which Abhp p. 23 gives as equal to 12 angula, or 7 ratanas=1 yaṭṭhi: see Kirfel, Kosmographie,p. 335. The same is given by Bdhgh. at VbhA 343: dve vidatthiyo ratanaŋ; satta r. yaṭṭhi) J v.36 (vīsaŋr -- sataŋ); vi.401 (˚mattaŋ); 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 -- patiṭṭhito aṭṭha -- ratan' ubbedho nava -- ratan' āyāma -- pariṇāho pāsādiko dassanīyo Uposatho nāgarājā: alluding to ratana1 2!).
nor bu rin chen
[translation-san] {C} maṇi-ratna
[translation-san] {C} ratana
[translation-eng] {Hopkins} precious jewel
[translation-eng] {C} jewel; gem; treasure of the wishing jewel
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