Adhyakshaprachara Adhyaya 11 Sutra 30 - Arthashastra | Sanskrit | Vedapath

Kautilya

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Sutra 30

Devanagari script

वैडूर्यमुत्पलवर्णः शिरीषपुष्पक उदकवर्णो वंशरागः शुकपत्त्रवर्णः पुष्यरागो गोमूत्रको गोमेदकः ॥ कZ_०२.११.३० ॥

Transliteration

vaiḍūryamutpalavarṇaḥ śirīṣapuṣpaka udakavarṇo vaṃśarāgaḥ śukapattravarṇaḥ puṣyarāgo gomūtrako gomedakaḥ

Translation

वैडूर्यं ‘उत्पलवर्णः’; ‘शिरीषपुष्पकः’; ‘उदकवर्णः’; ‘वंशरागः’; ‘शुकपत्त्रवर्णः’; ‘पुष्यरागः’; ‘गोमूत्रकः’; ‘गोमेदकः’ (इति भेदाः)।

Word by Word

वैडूर्यम्vaidūrya (cat’s-eye gemstone)

उत्पल-वर्णःhaving the color of a blue lotus

शिरीष-पुष्पकः(like) a śirīṣa-flower (in appearance)

उदक-वर्णःwater-colored (clear/aqueous in hue)

वंश-रागःvaṃśarāga (a gem variety; ‘bamboo-tinted’)

शुक-पत्त्र-वर्णःhaving the color of a parrot’s feather

पुष्य-रागःpuṣyarāga (yellow gem; topaz)

गो-मूत्रकःgomūtraka (a gem variety; cow-urine colored)

गो-मेदकःgomedaka (a gemstone; hessonite/garnet)

Entities Mentioned

vaiḍūrya

puṣyarāga

gomedaka

FAQs

Why use nature-based color analogies (utpala, parrot-leaf, water)?

They create shared, repeatable reference points for inspectors and traders in an era without instrumental color measurement, improving consistency in valuation.