On this earth, in rare and wondrous places, pearls sometimes come into being with forms as remarkable as a boar’s—strange and extraordinary in their appearance. There are also pearls that grow within bamboo, but these are found only in regions graced by divine beings, never in ordinary locales. Such pearls shine with a radiance like silver, freshly washed and gleaming, and their brilliance rivals the sharp edge of a sword. Some are endowed with a special luster, produced by the virtuous—these are pearls that arise from the very head of a serpent. When a great protective rite is performed, it is done atop a mansion, and in such moments, the sky itself seems draped with treasures, as if heavy clouds were weighed down by hanging riches. If the pearl born from the serpent’s head remains within the serpent’s hood, it becomes vulnerable to harm from others. Its radiance is so powerful that it covers all directions, like the sun itself, and its shining disk appears as if manifest in the heavens. This pearl does not lose its brilliance with the setting of the sun; it shines just as brightly in the deepest darkness of night as it does during the day. Truly, the value of such a pearl is beyond reckoning—even if the whole earth were filled with gold, it would not suffice to match its worth. One who possesses such a pearl enjoys the earth, free from rivals, for as long as this fortune endures. For a thousand yojanas in every direction, it dispels all misfortune, acting as a powerful shield. Among pearls, the purest color is that of milk fallen from the best of cows. The seed that forms the pearl may come from many origins, but, when it enters an oyster and streams of milk-like water rain down upon it, the seed—resting within the oyster—transforms into a true pearl. These are the pearls of Simhalika, Paralaukika, Saurashtra, Tamraparna, and Parashava—regions famed for their treasures. Pearls born from oysters are never of inferior color; rather, they are distinguished by their size, shape, quality, and radiant luster. When judging pearls, the wise do not dwell on the peculiarities of those produced from mines, but focus on their form and size. Of oyster-born, lustrous pearls, and those just slightly less in weight, the value is carefully reckoned: if a pearl is short by half a māṣa, its worth is reduced by two-fifths. If it exceeds by half or by two māṣas, its value increases a thousand and three hundred times. If it exceeds by half a māṣa, its value is twenty-three hundred; if it exceeds by one and a half māṣas, its value is one hundred—always provided it possesses the proper qualities. Pearls with a weight less by sixteen are called ‘dārvika’ by experts; those less by twice ten are known as ‘bhavaka.’ A full weight of thirty is called ‘śikya,’ and if it is forty, its value is reckoned as thirty. A pearl weighing sixty is called ‘nikaraśīrṣa,’ valued at fourteen, with eleven and nine being the values for the next in order. In preparing pearls, all are gathered and placed in a food vessel, then cooked with the juice of jambīra fruit. Afterwards, they are placed in a clay-smeared fish vessel and cooked again, then transferred to a vessel smeared with cat’s excrement. Finally, by rubbing the pearls with a pure, spotless cloth, they are made clean and shine with abundant, excellent qualities and luster. Silver, when alloyed with a hundred parts of gold, becomes like white glass. Such is the skillful practice in the land of Siṃhala. At night, a pearl should be immersed in warm, salty, oily water. That which does not lose its color through this process is understood to be genuine. The best pearls are those that are very lustrous and well-rounded. The highest standard is a pearl of proper size, heavy, radiant, white, perfectly round, and with a fine, uniform perforation. A pearl that possesses all these qualities together is considered to have attained perfection. Thus concludes, in the Śrī Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa, Pūrvakhaṇḍa, within the section called Ācārakāṇḍa, the sixty-ninth chapter, named ‘Examination of Pearls,’ describing the standards and characteristics of pearls. Now, the sun, glorious and resplendent, is considered the supreme source of all gems among the great gods. This sun, ever victorious in battles among the gods and filled with pride in his strength, once beheld the hips of a Siṃhalī woman. Stricken with fear at the sight, he plunged into the depths of a great lake.