As mentioned in the sutras, the ‘seven royal treasures’—precious wheel, jewel, queen, minister, elephant, horse and general—are said to be the virtuous, extraordinary symbols of those elements that feature in the reign of a ‘universal emperor’ (Skt. Chakravartin). They indicate the power to conquer all regions and signify the incomparable quality of noble beings in achieving the prosperity of all beings.
- The Precious Wheel
When a universal emperor, with the strength of his immeasurable fortune, speaks the words of truth from the top of his palace, a magical wheel descends in front of him from the eastern sky. It takes him wherever he wishes to go and the other royal treasures follow naturally with it.
- The Precious Jewel
The stainless, blue ‘precious jewel’ has the potential to illuminate an area up to the distance of three hundred twenty thousand fathoms (80×4.5 miles), eliminate the destitution of the four continents,[1] and fulfil one’s every wish.
- The Precious Queen
The ‘precious queen’ bears all the perfect physical features of great beauty. She is intelligent and soft-spoken. She is endowed with eighteen elegant characteristics of a woman without flaw. She is adorned with brocade garments and attractive ornaments. She has mastered the sixty arts of seduction and anyone who sees her feels attracted. By just seeing her, one is filled with immense happiness.
- The Precious Minister
The ‘precious minister’, whose richness is compared with the son of Vaisravana (Tib. Namthö Sey), is very brave and skilled in the battlefield. With the intellect of a king, he is an expert in governing. He has such extraordinary fortune and remarkable determination that he could fill the entire universe with gold if the emperor ordered him to do so.
- The Precious Elephant
The ‘precious elephant’ is whitish grey in colour with six beautiful white tusks and a reddish crown raised to the summit. It is covered by a veil of jewels and enjoys the strength of thousand elephants. It has the capability of being victorious on every battlefield and is extremely fast like the son of Sasung, the king of elephants.
- The Precious Horse
The ‘precious horse’ has a strong body with bluish, attractive hair like that of peacock’s neck and a voice that can pervade the world. The precious horse also has the ability to know what is in the emperor’s mind and therefore he is also known as the ‘wise horse’. He has the strength to run at the speed of the wind and can make three rounds of the earth in a day like the king of the horses, Balaha.
- The Precious General
The ‘precious general’ is brave and possesses extraordinary moral strength. He is skilled in the art of machines and weapons. He is very clever and an extremely ferocious fighter on the battleground. He has four kinds of troops: cavalry, elephants, chariots and infantry. It is said that he has such majesty as to inspire awe in anyone who sees him, and just by hearing the drum beats of his battalion all kinds of enemies become terrified.
Pema Tenzin
7th year, NNI
[1] The four continents surrounding Mount Meru: Superior Body (Purvavideha), Jambu Continent (Jambudvipa), Cow Utilizing (Aparagodaniya), and Unpleasant Sound (Uttarakuru), in the east, south, west and north respectively.
