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Gunja: the red seed of Braj, and why not to chew it
गुंजा
Gunja (Abrus precatorius), also ratti or ghunghchi in Hindi and rosary pea or jequirity bean in English, is a thin climbing vine whose pods open on scarlet seeds with a single black spot. In Braj the seeds are strung into the gunja mala, a necklace tied to the Krishna tradition, and they were once India's standard jeweller's weight. They are also highly toxic: a single seed, well chewed, can be fatal.
A slender climber with feathery leaves whose pods split open to show hard seeds of a scarlet so even it looks painted, each with one black spot. The seeds are strung into necklaces.
👀 How to recognise it
Look along hedges and field edges for a thin twining vine with leaves made of many small paired leaflets, and for the split brown pods with the red-and-black seeds still held in them.
Where to see it
Govardhan
The gunja mala, a string of these seeds, is a Braj object above all others: Chaitanya is said to have given one together with a stone from Govardhan Hill, and the stalls at Radha Kund and along the circuit still sell them. The seed was also the classical jeweller's weight, the ratti.
Radha Kund and Shyama Kund (often) · Govardhan Hill & Parikrama Marg (often)
Is gunja poisonous?
Yes, seriously. The seeds contain abrin, a toxin with the same symptoms as ricin but far more potent. A single seed, well chewed, can be fatal to an adult or a child. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, convulsions and liver failure, and death usually comes after several days. An intact seed swallowed whole may pass through undigested because its shell is so hard, but that does not make it safe.
If anyone has chewed or swallowed a seed, call 112 and see a doctor. Reports that bead-threaders are poisoned by a pinprick are persistent, but there is little evidence for them.
The vine behind the beads
Gunja is a slender perennial climber of the bean family that twines through hedges, shrubs and small trees. Its leaves are long and feathery, made of many small paired leaflets, so the plant looks delicate rather than showy. The interest is all in the pods, which dry brown and split to show the seeds. Most are scarlet with a black eye; black, white and greenish forms also exist, and Tamil tradition uses several colours.
The plant is native to Asia and Australia. Carried by people and by birds that pick up the bright seeds, it has spread across the tropics and is a serious invasive weed in Florida, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Around Govardhan it grows on the hedges and waste ground around Radha Kund and along the field edges beside the parikrama road.
Gunja mala and the ratti
The gunja mala belongs to Braj. The Chaitanya Charitamrita, the life of Chaitanya, tells how he gave his follower Raghunatha Dasa a stone from Govardhan Hill together with a gunja mala (Antya-lila 6.287); a few verses later (6.307) Raghunatha understands the stone as a place near Govardhan and the mala as shelter at Radha's feet. The stalls at Radha Kund and along the circuit sell the necklaces today.
The seed had a second career in the bazaar. Its weight barely changes with moisture, because the shell lets no water in, so it became the ratti, the classic unit for weighing gold: 8 ratti made a masha, and 12 masha a tola of about 11.6 g.
❓ FAQ
What is gunja called in Hindi and other languages?
Gunja (गुंजा), ratti or ghunghchi in Hindi; gulaganji in Kannada, kundumani in Tamil, kunni kuru in Malayalam, guruvinda ginja in Telugu. In English: rosary pea, jequirity bean or crab's eye.
Is it safe to wear a gunja mala?
The seeds are toxic: a single seed, well chewed, can be fatal, while an intact seed swallowed whole may pass through undigested. If anyone chews or swallows a seed, call 112 and see a doctor.
What should I do if a child swallows a gunja seed?
Call 112 and see a doctor. Symptoms of abrin poisoning can take days to develop.
What is a ratti?
An old Indian unit of weight based on the gunja seed, which hardly changes weight with moisture. Eight ratti made one masha, and twelve masha one tola of about 11.6 g.