Essay name: Alchemy in India and China
Author:
Vijaya Jayant Deshpande
Affiliation: Panjab University / Department of Chemistry
The thesis "Alchemy in India and China" explores the comparative aspects of alchemy in these two countries, focusing on chemical and protochemical formulations while addressing why modern science developed in the West rather than in India or China. It briefly touches upon internal alchemy in China and the ritualistic tantra in India.
Chapter 2 - Alchemy in India
17 (of 26)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
zinc and also in brass-making � This is seen in the 16 following verses of Rasaratnākara.
Rasaka or calamine is digested repeatedly
with fermented paddy-water, natron, clarified
butter and mixed with wool, lac, Terminalia
Chebula and borax, and roasted in a covered
crucible yields an essence of the appearance
of tin.
roasted
What wonder is that calamine .
thrice with copper converts the latter into
gold?
Brass was not, however, recognized as an alloy
but was termed as "kāncana" or gold. It should be noted
that zinc was not known in Europe until the thirteenth to
35 p. 314.
16"
'Rasaratnākara" of Nāgārjuna, see Primary Sources,
क्षारस्नेहैय� धान्याम्दै रसके भावितं बह�
ऊर्ज�
लाक्षा तथ� पथ्य� भूलन� धूमसंयुतम् � [kṣārasnehaiyā dhānyāmdai rasake bhāvita� bahu
ū
lākṣ� tathā pathyā bhūlanā dhūmasaṃyutam || ] 31 �
मूकभूषागतं ध्यानं तङ्कर्ते� समान्वितम् �
[||
mūkabhūṣāgata� dhyāna� taṅkartena samānvitam |
] 1 सत्त्व� कुटिलसङ् [sattva� kuṭilasa�] �काशं पतते नात्� संगय� � [kāśa� patate nātra saṃgaya� || ] 32 ||
Also brass-making is observed in the following
verse, p. 311.
किमन्न चित्रं रसको रसेन
[kimanna citra� rasako rasena
] X
X
क्रमेण कृत्वाम्बुधरेण राज्ञ्जत�
करोत� गुल्वं त्रिपुटे� काञ्चनम् � � �
[krameṇa kṛtvāmbudhareṇa rājñjata�
karoti gulva� tripuṭena kāñcanam || 3 ||
]
