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I-2
The writings on minerals and metals in the Sanskrit
literature 锚re surprisingly scanty and scattered.
These have been
often peripheral to other topics of interest such as philosophy,
theology, poetry and history as in the Vedic literatures, and later
grammar, political economy, prognostication, astrology, medicine and
alchemy etc. Fortunately, the writers and compilers of the above
topics had some interest in gems, non-gem minerals, metals, alloys
etc., and thus we have been benefitted from their treatises.
Another fact that stands out is that the references to
minerals and metals appeared much after the actual uses had already
been made. This was partly because, as we have explained, the
writers were primarily interested in subjects other than minerals
and metals. Another reason, probably the major one, behind this
time-lag was the rigid division of labour and casteism which
discouraged fast diffusion of knowledge. The metalsmiths were
low-caste people, debarred from
Vedic scholars were often ignorant of metallurgy. The traditional
scholars took some interest in astronomy, mathematics and geometry
on accout of their involvement with the rituals, which were not
concerned with smelting, pottery-making etc. The gap between
metallurgy and scholasticism however narrowed somewhat in the Kauryi
and Gupte eras
studying the Vedas, and the
We have tried to elucidate the ancient Sanskrit technical
terms in the light of our modern sciei tific knowledge. In several
cases, doubts and controversies persist. More research is necessar
to fully explain certain terms such as vaikintake, capala, pulska,
bhisma etc.