Essay name: Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature
Author:
Sulekha Biswas
Affiliation: Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj University / Department of Sanskrit
This essay studies the presence of Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature over three millennia, from the Rigveda to Rasaratna-Samuccaya. It establishes that ancient Indians were knowledgeable about various minerals and metallurgy prior to the Harappan era, with literary references starting in the Rgveda.
Chapter 6 - Minerals and Metals in the Indian Epics
12 (of 17)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
VI-12
as milking and drinking vessels (2.45.26; 2.49.3; 15.34.13-14).
Sometimes these were gilded with gold (4.63.47).
The Mahabharata recorded the onset of iron age in India.
Iron is everywhere on the scene, for arrows, spears and other
weapons referred to as ayas (6.50.68; 9.14.3), parasava (6.76.36;
9.14.14), adrisaramaya (3.170.49), asmasaramaya (8.66.58),
Karsnayasa (7.28.4) etc. Thirty to forty different types of arrows
were described. The Vedic rsti disappeared.
The sword (2.47.1)
(asi, Khadga) assumed increasing importance but the literature
described it as a defensive weapon compared to the arrows. Similarly
K
body-armours like kavaca (5.150.81), varma (1.28.11; 3.24.3),
dehavarana (8.10.29), sirastrana (6.31.54; 8.16.25) were used for
protection. A typical weapon associated with durga or fort was
sataghni (1.199.32; 3.274.22; 7.108.40; 9.12.24) which was a huge
structure, studded with spikes and provided with wheels or cakras
this
witch was described by Kautilya.
cas j
Post-Christian Era Additions to the Epic
but
The art of gem-incrustation was earlier known popularized lat
in India by the Indo-Scythians and Parthians at Taxila around the
first century A.D. significantly,
Lad (1983: 51 and 70-71)
opines that the fifty odd references to the jewelled artefacts
were entered in the epic during or after the aforesaid date. Some
of the references are listed below.
Eight Vaidurva stones encased in gold were offered by
Prince Uttara to Arjuna (4.36.39). Lord Krishna, always dressed
