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
13 (of 17)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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VI-13
in yellow, was likened to a mani encased in gold (5.92.52; 12.45.14)
啶呧い啶膏啶啶粪啶� 啶膏啶曕ぞ啶多 啶啶むさ啶距じ啶� 啶溹え啶距ぐ啷嵿う啶�
啶掂啶ぎ啷嵿ぐ啶距啶� 啶膏き啶距ぎ啶о啶 啶灌啶啶ㄠ啶掂啶す啶苦い啷� 啶ぃ啶苦
( [atas墨pu峁a sa峁僰膩艣a岣� p墨tav膩s膩 jan膩rdana
vyamr膩jata sabh膩madhye hemn墨vopahito ma峁噄岣�
(] 5.92.52)
King Drupada presented to the Pandavas vessels or bhajanas ornamented
with beryl and diamond:
啶多く啶ㄠぞ啶膏え 啶ぞ啶ㄠぞ啶ㄠた 啶掂た啶掂た啶оぞ啶ㄠた 啶す啶距え啷嵿い啶� 啶�
啶掂啶︵啶班啶さ啶溹啶� 啶氞た啶む啶班ぞ啶｀た 啶多い啶多 啶ぞ啶溹え啶距え啶苦
( [艣ayan膩sana y膩n膩ni vividh膩ni mah膩nti ca
vaid奴ryavajra citr膩峁噄 艣ata艣o bh膩jan膩nica
(] 1.191.15)
A few gold patras ear-marked as gifts for Brahmins were likewise
incrusted with vajra (12.165.14). Similar silver dishes with gem
incrustations were introduced at Taxila by the Greeks around 100 A.D.
for the first time; these were known as paterae. The drinking horn
or rhyton of the Graeco-Romans was also imitated. In one solitary
instance, the Mahabharata (8.6.37) describes some elephant tusks
and rhino and cattle horns, ornamented with pearls and precious
stones, which were used as water-sprinklers during the consecration
of Karna as the commander of the Kauravas.
The references to the Chinese silk (2.47.22), Bharukaccha
and Roma (Rome):
啶呧え啷嵿い啶距啷�啶� 啶氞啶� 啶班啶ぞ啶傕 啶さ啶ㄠぞ啶ㄠぞ啶� 啶啶班
啶ぐ啷佮啶氞啶涏 啶椸い啷�
( [ant膩kh墨峁� caiva rom膩峁僣a yavan膩n膩峁� pura峁�
marukaccha峁� gato
(] 2.28.49-50
clearly prove that insertions were made in the epic long after the
onset of the Christian era. The description of the gold-decorated
ornamental armour-coats in the Virataparva is very significant on
account of their close affinity with Sassanian metal works of the
5th - 6th Century A.D. (Lad, 1983).
