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 7 - A millennium of Ratnashastra (gemmology) literature in India
61 (of 85)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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VII-58 4 The approximate composition of red coral (in percentage
values) is: CaCO3 87.0, MgCO3 6.8, Caso 1.3, Fe2O3 1.7, Organic
matter 1.35, water 0.6, and the rest, phosphate, silica etc. 1.3.
The exact composition varies with the age of the coral and other
factors. With advancement in age, the coral hardens and assays.
higher in the percentage of MgCO3. The amount of organic matter,
which is the principal cause of colour, is much higher in black
coral (above 3 percent), which cobtains less iron (0.8 percent).
The colouring constituent is decomposed heat, and this could be an
organic compound with iron complexed in it.
Indian
On
Some coral-fishing might have been done in the past in the
ocean, the Persian Sea and the Red Sea, but the
principal source of the gem variety of red coral has always been
the Mediterranean Sea. The Indians have always prefered this/
variety instead of the yellowish white materials in the Persian
Gulf.
Kautilya gave the first description of coral:
啶啶班さ啶距げ啶曕ぎ啷� 啶嗋げ啶曕え啷嵿う啶曕 啶掂啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぃ啶苦啶� 啶�
[prav膩lakam 膩lakandaka峁� vaivar峁噄ka峁� ca
] Ar
啶班啷嵿い啶� 啶う啷嵿ぎ啶班ぞ啶椸 啶� 啶曕ぐ啶� 啶椸ぐ啷嵿ぎ啶苦ぃ啶苦啶� 啶掂ぐ啷嵿啶 啶囙い啶�
[rakta峁� padmar膩ga峁� ca kara峁璦 garmi峁噄k膩 varjam iti
] 'The coral from Alakanda (Alexandria?) and from Vivama,
red and of the colour of the lotus (is excellent), with the exception
of that which is eaten by insects and what is bulging in the middle'
(AS. 2.11.42). Pravala is mentioned in BS. 80.5 also.
Navaratna-
- pariksa described how coral or vidruma grows like tree under the
