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
67 (of 85)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
VII-64
conch-pearl is yellow. Var膩hamihira wrote (BS. 81.28):
啶多啶栢啶︵啶さ啶� 啶多ざ啶苦え啶苦き啶� 啶掂啶む啶む 啶啶班ぞ啶溹た啶粪啶｀ 啶班啶оた啶班啶�
[艣a峁僰hodbhava峁� 艣a艣inibha峁� v峁泃ta峁� bhr膩ji峁ａ箛u rudhira峁僣a
] The pearl bom of conch-shell is round, lustrous, beautiful and
moon-like"
In Navaratnapariksa (67 &82), conch-pearl was specifically
mentioned as k谋san since it was longish, like the egg of a pigeon,
coming from Pancajanva (the famous name of conch) and lustrous
like hail-stone:
啶︵啶班啶樴ぎ啷� 啶� 啶い啷� 啶曕啶多ぎ啷� 啶啶班啶曕啶むぎ啷� 啶曕お啷嬥い啶距ぃ啷嵿ぁ 啶啶班ぎ啶距ぃ啶
啶掂ぐ啷嵿し啷嬥お啶侧 啶膏ぎ啶︵啶啶むた 啶ぞ啶ㄠ啶氞啶ㄠ啶� 啶曕啶侧啶さ啶
[d墨rgham ca yat k峁浥沘m proktam kapot膩峁囜笉a pram膩峁嘺m
var峁pale samad墨pti p膩ncajanya kulobhavam
] Pheru wrote (RYP 41) that conch-pearl with a reddish tint
occurs in the right-whorled conch (daksin盲varta sankha). Manim膩l膩
(266-270) provided some collected information:
'Only the yellow-bodied and black-mouthed conch-shells produ
pearls. Such a pearl has the dimension of a large plum, and is
white as the inner surface of the coat of that shell fish. There
are twenty-seven kinds of conch-shells, produced by as many stellar
constellations. 脌 conch-pearl could be white, black, yellowish,
crimson blue, reddish, deep yellow, ash coloured or pale red'.
The bamboo pearl is also quite real; some female bamboos
produce a siliceous concretion in their joints which is called
in Sanskrit vam samukt膩, vamsalocana, vam akarpura, tvaks膿ra,
tvaksira (Persian tab膩shir) etc. The Indians, Persians and Arabs
were aware of its medicinal properties. (Edward Balfour,
* Encyclopaedia Asiatica', New Delhi, 1976 volume 8, p. 797).
