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VIII-14
as the Yavanas intruded into India and interacted with the
Indians. Some of them contributed to the cultural life and
the scientific pursuits in the sub-continent.
Yavanesvara and Sphujidhvaja were Indianised
Greeks settled in the domains of the Western Ksatrapas in
Gujarat, Malwa and Rajasthan. The date of Yavanesvara
corresponds to the middle of the reign of Rudradaman I, the
greatest of the Western Sakas. Yavanesvara's Greek book on
astrology and mineralogy (150 A.D.) was translated one
century later into Sanskrit text Yavanajataka by Sphujidvaja
(270 A.D.). An English translation of the same has been
provided by David Pingree (1978).
It may be noted that both Nagarjuna and Yavanesvara
belonged to the second half of the second century A.D. As a
matter of fact, the Satavahana King Gautamiputra Satakarni
claimed to have come into conflict with the Sakas and Yavanas
of Kathiawar and Malwa. Thus, the book Yavanaj膩taka reflects
the state of knowledge on minerals and metals prevalent in
India during Nagarjuna's time.
The verses 7-15 in the Chapter 62 of the text of
Yavanajataka contain references to minerals and metals. The
word dh膩tu was used to indicate metals as well as minerals.
Dh膩tus were known to belong to two categories: dhamya (bright)
and adhamya (dull). Dhamya lohas (metals) were known to be of
six types suvarna, raupya, trapu (tin), sisa (lead), tamra (copper)
and krsnayas (iron). Mauktika (pearl), Yuk ta (alloy) and sastram
(steel) also belonged to the dhamya (bright) category.