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 8 - Non-gem Minerals and Metals in Rasa-shastra
35 (of 44)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
VIII-35
Zinc ore (rasaka) was stated to impart gold-like colour to copper
as well as lead and iron (RNV 12.50). Preparation of a copper-
zinc-lead alloy was described (RNV 17.70-74).
Six metals were arranged in the order of increasing
rate of corrosion:
啶膏啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぃ 啶班啶む 啶むぞ啶啶� 啶む啶曕啶粪啶� 啶掂啶� 啶啶溹啶椸ぎ啶距 啷�
啶侧啶熰啶� 啶粪ぁ啶苦ぇ啶� 啶む啷嵿 啶ぅ啶距お啷傕ぐ啷嵿さ啶� 啶むう啶曕啶粪く啶 啷�
( [suvar峁嘺 rajata峁� t膩mra t墨k峁ａ箛a va峁僩a muja峁僩am膩岣� |
lo峁璦ka峁� 峁岣峣dha峁� tacca yath膩p奴rva峁� tadak峁yam |
(] RNV 7.89-90)
High reactivity of sulphur with most of the metals was
described poetically: 'There is no such elephant of a metal which
cannot be killed by the lion of a sulphur or pyrites'.
啶ㄠぞ啶膏啶むた 啶むげ啷嵿げ啷嬥す啶ぞ啶む啶椸 啶い啷嵿ぐ 啶椸え啷嵿ぇ啶曕啷囙ざ啶班 啷�
啶ㄠた啶灌え啷嵿く啶距い啷� 啶椸え啷嵿ぇ啶ぞ啶む啶班啶� 啶う啷嵿さ啶� 啶ぞ啶曕啶粪た啶曕啷囙ざ啶班 啷�
( [n膩sti talloham膩ta峁僩o yatra gandhakake艣ar墨 |
nihany膩t gandham膩tre峁嘺 yadv膩 m膩k峁kake艣ar墨 ||
(] RNV 7.142)
Metals were reported to be 'killed' (jarana) by materials.
like k盲sisa (green vitriol), sauvira (stibnite), sauvarcala
(saltpetre) etc. (RNV 9.2-3) -
Ras膩rnava mentioned three kinds of ks盲ra or alkali:
tankana or borax, yavaksara (carbonate of potash in the ash of
barley) and sarjik膩 or river bed sodium carbonate/bi-carbonate
(5.35-36). Eight maharasas (RNV 7.2-3) included srotanjana which
was probably copper/antimony/cobalt sulphide, found on the banks
of river and later colloqually known (in Rajasthan) as sohta.
