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 9 - The Rasaratna-samuccaya鈥攁 pinnacle in the Indian iatro-chemistry
1 (of 31)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
CHAPTER IX
RASA-RATNA-SAMUCCAYA (RRS ) - A PINNACLE IN
THE INDIAN IATRO-CHEMISTRY
The ancient or Hindu period in Indian history is supposed
to have ended around twelfth century A.D. with the onset of Muslim
influence in the sub-continent. However, the writing of Sanskrit
texts continued even after this date. An early fourteenth century
compilation - Rasa - Ratna - samuccaya (hereafter abbreviated as
would be the terminal point in our discussion, even though
some more iatrochemical texts appeared after RRS (Ray, 1956:158-207)
RRS)
Technical Terms Related to Mineral and Metal Processing
Sri Vagbha峁璦 compiled in RRS many details regarding gems,
non-gem minerals, metals, alloys, metallic transformations (lohavedh
and the transformations of body tissues (dehavedha). For the conver-
sion of minerals to a pharmaceutical recipe, acceptable to the body,
several steps had been envisaged: purification (sodhana)
(marana), metallic extraction (satvap膩tana), liquefaction (druti) et
incinerati
Sodhana by actate (amla) and/or alkaline (Kaara) material
(8.59-8.60) was designed to remove the toxic material. Satva was
defined as the metallic extract:
啶曕啶粪ぞ啶� 啶呧ぎ啷嵿げ啶︵啶班ぞ啶掂啶啶曕啶む 啶о啶ぞ啶むぎ啷� 啶嗋啶班啷嬥し啷嵿 啶曕 啷�
啶じ啷嵿い啶む 啶ㄠた啶班啶椸い啶� 啶膏ぐ啶� 啶膏い啷嵿さ啶 啶囙い啶� 啶呧き啶苦ぇ啷�啶い啷� 啷むイ
( [k峁Ｄ乺a amladr膩vakayukta峁� dhy膩tam 膩karako峁ａ弓ha ke |
yastato nirgata岣� sara岣� satvam iti abhidh墨yate ||
(] RRS 8.34)
