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
12 (of 31)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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IX-12
Somadeva etc., cannot escape, just like a man bound with an ardent
love of a mature lustful lady' (RRS 9.64).
啶忇い啶ぞ 啶啶む啶膏啶ㄠ啶ぞ 啶班啶︵啶о 啶� 啶椸え啷嵿い啷佮 啶曕啶粪ぎ啶む 啶班じ啶�
啶掂た啶︵啷嵿ぇ 啶掂え啶苦い啶� 啶啶班啷� 啶啶班啶ぞ啶�
啶膏う啷嵿ぇ啶�
啶啶ぞ啶ㄠた啶� 啷�
[etay膩 m峁泃sny膩 ruddho na gantu峁� k峁mate rasa岣�
vidagdha vanit膩 prau岣峢a prem膩ta
蝉补诲诲丑补岣�
pum膩niva ||
] In the tenth chapter of RRS, different kinds of lavana
(salt), Ksara (alkali), amla (acidic liquids) were mentioned.
Wel
have stated them in the previous chapters. RRS mentioned that:
啶︵啶掂ぞ啶班ぞ啶� 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啷� 啶げ啶� 啶灌え啷嵿く啷佮 啶呧ぎ啷嵿げ啶� 啶多啶оえ 啶溹ぞ啶班ぃ啶
[dv膩r膩岣� sarve mala峁� hanyu岣� amla峁� 艣odhana j膩ra峁嘺m
] 'all the alkalies destroy impurities and the acids are used for
sodhana etc. (purification). (RRS 10.96).
Many specific plant and animal products such as taila
(oil), vasa (fat) etc. were mentioned and used as reductants, with
the belief that they played specific roles, apart from serving the
general purpose of reducing minerals to metals in a furnace.
Organic and inorganic fluxes (such as tankana or borax),
called dravana, were used to aid in the melting of metals which
are otherwise difficult to melt', i.e. to lower the fusion point:
啶︵啶︵啶班ぞ啶� 啶呧啶苦げ 啶侧啶灌ぞ啶︵啶� 啶︵啶班ぞ啶掂ぃ啶距く 啶椸ぃ啷� 啶い啶�
( [dudr膩va akhila loh膩de岣� dr膩va峁嚹亂a ga峁噊 mata岣�
(] RRS 10.95)
A Note on some Salts and Natural Products
Ray (1956:201-232) has commented on some of the tems related
to salts and natural products mentioned in the Rasasastra texts inclu-
ding RRS, and we may summarise these comments.
