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.
Appendix A - Scientific information on the Minerals used
48 (of 71)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
VISIRNA
- broken, shattered, scattered, dis, ersed
fran the word SR.
Pan. 8.2.42 and 77
VISTA -
a particular weight of gold.
Pan. 4.1.22. Also BISTA
-
a weight of gold equal to
80 RAKTIKAS.
Thus DVI-VISTA, TRI-BISTA etc.
VAIDURYA - a cat's eye gem. Pan 4.3.84 says that this is
obtained from VIDURA plus affix YA in the sense
what manifests itself there'. In the Bhasya
it is added that the gem was actually found in the
mountain of VALAVAYA. The rough stone used to be worked
upon in the city of VIDURA. Panini had made the two
names syn on ymous..
Anyway the city was evidently the
source of polished gem of VAIDUR YA.
cc 啶掂た啶︵啶班ぞ啶む- 啶炧啶 啷�
[vid奴r膩t- 帽ya岣� ||
] 11 27 啶掂啶む啶むた啶� 啷� 啶掂た啶︵啶班ざ啶啶︵ぞ啶む 啶炧啶 啶啶班い啷嵿く啶 啶さ啶むた 啶むい啶�
啶啶班き啶掂い啶� 啶囙い啶� 啶忇い啶膏啶た啶ㄠ 啶掂た啶粪く啷� 啷�
[v峁泃ti岣� || vidura艣abd膩t 帽ya岣� pratyayo bhavati tata岣�
prabhavati iti etasmin vi峁ye ||
] Karika 啶掂ぞ啶侧さ啶距く啷� 啶掂た啶曕ぐ啶傕 啶啶班啷冟い啷嵿く啶ㄠ啶むぐ啶啶� 啶�
啶ㄠさ啷� 啶む啶む啶班啶むた 啶氞啶︵ 啶啶班啶ぞ啶む 啶溹た啶む啶掂ぐ啷� 啶� 啶︵啶ぞ啶氞ぐ啷�
[v膩lav膩yo vikara峁僣a prak峁泃yantarameva va
nave ta峁僼reti ced br奴y膩t jitvar墨 va dup膩care
] Varanasi used to be known by the merchants
as Jitvari
VY-UT-KRAMANA - going apart, separation. Pan. 8.1.15.
SANKU. a peg, nail, spike. Pan. 8.3.97
SANKUSTTHA - (Fixed) on the nai1.
SARKARA - gravel, grit, shingle, sugar. f ARKARA, SARKARIKA,
SARKARILA, SARKARIYA, SARKARAVAN etc. means.
sugary or gravelly, gritty, stony
