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
7 (of 71)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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A-7 minerals such as hematite, goethite etc. Associated with granite and igneous rocks.. FLUORITE. Fluorspar. CaF Hardness 4. Octahedral or dodecahedral 2 crystals. Luster vitreous.. Colour usually white but varies over
a wide range-violet, blue, yellow, red-even in different portions
of the same specimen. Modified by heat, pressure, radiation etc.
which also cause phosphorescence. High birefringence used as flux,
in metallurgy, in making opalescent glass, as ornament gens.
GALENA. PbS. Luster metallic. Colour and streak grey. Heavy,
sp. gr. 7.4-7.6. Hardness 2-2.5.
and gold.
Sometimes contains native silver
GARNET.
II
Orthosilicate group of Minerals. Latin granatum (= pame-
RII Mn
granate). RRII (s104) 3 in
which I could be Ca, Mg, Fe,
etc. and RIII could be Al, FeIII, Cr, Ti etc. Dodeca-and trapezo-
hedron crystals.
Cr.
nit
Grossulatie. Essonite or Hessonite. Cinnamon-stone. This
are calcium-Aluminium garnets with some replacements by FeII, FeIII,
Variable colour. The name grossularite comes from gooseberry
(pale green). Hessonite is cinnamon-coloured. Available in Sri Lank
it has a variety called Hyacinth (inferior) less in hardness than
true hyacinth, coloured yellow to yellowish-red.
variety of zircon is also called Hyacinth.
A particular
