Rasamanjari 1
English (machine translation) 1
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1.1
Rasamañjarī, 1
May that Gaṇapati bestow auspiciousness upon you, the droplets of honey-water dripping from whose temple-globe dispel, by the buzzing of the graceful swarm of bees kept motionless through sluggishness from drinking, any doubt that they are fresh sapphires.
1.2
May that venerable Śāradā grant passage across existence, the edge of whose lotus feet becomes a blue water-lily because of the countless splendid diadems of the gods, headed by Indra, who bow down in veneration.
1.3
O Lord! Praise be to that Śiva, the giver of the quality of detachment whose body is [smeared with] ash, the inspirer, his crest adorned with the Gaṅgā, the destroyer of the god of love, the embodiment of power,
to you, the ruler, an ocean of compassion, the grantor of refuge, a treasure-house of knowledge, devoid of [material] qualities, the lord of mercury, the husband of Girijā, the bearer of the moon, the deity of good fortune.
The son of the venerable Vaidyanātha, prudent and virtuous, renowned by the name of the venerable Śālinātha—
by that virtuous man, having duly examined various treatises, this Rasamañjarī is begun.
1.4
Ever captivating to the minds of swarms of true bee-like scholars,
filled with manifold essences, this Rasamañjarī is composed.
1.5
Which, when swooned, removes all diseases of men, and, when bound, swiftly bestows the power of aerial movement;
revered by all gods and supreme sages, the seed of Śambhu: victorious is that mercury, which conveys one across the ocean of worldly existence.
1.6
Just as fire consumes a great heap of dry fuel,
so this mercury burns away diseases arising from the three humours.
1.7
Whose brilliance cannot be endured even by masses of lights, the crescent-crested Lord's [splendour],
which grants agelessness and immortality: I bow to the wish-fulfilling tree, the Lord of Mercury.
1.8
He who does not know that heap of mercy, mercury, identical with Hari and Hara,
practises medicine in vain; he becomes an object of ridicule.
1.9
A fool who undertakes work without serving the guru
comes to futility indeed, like wealth obtained in a dream.
1.10
Those who wish to grasp the science by theft, deception, force, and the like,
for them nothing succeeds, whether gems, mantras, medicines, or others.
1.11
Accomplished in mantras, heroic, steadfast, devoted to Śiva,
a devotee of the Goddess, ever resolute, dedicated to the worship of the deities,
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knowing the true meaning of all scriptures, skilled in alchemical work—
endowed with these characteristics, one may become a guru of the science of mercury.
1.13
The pupil should be devoted to his guru, truthful in speech, firm in vows,
free from laziness, knowing his duties, dedicated to the worship of the Goddess.
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<Names of mercury>
Śiva's seed, the king of quicksilver, mercury, and the lord of rasas—
these are the names of mercury, as well as others [applied to it] just as to Śiva.
1.15
Deep blue inside or bright on the outside, with a lustre resembling the midday sun,
[such] is praised; but smoky, pale, or multicoloured should not be employed for success in alchemical work.
1.16
When mercury is free from impurities, it removes death and disease;
it is then nectar itself, but mercury possessed of impurities is poison.
1.17
<Impurities of mercury>
Lead, tin, fiery restlessness, intolerance, aconite, and stone—
these are indeed to be known as dross, the impurities residing in mercury.
1.18
They cause in men, respectively: lethargy, leprosy, severe burning, loss of semen, swooning,
death, eruptions, and a multitude of diseases.
1.19
<Purification of mercury>
Now, therefore, I shall declare the purification of mercury.
Mercury should be taken under an auspicious lunar mansion, in an amount of one hundred palas,
1.20
or fifty, or twenty-five, or ten, or five, or even one;
an excellent processing of mercury should not be performed with less than a pala.
1.21
<Purification of mercury (1)>
With three palas of plumbago and mustard seeds, along with decoctions of aloe, kanyā, and bṛhatī,
mercury triturated for three days is freed from the impurities such as the five types of dross.
1.22
<Purification of mercury (2)>
With powders of brick and turmeric, one-sixteenth the weight of the mercury,
one should likewise triturate it in a mortar with the juices of citron for a day.
1.23
<General purification of impurities>
One should wash the mercury with sour gruel; it sheds the lead impurity.
With the powder of viśālā and aṅkola, it sheds the tin impurity.
1.24
Cassia fistula destroys dross; fire-flame bush destroys fiery restlessness;
black thorn-apple [destroys] instability; the three myrobalans destroy aconite.
1.25
The three pungents destroy stone; caltrop [destroys] intolerance.
For each impurity, with a pala-fraction [of these], the mercury is [treated] there with sour gruel.
1.26
Liberated from all impurities, stripped of the seven sheaths,
this purified mercury is produced; one should employ it in all operations.
1.27
<Purification of mercury (2)>
Having placed mercury filtered through a fine cloth into a mortar, one should triturate it;
having taken it out, the wise man should wash it with sour gruel in an earthen vessel.
1.28
Adding sulphur equal to one-tenth part of the mercury, one should triturate it
for a yāma with the juice of citron, and sublime it in a sublimation apparatus.
1.29
It should be triturated again and sublimed again, seven times for thorough purification.
For all mercury, trituration in a heated mortar is appropriate.
1.30
<Heated mortar>
One should place goat dung, chaff, and fire—these three—into a pit in the ground;
the mortar set above it is remembered as a heated mortar.
1.31
<Purification of mercury>
One should triturate the mercury for a day with aloe and powder of turmeric;
one should sublime it in a sublimation apparatus: the mercury will become thoroughly purified.
1.32
<Purification of mercury>
With sandalwood, Himalayan cedar, kākatuṇḍī, and the juice of jayā,
having added the juice of karkoṭī, musalī, and aloe, one should triturate it.
1.33
One should triturate it for one day, and afterwards employ the purified [substance].
<Purification of mercury>
Alternatively, one should extract mercury from cinnabar; that is now described:
1.34
Cinnabar triturated for a day with the juice of citron and lime;
by means of an upward sublimation apparatus, spotless mercury is to be obtained.
1.35
Freed from the sheaths and [impurities] such as lead and tin in alchemical operations,
even without the eight processes, this mercury performs all tasks.
1.36
This opinion of all the adepts has been spoken, performing supreme and wondrous purification of mercury;
requiring little procedural effort yet granting abundant perfection, it is indeed praised in the transformation of body and metals.
1.37
Whoever indeed consumes the king of quicksilver devoid of processing, it causes harm to him;
it produces destruction of the body, manifold leprosy, distress, and diseases in men.
Linked texts (1)
- Rasamañjarī — Śālinātha, Sanskrit