[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Medicine](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med) › [Alchemy and Iatrochemistry](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa) › [Metallurgical alchemy and transmutation into gold](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada) › [Rasādhyāya](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt) › 161\_169 # Rasadhyaya 161\_169 English (machine translation) 161\_169 - **Language:** English ### [161\_169](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt.161_169) Here, a pit built of clods like a well, of the size of a cubit's forearm, smeared with a wash of plaster or smeared with lime accompanied by molasses, when dried, / is called this apparatus named bhūdhara. / Then, in an earthen or bell-metal saucer smeared with glass, having cast mercury that has digested gold amalgam as well as a powder of purified sulphur in a sixteenth part, having placed over the opening an earthen cup smeared with glass, and having smeared it with rag and clay, one should place that saucer-capsule inside the earth-apparatus and kindle a fierce fire. / And the nature of purified sulphur is to be learned from the mouth of a guru. / Because in this whole treatise, as elsewhere too, purified sulphur alone is the two-fold root seed \[...\]. / For this very reason, it should be known that this method of purifying sulphur is concealed everywhere. / And if calcined-and-digested with defective sulphur, the task is not accomplished; thus the purification of sulphur must be understood from the mouth of a guru. / Likewise, when the sixteenth part of sulphur previously cast in is digested, one should again add a sixteenth part of sulphur \[...\], place the earthen cup, and kindle a fierce fire. / And thus, when purified sulphur six times \[the weight of\] the mercury is digested, the mercury becomes exceedingly red. / And having smeared silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, brass, and bell-metal—these seven metals—with that mercury and melted them, they become fifteen\[-carat\] gold. / Thus ends the fifth \[process\], the calcination-digestion of sulphur for mercury that has digested gold amalgam. - [Previous: 161\_168](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt.161_168) - [Next: 162](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt.162) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt.161_169](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.rasa.dhatuvada.rasadhyaya~en-mt.161_169) · Pramāṇa