Anandakanda 2.8

English (machine translation) 2.8

Language: English

2.8.1

Āk, 2, 8
The venerable Bhairava spoke:
In the great ocean, in a river, on a mountain, or in a forest,
is the source of gems, O goddess, by virtue of the receptacle.

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In them arise gems that dispel defects caused by evil spirits, poisons, serpents, and diseases,
and likewise defective ones.

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Arising from what is corrupted and injured by living organisms,
they accumulate defects and are depleted of the excellence of virtues.

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Māṇikya, śoṇaratna, ratnarāj, raviratnaka,
śṛṅgārin, raṅgamāṇikya, tarala, ratnanāyaka,

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rāgadṛś, padmarāga, ratna, śoṇopala,
saugandhika, lohitaka, kuruvinda, and śarenduka [are its names].

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Ruby is called padmarāga, and the second is nīlagandhi.
Having the hue of a lotus petal, clear, glossy, heavy, distinct,

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with a round, elongated, and symmetrical body, that ruby is pronounced the best.
Gems completely purified through examination should always be worn by a king

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who desires welfare, prosperity, and fame.
Therefore, their examination and so forth is stated according to the treatises.

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That which is located in Siṃhala, Kālapura, Andhra, and Tumburu—
fourfold is its source-region in the origin of ruby.

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In Siṃhala it is red, the unexcelled padmarāga.
Arising in Kālapura, it is yellow, traditionally known as kuruvinda.

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In Andhra it has the hue of an aśoka sprout, [called] saugandhika, my dear.
In Tumburu its hue is slightly blue, and it is called nīlagandhi.

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Ruby should be known as middling in an intermediate [place], according to differences of region.
Four qualities of ruby have been proclaimed by the eminent sages:

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glossy luster, heaviness, clarity, and intense redness.
Ruby is appetizing, aphrodisiac, and dispels afflictions of kapha, vāta, and wasting.

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It destroys spirits, vetālas, and sins, and eliminates diseases born of karma.
Ruby is exceedingly meritorious and brings supreme good fortune.

It dispels all bhūtas, grahas, madness, and poison, and maximally overcomes defects.
Muktā, saumyā, mauktika, śauktikeya, tāra, tārā, śauktika, tārakā,
ambhaḥsāra, śītala, nīraja, nakṣatra, induratna, valakṣa,

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muktāphala, binduphala, muktā, śaukteyaka, śuktimaṇi, śaśipriya,
svaccha, hima, haimavata, śubhra, sudhāṃśuratna, and the name bhasaṃkhyaka [are synonyms of pearl].

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The pearl gem clearly arises from eight places: the belly of elephants, serpents, fish, boars, the heads [of clouds], bamboo, conch shells, and oyster shells.
Its lusters are pale-red, blue, yellow, and white; even there, generally,
seven of them are not commonly obtained, but the oyster-born one is abundant.

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Resembling a star, utterly pure, detached, glossy, large, spotless, free of blemishes,
and maintaining weight on the scales—that priceless pearl bestows happiness.

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Pearl is sweet, very cooling, pacifies eye diseases, and removes poison;
it destroys the aggravation of pulmonary consumption and increases depleted semen, strength, and nourishment.

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Pearl is cooling, unctuous, clear, and enhances luster.

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It dispels burning sensations, thirst, vertigo, fainting, bleeding disorders, fever, and poisons.
Beneficial to the eyes, conquering wind, blood, bile, and poisons, gladdening all the sense faculties, pacifying thirst, burning, fever, grief, and delusion, cold, destroying fatigue, wholesome,
auspicious, benevolent, prolonging life, granting fortune and luster, pearl worn as a necklace is the source of all that; the moon is pleased [by it].

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Pravāla, aṅgārakamaṇi, vidruma, ambhodhipallava,

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bhaumaratna, raktāṅga, raktāṅkura, and latāmaṇi [are synonyms of coral].
The auspicious creeper that grows at the Cause-way in the midst of the ocean,

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named vidruma, is bright red, rare, and radiant in appearance.
Becoming hard by maturation, it attains stoniness.

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That red [stone] is called pravāla; it grants color, good fortune, and luster.
Complete, clear, glossy in appearance, round, radiant, uniform, heavy,

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with a colored body, solid, and dense—such coral is pronounced the best.
Resembling a ripe bimba fruit, similar to a hibiscus flower,

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and possessing the hue of a parrot's beak, that coral is exceedingly beautiful.
Resembling an autumn cloud, fragmented, thin, crooked, rough, hollow,

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perforated, black, and extremely light—such coral produces defects.
One should abandon inauspicious coral that is white in color or pervaded by water.

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Soft, glossy, deep red vidruma coral is beneficial;
it brings wealth and grain, enhances intellect, and destroys fear of poisons and serpents.

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Coral is sweet and sour, eliminates defects such as kapha and pitta,
produces semen and radiance, and when worn by women brings auspiciousness.

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Marakata, rauhiṇeya, gārutmanta, harinmaṇi,
sauparṇa, garuḍodgīrṇa, budharatna, aśmagarbhaja,

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garalāri, vāyavīrya, gāruḍa, and rudrasaṃmita [are synonyms of emerald].
In the sea of the Turkish realm, on Mount Samīrārohaṇa,

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that region, dark with its shade, became a mine of emeralds.
From its peculiarities, emerald is produced endowed with defects and virtues.

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Its defects are remembered as sevenfold, its virtues as fivefold,
and eightfold is the hue of the emerald gem.

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Lacking gloss, dry as it is called, with blisters, pimples,
swollen, lusterless, pale, and dirty,

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gritty, stony, coarse, streaked with filaments,
variegated in color, and mottled—[such an emerald] causes all kinds of dread.

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It is declared to be spotless, clear, heavy—endowed with weight— / oily, free from roughness, devoid of dust, and free of grit;

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having rich color and abundant luster: these are remembered as its five qualities. / Endowed with these, emerald removes all evil, supremely so.

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Emerald is counter-poisonous, cooling, sweet in taste, / cures pitta humor combined with āma, stimulates appetite, promotes nourishment, and destroys spirits.

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Oily and clear, emerald removes all defects and is auspicious; / it grants beauty and good fortune, improves memory, and expels spirits, demonic grasps, and poison.

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Yellow [sapphire] is puṣparāga, and also yellow quartz, yellow gem, / yellow stone, Jupiter's gem, yellow jewel, and puṣyarāga.

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Slightly yellow, without dull shade, clear, and enchanting in its brilliance: / [such a] gem is known as puṣyarāga by gem-evaluators.

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Golden in luster, rounded at its crest, spotless like the fire's glowing coal, / yellow-bodied, heavy, and oily: [such a] topaz is praised.

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Rough, flawed, light, white, black, excessively pale, gritty, / dirty, and marked with specks: [such a] puṣparāga gem is not commended.

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Puṣyarāga is sour and cooling, overcomes vāta humor, and supremely kindles [the digestive fire]; / through its wearing, it brings longevity, prosperity, and wisdom to mortals.

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Puṣyarāga is auspicious, promotes intellect, grants wealth, good fortune, and renown; / it produces eloquence of speech, is beneficial to the heart, removes poison, and supremely conquers defects.

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Vajra is called indrāyudha, vīra, bhidura, kuliśa, pavi, / abhedya, asira, ratna, dṛḍha, and bhārgavaka.

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Clear, radiant like lightning, oily, beautiful, light, scratch-resistant, / six-pointed, sharp-edged, and with perfectly proportioned facets, it bestows prosperity.

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Pauṇḍra, Mataṅga, the Himālayas, Saurāṣṭra, Supāra, Kosala, Kaliṅga, / and the banks of the Peṇṇā river: these are taught as the eight diamond mines.

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Darkish is that originating from Prapauṇḍra; slightly yellow is born from Mount Mataṅga; / coppery comes from the Himālayas and Saurāṣṭra; black in luster is from Saupāra;

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possessing the hue of a blooming siris blossom is born in Kosala; golden in luster is from Kaliṅga; / they say that diamond born on the banks of the Peṇṇā river resembles the moon.

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The regions of Kaliṅga and Kosala, Mount Mataṅga and the Himālayas, / Saurāṣṭra, Pauṇḍraka, Kauvera, and Sūpāraka—

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in the ages beginning with Kṛta, these are remembered as the sources of diamonds. / Regarding diamond sources themselves, a pit-mine, a riverbed, and surface-deposit: [these three]

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are designated, O Queen of the Gods, as the threefold place of origin. / The points, sides, and edges are six, eight, and twelve;

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thus possessing clear and sharp edges and points, they state the merits of diamond. / Dirt, a dot, a hairline crack, internal strain, and a crow's foot:

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these are declared to be the five defects residing in diamonds. / Unpurified diamond will cause leprosy, burning sensations, heaviness of the limbs,

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pain in the chest and flanks, and jaundice; therefore its purification is stated: / taking a white diamond, one should place it inside a tuber of vyāghrīkanda;

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smearing it with female buffalo dung, one should cook it over a fire of dried cow dung; / taking it out after a day and night, one should sprinkle it with horse urine.

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Cooked thus again and again, it is purified after seven nights. / With meghanādā, śamī, śyāmā, śṛṅgī, and madanaka,

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horse gram, vetasa, agastya, sindhuvāra, and ākhukarṇikā: / a decoction prepared again of these with horse urine;

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placing the diamond in a jambīra [lime] with horse urine, one should cook it for three days / by means of the swing-apparatus method; thereupon it attains purification.

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One should cook it in a swing-apparatus with decoctions of horse gram and kodrava; / the diamond placed inside a vyāghrīkanda tuber attains purification after a week.

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Placing a decoction of horse gram and kodrava, horse urine, and milky juice of snuhī / into a vessel, one should cook in it the diamond lodged inside a vyāghrīkanda tuber

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in a swing-apparatus for a day and night; extracting it, one should deposit it again / inside a vajrakanda; coating the tuber with clay, one should cook it in an elephant-pit.

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That, cooked and sprinkled with digestive liquids, attains purification. / The diamond lodged inside a vyāghrīkanda tuber, coated with clay, one should cook in an incinerator;

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taking it out after a day and night, one should sprinkle it with horse urine, / or one should sprinkle it with the milky juice of vajrī: one should thus kill that which is purified.

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The killing of purified diamond of the Brahmin and other classes will be explained: / grinding together peepal, jujube, bhaṇḍī, mākṣika, and crab bone

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in equal parts with the milky juice of snuhī, one should coat the inside of a crucible; / into the middle of it one should cast the diamond, and thereafter with those medicaments,

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having carefully covered the diamond, one should then seal the crucible; / then one should heat it with the large pit called elephant-pit.

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A diamond of the Brahmin class succeeds with a single pit-heating. / Oleander, meṣaśṛṅgī, cinnabar, and udumbara:

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grinding [them] equally with milky juice of arka, one should insert [the diamond] into a ball made from that; / a diamond of the Kṣatriya class should definitely be killed as described before.

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One should grind equally on a stone elephant foot yam, garlic, and conch shell; / one should also grind balā, atibalā, sulphur, and tortoise bone;

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one should cast [the diamond] into a ball made from that with the milky juice of uttarāvāruṇī; / a diamond of the Vaiśya class will become killed in the same manner as before.

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One should grind equally on a stone elephant foot yam, garlic, conch shell, and realgar; / in a ball prepared from that with milky sap of the banyan tree, one should cook as before,

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By this means, a diamond of the Śūdra class is properly killed. / Female and male diamonds are killed by their respective previously mentioned medicines.

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The killing of a neuter diamond occurs by medicines of all four classes. / <Killing of diamond (1)> / The general procedure for killing all diamonds will now be explained.

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Smearing purified diamond with the blood of bedbugs, one should blow on it [with a fire] again; / when it has the color of fire, one should throw it again and again into donkey's urine.

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Smeared and blown in this way, one should do this twenty-one times. / Having ground orpiment with bedbugs, one should place the diamond inside that ball.

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Sealing the crucible, one should blow strongly [with bellows and fire] and throw it into horse's urine. / Taking it out again, after seven such repetitions it becomes killed.

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<Killing of diamond (2)> / Ram's horn, snake bone, tortoise shell, śilājatu, / sulphur, loadstone, Sesbania flowers, together with orpiment,

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the three alkalis, the five salts, Gymnema sylvestre, bitter apple, / Cissus quadrangularis, Ipomoea reniformis, jujube and [its] buds,

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mouse dung, breast milk, milky sap of Euphorbia and Calotropis, bedbugs, / the whole plant of śarapuṅkhā, and bones of donkey and ram,

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peṭārī seeds, menstrual blood, pigeon droppings, realgar, / flowers of Psoralea corylifolia, and the whole plant of timira,

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the whole plant of the Emblic myrobalan tree, gorambhā, horse urine, / haṃsapādī, vajrakanda, fruit of Solanum indicum, elephant foot yam,

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gojihvā, crab flesh, and the group of urines should be combined. / All of these together, or individually as available, should be rolled well into a ball.

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One should place the diamond inside that ball, put it into a blind crucible, and roast it. / Having ground horse gram and kodo millet, one should stir it into horse urine.

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Into that [mixture] one should quench the hot crucible taken out of the roasting fire. / In this way one should do it again and again for twenty-one times.

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Taking out that diamond again, one should place it in a ball / of orpiment ground with bedbugs, seal the crucible, and blow it in an intense fire.

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Blown in this manner seven times, one should quench it in horse urine. / By following this procedure, it is certainly killed.

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When killed, one should powder it in a mortar; this is proclaimed as a tested recipe. / <Killing of diamond (3)> / Attracting loadstone, killed copper pyrites, peṭālī seeds, borax,

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milky sap of bitter apple, sulphur, orpiment, realgar, / tamarind seed, Gymnema sylvestre, menstrual blood, and sorrel,

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the whole plant of śarapuṅkhā, hare's tooth, śilājatu— / all of these or singly as available, one should pulverize well.

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One should grind them with the milky saps of Euphorbia, Calotropis, and bitter apple, and with human breast milk. / One should place the diamond inside that ball, seal it firmly, and blow [with fire].

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Guḍūcī, rock salt, asafoetida, along with nutgrass and bitter apple / ground with a decoction of horse gram, should be added into that decoction.

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Placing that diamond into the ball as before, sealing it, one should blow it thus; / one should perform this, ending with quenching, twenty-one times.

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One should blow it again seven times with a paste of orpiment and bedbugs, / and quench it with horse urine; that diamond is killed without doubt.

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<Killing of diamond (4)> / Taking the root of a three-year-old cotton plant, one should grind it; / or with a three-year-old betel plant, one should grind it in its own juices.

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One should place the diamond inside that ball, seal it, and bake it in an elephant puṭa. / Baked in this way with seven puṭas, it is accomplished by each one.

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<Killing of diamond (5)> / Having ground orpiment, green vitriol, Saurāṣṭra clay, / and ash of Achyranthes aspera with a decoction of horse gram, into that [liquid]

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one should throw the well-heated diamond twenty-one times; it is killed, there is no doubt here. / [Killing of diamond (6)] / One should grind sorrel together with ash of vaikrānta.

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One should place the diamond inside that ball, put it in a blind crucible, and blow it [with fire]. / One should quench it with horse urine and place it again in the previous ball.

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Sealed, blown, and quenched again, one should do this twenty-one times. / It is killed, there is no doubt here; one may employ it in all alchemical preparations.

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<Killing of diamond (7)> / Grinding for a moment powder of loadstone with the milky sap of bitter apple, / and placing the diamond into that ball, one should cook it for a day

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in human oil with sulphur oil; it is killed, there is no doubt here. / <Killing of diamond (8)> / Next, one should grind earthworm and sulphur with woman's breast milk.

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One should cook the diamond placed in that ball in the aforementioned oil; it will be killed. / <Killing of diamond (9)> / Having ground vimalā with the milky sap of Euphorbia, one should place in that ball

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the diamond; sealing the dried crucible, one should blow it with a fierce fire. / Quenching it in horse's urine, one should take out the diamond.

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In this manner one should do it seven times. Then, having ground orpiment / with bedbugs into a ball, one should place the diamond in it and seal the crucible.

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Blown and quenched as before, it is killed after seven times. / <Killing of diamond (10)> / Smearing the diamond repeatedly with bedbug blood, one should put it in the hot sun.

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When dried it is smeared, and dried again, for a period of seven days. / One should quench it repeatedly with the juices of Evolvulus alsinoides and peṭākārī.

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Heated and heated, that diamond is killed after a hundred times. / <Killing of diamond (11)> / Powdered sulphur should be macerated with menstrual blood seven times.

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Again, it is mixed with menstrual blood; the diamond, thoroughly heated, / should be quenched into that and heated, for twenty-one times; it becomes killed.

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<Killing of diamond (12)> / Placing the diamond inside a large river-pearl shell, it is to be macerated repeatedly / in the sun with each of the juices of Euphorbia, Calotropis, and fine aloe.

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Wrapped around again with the ground meat of a black crab, / and properly held with earthworm soil, it turns into ash.

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<Killing of diamond (13)> / Wrapped with ground roots of red radish and flower buds of Amaranthus tricolor, / and blown [with fire], the diamond becomes fully reduced to ash.

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<Killing of diamond (14)> / Placing the diamond inside a citron fruit, sealing it, and smearing it outside with clay, / one should cook it in a puṭa; taking it out, one should bake it in that way in a hundred puṭas.

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<Softening of diamond (1)> / Smeared with the juices of nāgaparṇī and wrapped in its leaf, / kept between the knees for one yāma, that diamond becomes soft.

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<Softening of diamond (2)> / One should place the diamond inside a castor seed, / or placed inside a lime, one should cook it for a day in a swing apparatus (dolāyantra)

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in a decoction of horse gram and kodo millet, or in a decoction of the three myrobalans. / Taking it out after a day and night, one should place it again inside a lime.

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or inserting it inside a seed of mātṛvāhaka, one should cook it as before; / it must be inserted again, cooked again, and extracted at the end of three days.

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One should gather sprouts of jujube, banyan, and neem; / grinding [them], one should deposit inside that ball the diamond cooked previously;

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wrapping that ball in a peepal leaf and placing it between one's knees, / or keeping it in the armpit for a day, it certainly becomes softened.

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One should rub mercury and fine iron powder with sour gruel for a day; / one should place the diamond inside that ball and wrap it on the outside with thread;

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wrapped in betel leaves, it is deposited inside a heap of grain; / extracting it at the end of a month, one should smear it with the juices of the betel vine.

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Wrapped in its leaves and placed between the knees, it becomes soft. / <Softening of diamond (4)> / Either the opening of a lodestone, or powder originating from lodestone iron,

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one should grind together with quicksilver combined with sour liquid for one day. / One should place the diamond inside that ball, along with neem, cotton, and kodo millet

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leaves thoroughly ground into a paste, and then wrapped in betel leaves. / Placed between the knees, at the end of a day it becomes soft.

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<Softening of diamond (5)> / One should place the diamond inside a castor plant or inside its fruit. / Extracting it after precisely one month, [one keeps it] between the knees as before;

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at the end of the day the diamond becomes tender; there is no doubt in this. / <Softening of diamond (6)> / One should insert into the mouth [of a frog] the diamond wrapped in partridge meat.

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One should bind the mouth of that very large frog with thread, / bury it in the earth to a depth of one cubit, and dig it up after a month.

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Enclosing the frog in a crucible, one should calcine it thoroughly in an elephant pit. / Placed in the previous ball and held between the knees for a day, that diamond

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becomes veritable diamond mush; afterwards, taking it, one should employ it. / The killing of all diamond mushes should be done as before.

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<Liquefaction of diamond> / The three alkalies, asafetida, chickpea acid, and sorrel, / jvālāmukhī, ikṣuraka, and the fruits of sthalakumbhī,

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having ground [these] finely with the milky sap of snuhī and arka, one should place in that ball / the thoroughly purified diamond; binding it tightly in cloth, one should boil it vigorously

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in sour grain wash by means of a swing apparatus; it becomes liquefied after eight months. / Or, having placed the confined diamond inside a cissus vine,

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and placed it in a vessel of sour gruel, sprinkled with it, it liquefies in seven days. / Calx, mush, and liquefied diamond—thus threefold is diamond killing;

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it is declared to effect the fixation of mercury by Nāgārjuna and his followers. / <Properties of diamond> / Diamond is endowed with the six tastes and removes all diseases;

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it pacifies all sins, brings comfort, gives firmness to the body, and is a rejuvenation therapy. / Diamond is the foremost of gems, auspicious, increasing fortune and prosperity,

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giving long life, conferring fortune and vigor, bestowing fame, conquering all wickedness; / it produces longevity, strength, bodily comfort, beautiful form, and luster;

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consumed when killed, it cures diseases without doubt. / <Sapphire> / Nīla is the gem of Saturn, blue stone, blue jewel,

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blue gem, grass-attractor, great sapphire, and bright sapphire. / The sapphire gem is of four kinds based on caste divisions.

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<Sapphire:: subtypes:: caste> / The Brahmin is white in hue; the red belongs to the Kṣatriya caste; / the yellow is of Vaiśya caste; that which has a black radiance is the Śūdra.

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<Qualities and defects of sapphire> / Resembling the color of indigo juice, resembling the flower of vaiṣṇavī, / like the flower of the lavalī tree, possessing the luster of a blue water lily,

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like the flower of flax, with the radiance of a blue roller's wing, / bearing a splendor identical to the flower of the black trikarṇikā,

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having the fine hue of a peacock's neck, also resembling Śambhu's neck, / having the color of Viṣṇu's body, possessing the brilliance of a black bee's wing—

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these hues bring auspiciousness to the great gem of sapphire. / Heaviness, an unctuous luster, rich coloration, radiance spreading to the sides,

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and attraction of grass—these five are proclaimed as its virtues. / Not cloudy, flawless in body, smooth, of weighty brilliance,

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attracting grass, soft, sapphire endowed with these characteristics is rare. / Sapphire is auspicious, praiseworthy, and an expeller of all sins;

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it bestows longevity, fame, strength, wealth, and health. / Sapphire is slightly bitter, hot, and removes kapha, pitta, and vāta humors.

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For him who wears it on his body, Saturn becomes a granter of blessings. / <Hessonite> / Gomedaka is gomeda, the gem of Rāhu, the darkness stone,

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and the gem of Svarbhānu—this [gem] has six names, also yellow quartz. / That which resembles cow's urine, is soft, unctuous, hot, has a pure hue, possesses heaviness, / and is golden-red, suitable for the fortunate—the wise proclaim this gem as gomedaka.

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Having the hue of drops of honey, possessing a radiance like cow's urine and clarified butter,

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golden-red, heavy, clear, and unctuous—[such a] hessonite is auspicious. / White, black, lacking color, marred by cracks, streaks, and the like,

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rough, resembling a pāṭalā blossom—one should reject defective hessonite. / <Virtues of hessonite> / The hessonite gem improves intellect, confers fame, increases prosperity,

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is auspicious, generates beauty, is unctuous, and destroys all poisons. / Hessonite is sour, hot, and overcomes disorders caused by the aggravation of vāta humor;

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it stimulates the digestive fire and aids digestion; worn, it destroys sin. / <Chrysoberyl cat's-eye> / Vaiḍūrya is the gem of Ketu, born from the sprouted sound of the ether,

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the gem produced in the land of Viḍūra, and monsoon-born—it has these five names. / From the roar of the demon king, which resembled the incineration of the oceans agitated at the dissolution of the aeon, / vaiḍūrya arose, multicolored, the best of gems charming in splendor,

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not far from Mount Viḍūra which has towering cliffs,

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on the frontier of Koṅka and Cola; its mine is traditionally recorded there. / There, in response to the roar of that lord of Daityas, through the deep rumbles of clouds,

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vaiḍūrya gems arise at the arrival of the rainy season. / That which resembles white clouds or smoke, slightly dark or white,

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is declared as vaiḍūrya by examiners of gem colors. / Having a luster like a bamboo leaf, a cat's eye, or the neck of a peacock,

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smooth in body, heavy, and clear—[such a] vaiḍūrya is considered endowed with virtues. / Broken by streaks, light, dull, stony, like charcoal or mud,

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discolored, harsh, and dark—one should reject defective vaiḍūrya. / <Characteristics of vaiḍūrya> / Vaiḍūrya is bright, unctuous, and increases affection, life span, and strength;

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auspicious, by wearing it indeed it removes all planetary afflictions and poisons. / Vaiḍūrya is sour and hot, and destroys kapha and vāta humors;

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it relieves abdominal lumps and colicky pain, and worn as an ornament it brings auspiciousness. / <The five gems> / Ruby, pearl, diamond, sapphire, and emerald—

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these are declared as the five gems, which remove sins, misfortune, and poison. / <The nine gems> / Hessonite, topaz, cat's-eye, and coral—

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along with the five gems, one should designate these as the nine gems. / <Sunstone> / Now comes the sunstone: stone of the sun, heat-giver, sun-beloved, / shining stone, fire-wombed, flame stone, and sun gem—having eight names.

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<Quartz crystal> / Resembling white mica in color, like the moon on the snowy mountain.

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Clear and endowed with luster, crystal (sphaṭika) is said to be best.
In the Himālaya, in Siṃhala, and on the Vindhya and the bank of the Revā,

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in the place where rubies are produced, various kinds of crystal occur;
and among them one is the sunstone (sūryakānta), and likewise the other is the moonstone (candrakānta).

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By mere contact with the rays of the sun, it vomits forth fire that very instant;
that is named the sunstone, a crystal pierced by jewel[-power].

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The sunstone is hot, clear, and a rejuvenation therapy;
it removes vāta humor and phlegm humor, promotes intellect, and grants the favor of the sun when worshipped.

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Moonstone (candrakānta):
Indukānta, candrakānta, candrāśman, saṃsravopala,
śītāśman, candrikādrāva, and śaśikānta—it is of seven names.

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Unctuous, white, and yellow, it instils composure completely into the minds of sages;
and that which goes to liquefaction upon contact with moonbeams is this genuine gem called moonstone.

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The moonstone is cool, unctuous, destroys pitta humor, blood [disorders], and burning sensation;
it causes delight to Śiva, is pellucid, and averts evil planets, misfortune, and poison.

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Crystal (sphaṭika):
Sphaṭika, sitopala, amalamaṇi, tārakopala, and svaccha.
It has cool and hot potency, and destroys eye disease, pitta humor, and vāta humor, and cures swelling.

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The characteristics and other aspects of loadstone (kānta) were indeed spoken by me to you previously.
[Now,] vaikrānta, vikrānta, nīlavajra, kuvajraka,

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gonāsa, kṣudrakuliśa, cūrṇavajra, and gonasa.
It is white, red, yellow, blue, pigeon-colored,

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dark, black-colored, and variegated—it is of eight kinds indeed.
In the absence of diamond, however, vaikrānta is equal in taste, potency, and the like.

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Having eight corners, eight facets, six angles, smooth, heavy,
and endowed with pure or mixed colors, it is called vaikrānta.

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Steamed in a decoction of horsegram, vaikrānta is thoroughly purified;
with the three alkalis, five salts, fat, urine, sour gruel, and kodrava grains,

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along with equal parts of fish oil and ghee, horsegram combined with sour congee,
one should cook it placed inside a tuber of vyāghrī in a swing apparatus (dolikāyantra) for a week.

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Calx of vaikrānta:
Vaikrānta brought to glowing color certainly attains purity.
It should be sprinkled with horse urine, heated and reheated fourteen times.

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And then one should place it within a ball made of the five parts of uttaravāruṇī;
having sealed it in a crucible and cooked it in a pit of burning cow dung cakes (puṭa), one extracts it again, puts it into a ball,

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seals it, and heats it in a puṭa; thus in seven cycles it turns to ash.
Extraction of essence from vaikrānta (1):
One pala of vaikrānta and one pala of borax (ṭaṅkaṇa),

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should be soaked in the latex of calotropis for a day, and triturated with horse-radish tree juice for a day;
one should add one karṣa each of guñjā seeds, oilcake, and plumbago root (vahni).

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Having made a pill with this, one should blow strongly in a hearth apparatus (koṣṭhīyantra);
the essence produced from vaikrānta becomes like a conch, a kunda flower, or the moon.

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Extraction of essence from vaikrānta (2):
Vaikrānta and vajrakanda in equal parts, together with spurge (snuk) milk,
and buffalo butter with honey, one should triturate for a day.

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From blowing as before, the essence becomes like a cochineal insect (indragopa).
Extraction of essence from vaikrānta (3):
One should triturate powder of vandhyā together with an equal part of vaikrānta in the shade,

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with goat urine for one day; the essence becomes like silver.
Extraction of essence from vaikrānta (4):
Combined with sulfur and lemon juice, it is incinerated by eight puṭas;

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triturated with an essence-extracting formulation and rolled into a pill,
blown in a crucible for one ghaṭikā, vaikrānta releases its essence.

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Liquefaction of vaikrānta:
White vaikrānta macerated with amlavetasa,
liquefies thoroughly in harsh sun within seven days, of this there is no doubt.

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Screw-pine (ketakī) juice, copper sulfate (tuttha), rock salt, svarṇapuṣpī,
and an equal measure of indragopa—one should deposit all these into a vessel.

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One should steam it therein for a week; the vaikrānta goes to liquefaction.
Bestowing long life, producing strength and complexion, extremely aphrodisiac, imparting wisdom, destroying the pride of all defects,
kindling the digestive fire, possessing properties equal to diamond, efficacious, vaikrānta truly builds the body and strengthens base metals.

Linked texts (1)

Ānandakanda — Sanskrit