Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c44.s4: The Yavanajātaka
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c44.s4
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The Yavanajātaka
v2.c44.s4.1
Ever since Alexander's invasion and particularly after the decline of the Maurya empire, the Greeks or Ionians, known in India as the Yavanas intruded into India and interacted with the Indians. Some of them contributed to the cultural life and the scientific pursuits in the sub-continent.
v2.c44.s4.2
Yavaneśvara and Sphujidhvaja were Indianised Greeks settled in the domains of the Western Kṣatrapas in Gujarat, Mālwā and Rajasthan. The date of Yavaneśvara corresponds to the middle of the reign of Rudradaman I, the greatest of the Western Śakas. Yavaneśvara’s Greek book on astrology and mineralogy (AD 150) was translated one century later into Sanskrit text Yavanajātaka by Sphujidhvaja (AD 270). An English translation of the same has been provided by David Pingree (1978).
v2.c44.s4.3
It may be noted that both Nāgārjuna and Yavaneśvara belonged to the second half of the second century AD. As a matter of fact, the Sātavāhana King Gautamīputra Sātakarṇi claimed to have come into conflict with the Śakas and Yavanas of Kāṭhiāwār and Mālwā. Thus, the book Yavanajātaka reflects the state of knowledge on minerals and metals prevalent in India during Nāgārjuna’s time.
v2.c44.s4.4
The verses 7-15 in the chapter 62 of the text of Yavanajātaka contain references to minerals and metals. The word dhātu was used to indicate metals as well as minerals. Dhātus were known to belong to two categories: dhāmya (bright) and adhāmya (dull). Dhāmya lohas (metals) were known to be of six types: suvarṇa, raupya, trapu (tin), sīsā (lead), tāmra (copper) and kṛṣṇāyas (iron). Mauktika (pearl), yukta (alloy) and śastram (steel) also belonged to the dhāmya (bright) category.
v2.c44.s4.5
Some of the dull materials or adhāmya dhātu listed were: manaḥśilā (red arsenic), hiṅgulaka (cinnabar), amlaśāla (acidic sorrel), saurāṣṭrajāta (some mineral earth from Saurāṣṭra or Gujarat), rasaka (calamine or zinc ore), paṅka (ointments), añjana (unguents), bālikayā samāna (powdery stuff). Śilā and āla were abbreviations of manaḥśilā (red arsenic sulphide) and haritāla (yellow arsenic sulphide) respectively.
v2.c44.s4.6
Some of the materials and minerals having varieties of uses including medicinal were: śarkarā (sugar or sand), kāsīsa (green sulphate of iron), mṛd (clay), kardama (slime), gairika (red chalk, iron ore?), tāpya (sulphuret of iron), mākṣika (pyrite), etc.
v2.c44.s4.7
It is noteworthy that Yavaneśvara mentioned rasaka or calamine, a zinc ore which was available in the Gujarat-Rajasthan area and, as stated by Nāgārjuna, was used for making brass.
Linked texts (1)
- Vṛddhayavanajātaka — Mīnarāja, Sanskrit