Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c44.s6.t1: Rasārṇava — A Brāhmaṇical Tantra
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c44.s6.t1
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Rasārṇava — A Brāhmaṇical Tantra
v2.c44.s6.t1.1
Many of the early *Rasaśāstra* texts had been composed by the Mahāyāna Buddhists who maintained close links with the Brāhmaṇical tradition of *Tantra* and the Śiva-Pārvatī cult. With the flight of Buddhist monks and demolition of monasteries by the Muslim invaders, the Brāhmaṇical texts like *Rasārṇava* (*RNV*) of the twelfth century AD became very important.
v2.c44.s6.t1.2
*Rasārṇava* described a large number of equipment or apparatus, crucibles, furnace, etc. for processing of minerals, and metals. (Ray and Kaviratna, 1910, 1985) *Dolayantram* for example was an apparatus for steam-heating of suspended solids. Crucibles were made of different kinds of earth, iron-rust and burnt husks of paddy. Covered crucible resembled the nipple of a cow and were fitted with lids having raised heads. The flames were stated to be specifically coloured due to specific salts of copper, tin, lead, etc. (*RNV*, 49). The characteristic of molten pure metal in a crucible was described:
v2.c44.s6.t1.3
न विस्फुलिंगा न च बुद्बुदाश्च यदा न रेखापटलं न शब्दः।
मूषागतं रत्नसमं स्थिरश्च तदा विशुद्धं प्रवदन्ति लोहम्।।
*na visphuliṅgā na ca budbudāśca yadā na rekhāpaṭalaṃ na śabdaḥ* |
*mūsāgataṃ ratnasamaṃ sthiraśca tadā viśuddhaṃ pravadanti loham* ||
(*RNV*, 52-55)
v2.c44.s6.t1.4
A pure metal is that, which when melted in a crucible, does not give off sparks nor bubbles, nor spurts, nor emits any sound, nor shows any lines on the surface, but is tranquil like a gem (shows signs of tranquil fusion).
v2.c44.s6.t1.5
Procedures were described for making copper metal from mākṣika (RNV, 7.12-13), vimala (7.20-21) sasyaka (7.41-44) etc., the first two are pyrites bearing copper, and the third copper sulphate. The red copper metal was compared with coccinella insect: *indragopasaṅkāśam sattvam*. Rasārṇava repeated Nāgārjuna’s recipe for making zinc (from calamine or rasaka) the metal which is ‘like tin and converts copper to gold’ (actually to brass):
v2.c44.s6.t1.6
सत्वं कुटिलसंकाशं
करोति शुल्वं त्रिपुटेन कांचनम्।।
*satvam kutilasamkāśam* |
*karoti śulvam tripuṭena kāñcanam* ||
(*RNV*, 7.34-38)
v2.c44.s6.t1.7
Zinc ore (rasaka) was stated to impart gold-like colour to copper as well as lead and iron (RNV, 12.50). Preparation of a copper-zinc-lead alloy was described (RNV, 17.70-74).
v2.c44.s6.t1.8
Six metals were arranged in the order of increasing rate of corrosion:
v2.c44.s6.t1.9
सुवर्ण रजतं ताम्र तीक्ष्ण वंग भुजंगमाः।
लोहकं षड़िधं तच्च यथापूर्वं तदक्षयम्।।
*suvarṇam rajatam tāmra tīkṣṇa vaṅga bhujaṅgamāḥ* |
*lohakam ṣaḍidham tacca yathāpūrvam tadakṣayam* ||
(*RNV*, 7.89-90)
v2.c44.s6.t1.10
High reactivity of sulphur with most of the metals was described poetically: ‘There is no such elephant of a metal which cannot be killed by the lion of a sulphur or pyrites’.
v2.c44.s6.t1.11
नास्ति तल्लोहमातंगो यन्न गन्धककेशरी।
निहन्यात् गन्धमात्रेण यद्वा माक्षिककेशरी।।
*nāsti tallohamātaṅgo yanna gandhakakeśarī* |
*nihanyāt gandhamātreṇa yadvā mākṣikakeśarī* ||
(*RNV*, 7.142)
v2.c44.s6.t1.12
Metals were reported to be ‘killed’ (jārana) by materials like kāsīsa (green vitriol), sauvira (stibnite), sauvarcala (saltpetre), etc. (RNV, 9.2-3).
v2.c44.s6.t1.13
Rasārṇava mentioned three kinds of kṣāra or alkali: taṅkaṇa or borax, yavakṣāra (carbonate of potash in the ash of barley) and sarjikā or river bed sodium carbonate/bi-carbonate (5.35-36). Eight mahārasas (RNV, 7.2-3) included srotāñjana which was probably copper/antimony/cobalt sulphide, found on the banks of river and later colloquially known (in Rajasthan) as sohtā.
Linked texts (1)
- Rasārṇava — Sanskrit