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Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c45.s1: Technical Terms Related to Mineral and Metal Processing

Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c45.s1

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Technical Terms Related to Mineral and Metal Processing

v2.c45.s1.1

Sri Vāgbhaṭa compiled in *RRS* many details regarding gems, non-gem minerals, metals, alloys, metallic transformations (*lohavedha*) and the transformations of body tissues (*dehavedha*). For the conversion of minerals to a pharmaceutical recipe, acceptable to the body, several steps had been envisaged: purification (*śodhana*), incineration (*māraṇa*), metallic extraction (*satvapātana*), liquefaction (*druti*), etc.

v2.c45.s1.2

*Śodhana* by acidic (*amla*) and/or alkaline (*kṣāra*) material (8.59-8.60) was designed to remove the toxic material. *Satva* was defined as the metallic extract:

v2.c45.s1.3

क्षार अम्लद्रावयुक्तं धमातम् आकरकोष्ठके।
यस्ततो निर्गतः सारः सत्वम् इति अभिधीयते।।
*kṣāra amladrāvayuktam dhmātam ākarakoṣṭhake |*
*yastato nirgataḥ sāraḥ satvam iti abhidhīyate ||*
(*RRS*, 8.34)

v2.c45.s1.4

White flame at the time metal is released is called *śuddhāvarta*:

v2.c45.s1.5

शुद्धावर्तस्तदा ज्ञेयः स कालः सत्वनिर्गमे। *śuddhāvartastadā jñeyaḥ sa kālaḥ satvanirgame* | (*RRS*, 8.56)

v2.c45.s1.6

*Bījāvarta* is the characteristic colour of flame when the metal produced is about to melt (8.57). The metal could be cooled in the furnace (*svāṅga śīta*) or outside, *bahiḥśīta* (8.58).

v2.c45.s1.7

*Māraṇa* means killing or oxidation of metal from which metal can be regenerated (*utthāpana*) (8.39). If the metal is oxidised irreversibly, then it is called *apunarbhava* (8.29). Removal of a metallic impurity by blowing through a bent pipe (*vaṅkanāla*) in a way it is converted to an oxide scum is called *tāḍana* (8.32).

v2.c45.s1.8

*Ḍhālana* meant pouring of molten metal. *Capala* meant easy-melting oxide of lead or *nāga*, tin or *vaṅga*, etc. (8.41-8.44).

v2.c45.s1.9

The concepts of alloy (*miśraloha*) and heat-treatment were first put into literature by Somadeva in his *Rasendra Cūḍāmaṇi*, and *RRS* followed Somadeva. *Nirvāpana* or *nirvāhana* was defined as the art of putting one metal into another through *vaṅkanāla* (8.24-8.25). This was probably practised by introducing zinc vapour into molten copper to make brass. Addition of foreign substance to molten metal was also known as *āvāpa* or *prativāpa* (8.52).

v2.c45.s1.10

Two different procedures of quenching were described. *Abhiṣeka* meant pouring of water all around on a (molten) metal. Dipping of hot metal in liquid or water was known as *nirvāpa* or *svapana*:

v2.c45.s1.11

सलिलस्य परिक्षेपः सः अभिषेकः इति स्तुतः।
तपस्त्य अप्सु विनिक्षेपो निर्वापः स्वपनं च तत्।।
*salilasya parikṣepaḥ saḥ abhiṣekaḥ iti stutaḥ* |
*taptasya apsu vinikṣepo nirvāpaḥ svapanam ca tat* ||
(*RRS* 8.53-54)

v2.c45.s1.12

Some of the technical terms were specifically related to mercury. This liquid metal was purified by *pātana* or distillation, which involved ‘movement of vapour upwards, downwards and obliquely from the distillation equipment and thus removal from impurities such as tin and lead’:

v2.c45.s1.13

मर्दित पारदस्य यन्त्रस्थितस्य
उर्ध्व अधश्च तिर्यक्।
निर्यातनं पातनं संज्ञं उक्तम्
वंगाहि सम्पर्क कंचुकघ्ननम्।।

v2.c45.s1.14

mardita pāradasya yantrasthitasya
urdhvaṃ adhaśca tiryak ।
niryātanaṃ pātanaṃ samjñam uktam
vaṅgāhi samparka kañcukaghṇanam ॥
(RRS, 8.64)

v2.c45.s1.15

Mercury used to be converted to oxide or sulphide or solid amalgam ‘in which fluidity was lost’ (naṣṭa piṣṭa). Viḍa was the treatment with kṣāra, amla, gandhaka, lavaṇa, etc. prior to grāsa or jārana, or amalgamation of metal with mercury (8.67, 8.84). Vedhana or transmutation of base metals to silver or gold was expected by pasting mercury (lepa vedha) on the base metal, or by putting mercury into the molten base metal (kṣepa vedha). Iatro-chemistry had not yet snapped its extravagant alchemical roots.

v2.c45.s1.16

RRS contains a wide-ranging list of implements and equipments to be used in the alchemical laboratory (chapters 5 and 7). Several kinds of crucibles and furnaces (mūṣā, koṣṭhi, puṭa) were described (chapters 5, 9 and 10). The author, Śrī Vāgbhaṭa, openly acknowledged that his predecessor, Somadeva had collected most of the technical terms and their lucid descriptions from the earlier texts of Rasaśāstra, and thus ‘prepared a garland of jewels to be worn in an assembly of scholars’:

v2.c45.s1.17

स्फुटतर परिभाषां रत्नानि हुत्वा . . .
. . . कण्ठमालाम् . . . मण्डनार्थ सभयाम्।
sphuṭatara paribhāṣāṇām ratnāni hutvā . . .
. . . kaṇṭhamālām . . . maṇḍanārtha sabhāyām ।
(RRS, 8.98)

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