A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c48.s8.13

v3.c48.s8.13

Chapter two describes mica (ghana) as originating from Umā's yoni (6ab); mica is of four colours: white, yellow, red and black (6cd); two varieties only are distinguished: vajra and māṇḍūka (27).¹³ Mica is one of the eight (mahā)rasas:¹⁴ abhraka or ghana, vaikrānta, vimala, rasaka, śaila, mākṣika, darada (= hiṅgula), and sasyaka (19–20). Several varieties of vaikrāntaka are referred to (8cd). Vimala is of two kinds: white and yellow (11cd–12ab),¹⁵ rasaka of three kinds: mṛttikārasaka, guḍābha and pāṣāṇabha (12cd–13), śaila of four kinds, different in colour (14), mākṣika of two kinds: white and yellow (15ab), or of four types: kadambākāra, golakākāra, kāravellakasambha, and aṅgulīyaka (15cd–16), darada (cinnabar) of three types: camari,¹⁶ śukatuṇḍa and haṃsapāda (17), and sasyaka of one type (18ab).