A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c49.s1.40

v3.c49.s1.40

King Rāmacandra is said to have distinguished eight kinds of iron: sāmānya, krauñca, kāliṅga, bhadra, vajra, pāṇḍi, nīrava and kānta (III, 4–5). The three usual types of iron are described: muṇḍa, tīkṣṇa and kānta. The three varieties of muṇḍa are mṛdu, kuṇṭha and kaḍāra (III, 6); the six varieties of tīkṣṇa are khara, sāra, hṛnnāla, tārāpaṭṭa, vajraka and kālalauha (III, 7); the five varieties of kānta are bhrāmaka, cumbaka, karṣaka, drāvaka and romakānta (III, 14–15). Curved lines on the surface of steel are called pogara (III, 8–9). Plants helpful in the killing of iron are gaṇḍinikā (also called sālahañcī, haritaparṇī and martakalambukā), kuṭhāracinna, vikaṅkata and raktamāriṣa (III, 63–64). One method of killing iron, resulting in a product called sudhāsāgaralauha, has to be continued for 4,380 days and requires the juice of 4,380 different plants (III, An apparatus called bhṛṣṭayantra is employed in one of the operations leading to the killing of lead (III, 132). Rītikā (brass) is of two varieties: rājarītikā, consisting of two parts of copper and one part of zinc, and brahmārīti or kākatuṇḍī, an alloy of copper, zinc, and lead (III, 141). The alloy called triloha is composed of twenty-five parts of gold, sixteen parts of silver, and ten parts of copper (III, 152).