A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c49.s6.11

v3.c49.s6.11

Chapter four (dhātuśodhanāmāraṇanirūpaṇa; 120 verses) is concerned with the purification and killing of the metals (dhātu or loha). The metals are said to be eight in number, but nine of them are enumerated: gold and silver, called śuddhaloha; copper and iron, called aśmasāra; lead and tin, called pūṭiloha; saurāṣṭra (= kāṃsya), rīti (= piṭṭala) and vartaka, the three alloys (sammiśraloha) (2–4ab). Various methods of purifying the metals and killing them are described. Two varieties of gold are distinguished, rasa and khanisaṃbhava, although three more varieties are referred to (4cd–5ab). Silver is of three types: khanija, sahaja and kṛtrima (21), copper of two types: nepāla and mlecchadeśaja (35cd). Iron is of three types: kānta, tīkṣṇavara and muṇḍa; four varieties of kāntaloha are described: romaka, bhrāmaka, cumbaka and drāvaka (57–62). Tin is of two types: khura and miśra (79ab). Two types of pittala are described: rītikā and kākaṭuṇḍikā (105cd–106). Kāṃsya is characterized as an alloy of copper (ravi) and tin (trapu) in a ratio of four to one (112cd–113ab), vartaloha as an alloy of iron, kāṃsya, copper (arka) and rīti (= pittala) (116ab); viḍaloha is mentioned as a synonym of vartaloha (116cd).