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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c50: Chapter 8: Rasaratnākara

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c50

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English

Contents

Chapter 8: Rasaratnākara

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The Rasaratnākara by Nityanātha 1 is an important treatise on alchemy and iatrochemistry.

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Contents 2

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The Rasaratnākara is divided into five sections (khaṇḍa): (I) Rasakhaṇḍa, (II) Rasendrakhaṇḍa, (III) Vāda-, Vādi- or Rddhikhaṇḍa, (IV) Rasāyanakhaṇḍa, and (V) Mantrakhaṇḍa. 3

The Rasakhaṇḍa

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The Rasakhaṇḍa 4 (577 verses) consists of ten chapters (upadeśa). 5 Chapter one (rasapīṭhikā; 33 verses) opens with a maṅgala addressed to Caṇḍikā (i.e., a terrific form of Pārvatī) 6 and Candraśekhara (i.e., Śiva), followed by some verses on the five sections of the Rasaratnākara and those to whom they are addressed (1–6). The other subjects of chapter one are: the praise of mercury (7–14 and 23–24) and the iatrochemist (15), the usefulness of the book (16–22 and 25–26), the doṣas of naturally occurring mercury (27–29ab), the qualities of purified mercury (29cd–30), and the quantity to be taken for purification (31–33). The treatise is declared to be based on earlier works, the teachings of the author's guru and personal experience (16–22). Chapter two (rasaśodhanamāraṇa; 46 verses) describes the purification and killing of mercury. Four kinds of bhasman are produced by these processes: white, yellow, red, and black in colour. The māraṇauṣadhis are listed in this chapter (15–20). Chapter three (māraṇa; 46 verses) is about a better method of killing mercury; this type of killing is preceded by jāraṇā and the addition of a bīja (1–2). In order to achieve jāraṇā, mercury has to be provided with a ‘mouth’ (mukha) first (3–7ab), which process is called mukhakaraṇa. Killing of mercury is also possible, without giving a mukha to mercury (nirmukha), by adding a bīḍa; the way to prepare a bīḍa is described (13cd–18). The niyāmaka plants are enumerated, employed in the māraṇa, mūrchana and bandhana of mercury (34–41). The examination of mercurial bhasmans and their uses are dealt with (43cd–46). Chapter four (mūrchanādinirūpaṇa; 54 verses) is concerned with the mūrchana and bandha of mercury. The same chapter describes the preparation of hairayaṅgabhakarasa (29cd–30). The chapter ends with a verse on the daivī, mānuṣī and rākṣasī types of medical treatment (54), i.e., the treatment with rasas, with herbs and mantras, and with surgical methods.

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Chapter five (vajravaikrāntaśodhanamāraṇa; 49 verses) enumerates the uparasas: gandhaka, vajra, vaikrānta, 7 tālaka, (manaḥ)śilā, kharpara, śikhituttha, 8 vimalā, hemamākṣika, kāsīsa, kāntapāṣāṇa, varāṭī, hiṅgula, kaṅkuṣṭha, śaṅkha, bhūnāga, ṭaṅkaṇa, and śilājatu (1–2). Described are the purification and killing of sulphur (gandhaka; 4–9), diamonds (vajra; 10–46) and vaikrānta (47–49), as well as the varieties of diamonds, distinguished according to their colour: śveta (= brāhmaṇa), rakta (= kṣatriya), pīta (= vaiśya), and kṛṣṇa (= śūdra), or their gender: puruṣa, strī and napuṃsaka (16–23).

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Chapter six (abhrakaśodhanamāraṇa; 44 verses) gives an account of the four varieties of mica (abhraka), the purification of its best variety (vajrābhra), resulting in dhānyābhraka, 9 killing of dhānyābhraka, and the amṛtīkaraṇa of the bhasman.

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Chapter seven (sarvoparasasattvapātana; 56 verses) deals with the purification of tālaka (1–8), manaḥśilā (9–12), rasaka (= kharpara; 13), tuttha (14–15), vimalā (16–18), and mākṣika (19–28); the impurities of the uparasas (called dhātu here; 29–30), the killing of coral (vidruma; 31), the purification and killing of the eight gems and manaḥśilā (32–34), the purification of śaṅkha, nīlāñjana, darada (= hiṅgula), sauvīra, kāntapāṣāṇa, etc. (35–42), and the sattvapātana of guggulu, tālaka, (manaḥ)śilā, mākṣika, and all the uparasas (43–56).

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Chapter eight (sarvaṇādivaṅgāntamāraṇa; 101 verses) begins with an enumeration of the group of twelve metals and allied substances; the eight metals (lauha) consist of: gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, and three kinds of iron: kānta, tīkṣṇaka, and muṇḍa; the three alloys (upalauha) are: kāṃsya, āra (= pittala) and ghoṣaka; maṇḍūra is the twelfth item (1–2). Described in this chapter are the purification and killing of gold, silver, copper, lead and tin.

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Chapter nine (kāntalauhādikiṭṭamāraṇa; 67 verses) is concerned with the purification, killing and amṛtīkaraṇa of the bhasman of iron (1–60), the purification and killing of the upalauhas (61–64), and the purification of maṇḍūra (65–67). One method of killing iron has been borrowed from the Siddhas (47–51ab).

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Chapter ten (tailapātana; 81 verses) deals with the preparation of a large number of oils (1–27) and many other subjects: poisonous substances (28–61), the purification of bile (61), śilājatu (61–69ab and a passage in prose), substances used for bhāvanā (śālasārādi-gaṇa; 69cd–71), the process of bhāvanā (72–73), 10 the purification of dagdhahīraka (74), 11 guggulu and its purification (75–77 and a passage in prose), and the purification of śaṅkhanābhi, varāṭī, and muktā (78–81).

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The Rasendrakhaṇḍa The Rasendrakhaṇḍa 12 (about 5,100 verses) consists of seventy-one chapters (adhikāra), dealing with the aetiology, symptomatology and treatment of diseases, largely arranged in agreement with the Mādhavanidāna. 13 Some chapters on diseases left undescribed in Mādhava's work are added, as well as chapters on rasāyana (68), rasājīrṇa (69), and vājīkaraṇa (70).

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The verses on therapy contain both āyurvedic recipes 14 and rasayogas. Glosses, explaining technical terms, names of plants, etc., are not rare.

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Chapter one (jvara and jvaratīsāra; 421 verses) begins with verses said to represent Caraka's views on the catuṣpāda (the four pillars of treatment; 1–26). 15 Verses on karmaja and doṣaja disorders, the three doṣas, other constituents of the body, etc. (27–89), precede the section on the treatment of fevers (90–405) and jvaratīsāra (406–421). The chapter on raktapitta has an appendix on the purification of sulphur; it is written in verse and prose, borrowed from earlier works. The chapter on vātavyādhi has verses on the purification of substances employed in the preparation of fragrant oils (vātavyādhi 184–195) and on other subjects connected with perfumery (vātavyādhi 196–236).

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Several mantras 16 and two yantras 17 are mentioned.

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The author of the glosses is unknown. The majority consist of short explanations, but some are more elaborate. 18 The glossator refers to variants of the text 19 and disagreeing opinions. 20

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The Vādikhaṇḍa The Vādikhaṇḍa 21 (2,325 verses) deals exclusively with alchemy and some related subjects. It is arranged in twenty chapters.

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Chapter one (rasadīkṣā; 76 verses) is about the teacher and his pupil, the dīkṣā, and the rasaśālā (laboratory) with its inventory.

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Chapter two (vargasādhanādirasaśodhanānta; 54 verses) is concerned with the items belonging to several vargas (4–31), the vajramūṣā (31–39), the purification of mercury (39–45), the taptakhalva (46–47), and the preparation of mercury from cinnabar (48–54). The vargas mentioned are: kṣāra-varga, śuklavarga (= śvetavarga), vidvarga, lavaṇapañcaka, kṣāratraya, mūtravarga, raktavarga, pītavarga, and the group of divine herbs (divyauṣadhi).

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The subjects of chapter three (vajraśodhanādidhātumāraṇa; 129 verses) are: diamonds (vajra), their varieties (2–5), their purification (6–13ab) and killing (13cd–48ab), their mṛdūkaraṇa, which makes them into what is called vajraudana (48cd–64); the purification of vaikrānta and the uparasas (65–67), the purification of sulphur (68–76) and the extraction (pātana) of its oil (77–82), the purification of tālaka, vimalā, rasaka, and other substances (83–97), the preparation of dhānyābhraka (98–99), and the killing of abhraka (100–104); the purification of all the metals (105–108), and the killing of lead, tin, copper, silver, gold, āra (= pittala) and ghoṣa (= kāṃsya) (109–129).

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Chapter four (tārarāñjana; 163 verses) gives an account of the preparation of gandhakapiṣṭikā (2–3ab and 13–31) and svarṇapiṣṭikā (3cd–4ab), gandhakajāraṇa (4cd–8), the preparation of the gold called siddhayoga (9–12), the stambhana, jāraṇa and māraṇa of gandhakapiṣṭī (32–41ab), the preparation of artificial gold (tāravedha; 41cd–64, 74cd–77ab, 90cd–107ab, 117cd–120ab, 123cd–132, 156–163), the preparation of tārāriṣṭa 22 and its uses in making artificial gold (65–74ab, 77cd–86, 133–151), aurification by means of the bhasman of lead (87–90ab), the preparation of siddhacūrṇa and its uses in aurification (107cd–117ab and 120cd–123ab), and the turning of copper into gold (152–155).

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Chapter five (varṇotkarṣaṇavarṇavivardhana; 56 verses) describes the preparation of sitasvarṇa (an alloy of gold and silver) and its turning into pure gold (2–22), the preparation of pakvabīja which turns sitasvarṇa into pure gold (23–30), the preparation of hemaraktikā, and the improvement of the quality of gold of less than ten varṇa²³ (varṇavivardhana; 31–55).

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Chapter six (rañjanādicandrārkavedhana; 125 verses) is about various methods which transmute lead (2–28ab), copper, candrārka and sitasvarṇa (28cd–125) into gold.

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Chapter seven (drutasūtaprayoga; 127 verses) is concerned with processes which turn various metals into gold and with substances employed in these processes. Its subjects are: the preparation of piṣṭigola (2–9), nigaḍa (10–16),²⁴ mercurial khoṭa (17–25ab), biḍavaṭī (25cd–28ab),²⁵ drutasūta (28cd–42), and the transmutation, by means of drutasūta, of various metals into gold: copper, lead, candrārka, silver and sitasvarṇa. An additional subject is the khoṭabandha of mercury (72–73).

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Chapter eight (vaṅgastambhanādidalakaraṇa; 144 verses) describes operations which turn tin and copper into silver. Additional subjects are the purification of tin (2–4) and copper (93–97).

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Chapter nine (vajrayogena hemakaraṇam; 131 verses) gives an account of methods which turn various metals into gold by means of substances prepared from mixtures of diamonds and mercury or gold (dvandvakhoṭa).

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Chapter ten (pakvabījavargasādhana; 90 verses) is about the following subjects: the preparation of pakvabīja (2–8) and nīgabīja (9–12); the colouring of a bīja (13–24); the preparation of tārabīja (25–34); the preparation of sāraṇātaila (38–44); the preparation of krāmakasattva, used in krāmaṇa (45–52); the preparation of various types of bīḍa and their use in jāraṇa (54–90).

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Chapter eleven (svedanādyanuvāsānantasaṃskāraṇavaka; 36 verses) enumerates eighteen saṃskāras of mercury: svedana, mardana, mūrchā, utthāpana, nirodhana, niyāma, dīpana, anuvāsana, jāraṇa, cāraṇa, garbha(druti), bāhyadruti, rañjana, sāraṇa, anusāraṇa, pratisāraṇa, and krāmaṇa (2–3). The first five saṃskāras, followed by dīpana and anuvāsana, are described in this chapter.

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Chapter twelve (gandhakābhrahemarajatajāraṇa; 85 verses) is concerned with the jāraṇa of sulphur (2–9) and with pakvabīja (10–16), the mukha- and khoṭabandha of mercury (17–22), methods which give a mukha to mercury (25–31), a ritual, accompanied by a mantra, that should precede cāraṇa (32–37), the cāraṇa of abhraka (38–57), the vedha of mercury that has been subjected to cāraṇa (38–70), the nirmukhacāraṇa and -jāraṇa of abhraka (71–74) and the results of these processes (75–84).

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Chapter thirteen (abhrakādisattvapātanādyabhiṣekānta; 105 verses) describes the extraction of the essence of abhraka (5–21), mākṣika (22–32), manaḥśilā (33–41), haritāla (42–50), tuttha (51–55), sauvīra (56), rasaka (57–62), vaikrānta (63–70), gairika (71), saurāṣṭrī (72), sasyaka (73–74), kāsīsa (75–76), rājāvarta (77–78), and śroto'ñjana (79–80). The second part of the chapter is devoted to the making of mixtures of two substances (dvandvamelāpana; 81–98) and to two ways of preparing the fluid used for abhiṣeka (99–103).

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Chapter fourteen (dvandvasattvādibījajāraṇahemajāraṇahematārakaraṇa; 107 verses) is about jāraṇa, the svarṇa- and tārabīja employed in this process, and the vedha resulting from it.²⁶

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Chapter fifteen (jāraṇādigarbhadrāravaṇa; 128 verses) is about the following subjects: the preparation of various bījas (2–16 and 95–101), the colouring of mercury (rañjana; 17–25 and 64–66), druti (38–50 and 58–60ab), jāraṇa (60cd–63, 79–84, 102–104), and vedha (26–37, 51–57, 67–78, 85–101, 105–127).

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Chapter sixteen (bhūnāgasattvādīsidhiyogaiḥ svarṇakaraṇam; 121 verses) is devoted to the preparation of bhūnāgasattva (2–12) and bhūnāgataila (13–14), the preparation of guhyasūta (15–20),²⁷ its jāraṇa and use in making gold (21–41), the use of vaikrānta of a red, yellow, black, white, or coppery colour in making gold and silver (42–89), the four varieties of capalā and their uses in making gold and silver (90–103), and some other methods to arrive at the transmutation of base metals (104–120).

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Chapter seventeen (drutikaraṇa; 73 verses) describes the liquefaction (druti) of mica (abhraka; 2–30), abhrakasattva (31–39), gold and silver (40–42), tīkṣṇaloha (43–44 and 53–54), all the metals (45–46 and 56–59), gold (47–52), kāntaloha (55), mākṣikasattva (60), all the gems and metals (61–65), diamonds (66–68), vaikrānta, and all the gems (69–71). The chapter ends with two verses on the stabilization (sthāpana) of a druti (72–73).

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Chapter eighteen (drutivajraratnajāraṇakrameṇa pāṣāṇavedhaparyantavedhavidhiḥ; 183 verses) deals with several ways of mixing a druti with mercury (drutimelāpana; 2–12)²⁸ and the uses of these mixtures in making gold (57–58, 85–98) and silver (79–84), the preparation of vajrabīja (99–106) and its jāraṇa, which results in several types of vedha (107–149), and the preparation of another bīja which, after processing it, enables mercury to pervade all kinds of materials, even rocks and stones (giri, pāṣāṇa), changing them into gold (150–182).

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Chapter nineteen (ratnādigandhavādanadhanavaradhana; 140 verses) describes how to make paste gems: padmarāga, indranīla, marakata, gomeda, puṣparāga, nīlamāṇikya (2–16), pearls (17–32),²⁹ and coral (33–40). Also described are the preparation of artificial cinnabar (41–45) and sindūra (46–54), the preparation of saindhava and suvarcala (55–59), the adulteration of hingu (60–69), the making of artificial tin (70–74) and amlavetasa (75–78), the preparation of ink (maṣī; 79–80),³⁰ the adulteration of ghee (81–88), the preparation of fake sandal, camphor (karpūra), musk (kastūrī) and saffron (kuṅkuma) (89–119),³¹ the preparation of divyadhūpa (120–127), the extraction of fragrant substances from flowers (puṣpadruti; 128–131), and magical methods to increase the yield of the grain on the fields (dhānyavardhana; 132–139).

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Chapter twenty (no title; 143 verses) gives an account of the bandha of mercury (2–49), the preparation of a mercurial bhasman (50–57), giving a mukha to baddha mercury (58–62), several methods of transmuting base metals into gold or silver (63–104), giving a mukha to lead (105–109), ways to soften (mṛdūkaraṇa) hard metals (110–114), the preparation of guhyasūta and its use (116–121), the preparation of guhyavaṅga and guhyanāga (122–129), three varieties of kāmadhenugutikā (130–137), some methods of changing silver, lead and sitasvarṇa into gold (138–141), and, finally, a method of making mercury to digest mica (abhrakagrāsa; 142).

The Rasāyanakhaṇḍa

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The Rasāyanakhaṇḍa³² (951 verses) is, as indicated by its title, especially devoted to rasāyana and allied subjects.

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Chapter one (rasamāraṇa; 57 verses) introduces rasāyana and related topics (1–24); eleven methods of killing mercury are dealt with (25–55). The garbhayantra, employed in some of these methods, is also described (38cd–40).

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Chapter two (divyarasadehasādhana; 140 verses) is concerned with the formulae of a number of rasayogas and their effects. Many of these rasas may not be found in earlier texts.33

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Chapter three (guṭikārasāyana; 221 verses) describes a series of miraculous pills (guṭikās and vatikās) to be employed in the saṃskāras called krāmaṇa and vedha, as well as for rasāyana purposes. Some of these pills may be peculiar to the Rasāyanakhaṇḍa,34 while some are also found in the Rasakāmadhenu, which may have borrowed them.

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Chapter four (nānārasāyana; 115 verses) is concerned with various rasāyanas (1–43). This chapter also contains a number of kalpas: brahmavṛkṣa- (44–59), śvetapalāśa- (60–63), muṇḍī- (64–66), devadālī- (67–72), śvetārka- (73–75), hastikarṇa- (76–79), rudantī- (80–84ab), and nirguṇḍikalpa (84cd–91).35 This kalpa section is followed by rasāyana formulae (92–100), a śunakaśālmalikalpa (101–107ab), rasāyana formulae again (107cd–111), and verses on the addition of pāradabhasman to the preparations described, the mantra to be recited when using them, and rules concerning their employment (112–115).

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Chapter five (udvartanakeśarañjana; 71 verses) contains formulae that remove wrinkles and turn grey hair black again (2–62ab); it ends with some recipes which whiten the hair (62cd–70).

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Chapter six (vīryavardhana; 89 verses) consists of vājīkaraṇa formulae, in particular in the form of rasayogas (2–64ab).36 The second part of the chapter is about vājīkaraṇa recipes in which the main ingredients do not consist of mercury or substances derived from it.

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Chapter seven (vīryastambhanaliṅgavardhana; 73 verses) contains prescriptions which delay or suppress ejaculation and make the male member large, long and firm.

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Chapter eight (śrīparvatasādhana; 185 verses) is about dehasiddhi and lohasiddhi; it describes how to acquire a divine body and turn base metals into gold. This interesting chapter mentions repeatedly the mountain called Śrīśaila and abounds from beginning to end in names of local deities and geographical names.

The Mantrakaṇḍa

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The Mantrakaṇḍa37 is arranged in seven subdivided chapters:38 (1) sarvavaśyādīpativaśya:39 (a) sarvavaśya (subjugating all creatures), (b) rājavaśya (subjugating the king),40 (c) strīvaśya (subjugating women),41 (d) liṅgalepana (anointing the penis), (e) strīdṛāvaṇa (luring women), (f) pativaśya (subjugating one's husband); (2) ākarṣaṇādistambhana: (a) ākarṣaṇa (attraction),42 (b) stambhana (immobilization),43 (c) agnistambha (immobilizing fire), (d) jalastambhana (immobilizing water); (3) mohanādigṛhakleśanivāraṇa (averting the creation of confusion and domestic troubles): (a) mohana (delusion),44 (b) uccāṭana (extirpation or eradication),45 (c) māraṇa (killing),46 (d) vidveṣaṇa (causing dissension),47 (e) vyādhikaraṇa (causing illness),48 (f) unmattakaraṇa (causing mental derangement), (g) ṣaṇḍhakaraṇa (causing impo-

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tence), (h) bhagabandhana (sealing the vagina), (i) gṛhakleśanivāraṇa (averting evils from the house); (4) kautūhalāni (conjuring tricks); (5) yakṣiṇīsādhana (conjuring up a yakṣiṇī); (6) añjanādīpūḍukasādhana: (a) añjana (ointments), (b) adṛṣṭa (invisibility), (c) pāḍukāsādhana (acquiring magic sandals); (7) mṛtasamjīvanādikakṣapuṭi: (a) mṛtasamjīvana (resuscitation),49 (b) nirāhāra (fasting), (c) sāṅgopāṅgaprakāreṇa kakṣapuṭi (the Kakṣapuṭi in all its main and subsidiary parts).50

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This table of contents shows that the Mantrakaṇḍa is chiefly concerned with ṣaṭkarman, the ‘Six Acts’ of Indian magic.51 It is closely related to Nāgārjuna’s Kakṣapuṭa and reproduces some of its verses and mantras. The subjects dealt with in both works are similar.52

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Some MSS of the Mantrakaṇḍa may even contain the text of the Kakṣapuṭa, such as Cat. Madras Nr. 13202, which contains a text in twenty chapters (paṭala) with the following headings: (1) mantrasādhana, (2) sarvalokavaśīkaraṇa, (3) rājavaśya, (4) strīvaśya, (5) pativaśya, (6) ākarṣaṇa, (7) agnijalastambhana, (8) aśanistambhana,53 (9) mohanoccātana, (10) māraṇavidhi, (11) vidveṣaṇādi, (12) mantrīkaraṇa,54 (13) kautukavidhāna, (14) yakṣiṇīmantrasādhana, (15) sarvāñjanasādhana, (16) nidhigrahaṇa, (17) adṛśyakaraṇa, (18) pāḍukāsādhana, (19) mṛtasamjīvinī, and (20) sāṅgopāṅgakaccha-puṭaprakaraṇa.55

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One version of the Kakṣapuṭa56 states in one of its introductory verses that the Mantrakaṇḍa will be expounded; the arrangement of its contents is close to that of the Wellcome MSS of the Mantrakaṇḍa.

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The introductory verses of some texts of the Mantrakaṇḍa refer to the same earlier works, in particular Tantras, as the opening verses of the Kakṣapuṭa.57

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Authorities and works quoted or mentioned in the Rasaratnākara and the glosses on the Rasendrakhaṇḍa are:58 Agastya (II: viṣhoṭa 16–17), the Aśvins (II: raktapitta 52–59; śūla 33–40; kuṣṭha 264–268; amlapitta 68–79; pradara 12–17; yonivyādhi 9–16), Ātreya (II: vraṇasotha 17–25; kuṣṭha 110–117; pradara 23–29ab), Bhārgava (II: kuṣṭha 98–109), Bindusāra (II: raktapitta 34–35), Cakra59 (II: vātavyādhi 161–164), Candranātha (II: śūla 77–85; kuṣṭha 217–226), Caraka (jvara 1–26 and 242–248; visarpa 17), Carpatasiddha (I.1.17),60 Devadeva (II: śūla 24–32), Dhanvantari (II: pariṇāmaśūla 11–17), Dīpikā (I.1.16 and 27–30; 4.48–54),61 Gahanānātha (II: vātarakta 50–57 and 102–109; kuṣṭha 217–226), Gahanānātha (II: udara 90–93; ślīpada 56–65 and 66–70; kuṣṭha 230–231 and 232–235), Gorakṣanātha (IV.4.100), granthāntara (I.10.48–50; II: jvara 121–123, 282–285, 406–411; grahaṇī 45–53, 91–95, 109–116; pāṇḍuroga 79–82), Haramekhalā (II: pāṇḍuroga 83–85), Haramekhalāgrantha (introductory verses V),62 Hārītamuni (II: vātavyādhi 60–87; ślīpada 33–41), Jatūkarṇa (II: gloss ad unmāda 22–25),63 Kākaṇḍeśvarīmata (introductory verses V),64 Kāṅkāyana (II: gulma 12–18), Kāśyapa (II: cakṣūroga 58–63), Kesarin (II: vātarakta 91–95; āmavāta 50–60), Kriyākālāguṇottara (introductory verses V),65 Kṛṣṇātreya (II: vātarakta 40–49), Mahādeva (II: vājīkaraṇa 93–101), Manthānabhairava (IV.3.197), Nāgārjuna (I.1.17; II: amlapitta 49–67; cakṣūroga 36–40; III.5.52), Nārada (II: arśas 75; yonivyādhi 38–45), Niścalakara (II: glosses ad pāṇḍuroga 29–36 and 41–43; sthaulya 27), paragrantha (II: ūrustambha 72–77), Punarvasu (II: bradhnavṛddhi 19), Rasaḥṛdaya (II: gandhakaśuddhi at the end of raktapitta), Rasamaṅgala (I.1.16), 66 Rasaratnākara (II: jvara 124–139 and 286–290; grahaṇī 54–61; mandāgni 53–55; gloss ad kāsa 82–87), 67 Rasārṇava (II: ūrustambha 61–69; introductory verses V), 68 Rasendracūḍāmaṇi (I.10.51–61), 69 Śabdārṇava (II: gloss ad vātavyādhi 161–164), Śaivasiddhānta (II: vājīkaraṇa 179–186), Śambhu (I.1.16; II: visa 19–28; III.16.54 and 18.48), Śaṃkara (II: arśas 75–112; III.12.70), Siddhamata (I.9.47–53), 70 Śiva (III.18.183; IV.1.21ab), Suśruta (I.1.18; II: gloss ad vidradhi 20), Tārā (II: pariṇāmaśūla 28–33), Trivikrama (II: gloss ad pāṇḍuroga 41–43), Trivikramadeva (gloss ad pāṇḍuroga 29–36), Uḍḍīśatantra (introductory verses V), 71 Vāgbhaṭa (I.1.18; II: jvara 105), 72 Vāgbhaṭṭa (I, prose between 10.69ab and cd), Vaidyanātha (II: grahaṇī 27–33), Vaidyasāgara (I.1.18), Vāsudeva (II: vājīkaraṇa 48–60), Viṣṇu (II: pradara 35–41; rasāyana 32–40), Viśvāmitra (II: kṣudraroga 39–45), Yogamuktāvalī (I.1.25–26 and 2.2), 73 Yogaratnākara (II: gandhakaśuddhi at the end of raktapitta; āmavāta 50–60), and Yogaratnākarasamuccaya (II: gandhakaśuddhi at the end of raktapitta).

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Works quoting from or referring to the Rasaratnākara 74 are: Ānandabhāratī’s Ānandamālā, 75 the pariśiṣṭas of the Ānandakanda, the Āyurvediya Khanijavijñāna, Basava’s Śivatattvaratnākara, Bhāvamīśra’s Bhāvaprakāśa, Bheṣajasamhitā, Bṛhannighaṇṭuratnākara, Caturbhuja’s commentary on the Rasaḥṛdaya, Gulrājśarmamiśra’s commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Haridattaśāstrin’s commentary on the Rasatarangiṇī, Hazārīlāl Sukul’s commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Herambasena’s Gūḍhabodhakasaṃgraha, 76 Jñārasarāma’s version of the Amṛtasāgara, Khare’s commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Kūpīpakvarasanirmāṇavijñāna, Mahādeva’s commentary on the Rasapaddhati, Mallinātha’s commentary on the Amarakoṣa, Meghamuni’s Meghavinoda, Nīlakaṇṭha’s Basavarājīya, Pāradasaṃhitā, Rāmacandra’s Rāmavinoda, Rasadhātuprakāśa, Rasakakṣapuṭa, Rasakāmadhenu, Rasaratnasamuccaya, Rasārpavakalpa, 77 Rasasindhu, 78 Rasatattvavivecana, Rasavidyāmahārṇava, Rasāyanasaṃgraha, Rasayogasāgara, Rasendrakalpadruma, Rasendrasambhava, Rasoddhāratantra, the bhasmapīṣṭiprakaraṇa of the Rasoddhāratantra, Āśubodha and Nityanādha Senagupta’s commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Devendranātha and Upendranātha Senagupta’s Āyurvedasaṃgraha, Somadevaśarman’s commentaries on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Ṭodara’s Āyurvedasaukhya, Trimalla’s Bṛhadyogatarangiṇī, Vaidyakasamgraha, Vinodalāla Sena’s Āyurvedavijñāna, and Yogaratnākara.

v3.c50.s3.9

Verses from the Rasaratnākara form part of the Ānandakanda and Rasajalanidhi. The Rasaratnākara was one of the sources of the Ma’din al-Shifā’. 79

v3.c50.s3.10

A Ratnākara that may or may not be Nityanātha’s Rasaratnākara is quoted or referred to in Ṭodara’s Āyurvedasaukhya, 80 the Rasendrakalpadruma, the Śālīgrāmanighaṇṭu, and Vaidyacintāmaṇi’s Prayogāmṛta.

v3.c50.s3.11

Nityanātha is quoted or mentioned in Ānandabhāratī’s Ānandamālā, the Bheṣajasamhitā, Caturbhuja’s commentary on the Rasaḥṛdaya, 81 Dattarāma’s Rasarājasundara, 82 Dattātreya’s Rasacaṇḍāṃśu, 83 Deveśvara’s Rasendraratnakoṣa, 84 Govindaráma’s Rasasaṃgrahasiddhānta, 85 Haridattaśāstrin’s commentary on the Rasatarangiṇī, the Hathayogapradīpikā, Hazārīlāl Sukul’s commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Herambasena’s Gūḍhabodhakasaṃgraha, the Kāmaratna, Khare’s commentary

v3.c50.s3.12

on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, the Lakṣmaṇotsava, Mādhava’s Āyurvedaprakāśa, the Nṛsiṃhanidāna, the Pāradasaṃhitā, Raghunātha’s Sārasaṃgraha, Rāmakṛṣṇa’s Rasarājaśaṃkara, 86 Rāmanātha’s Yogamahārṇava, 87 Rāmasena’s Rasasārāmṛta, the Rasaratnādīpikā, Rasaratnasamuccaya, Rasendracintāmaṇi, Rasendrakalpadruma, 88 Rasendrasārasaṃgraha, Śālagrāma’s Dhanvantari, 89 Śālīnātha’s Rasamañjarī, 90 Ṭodara’s Āyurvedasaukhya, and Trimalla’s Bṛhadyogatarangiṇī. 91

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The Rasaratnākarakṛt is quoted in the Āyurvedaprakāśa.

v3.c50.s3.14

Nityanāthasiddha is mentioned in Brahmānanda Bhāratī’s Puruṣārthaprabodha, 92 Raghunātha’s Sārasaṃgraha, and Śrīnivāsa’s Haṭharatnāvalī. 93 A work called Nityanāthīya is quoted in the Basavarājīya.

Special features

v3.c50.s4.1

The Rasakhaṇḍa

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Eight doṣas of mercury are distinguished: nāga, vaṅga, mala, vahni, cāñcalya, viṣa, giri, and asaḥyāgni (1.27–29ab), although seven kañcukas are also referred to (2.9).

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Chapter two enumerates the plants, plant products and some other substances employed in the killing of mercury (māraṇauṣadhi): amṛtā, ardhacandrikā, arka, balā, bhṛṅgarāj, bhūkadamba, brahmaḍaṇḍī, cakramarda, caṇḍālīnī, citraka, devadālikā, gokṣura, hastīśuṇḍī, jātī, jayantī, kākamācī, kāṭakuṇḍikā, kaṇḍa, kanyā, kaṭutumbī, kośātakī, kuraṇṭaka, lajjālī, lākṣā, lāṅgalī, mehananādā, nīrakaṇḍa, paṭu, raktāgranirguṇḍī, ravipriyā, sahadevikā, śarapuṅkhikā, sarpākṣī, sunhī, śuṇṭhī, tṛṇamustikā, vajravallī, vārāhī, vastā, viṣamuṣṭī, and viṣṇukrāntā (2.15–20).

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Chapter three contains a list of the niyāmaka plants and substances: ahaskara, ākhuparṇikā, bhṛṅgarāj, brahmaḍaṇḍī, ciñcikā, citraka, dhattūra, grīṣmasundara, guḍūcī, haṃsapadī, haridrā, harītakī, hingu, indravāruṇī, kākajaṅghā, kākamācī, kañcukī, kokila, kṣīriṇī, kuñcī, kuraṇṭaka, mahārāṣṭrī, mākṣika, maṇḍūkaparṇī, matsyākṣī, mayaṅkā, mṛgadūrvā, muṇḍī, mūrvā, mūṣalī, padmaka, pāṭalī, pota, puṅkhā, raktacitraka, saindhava, sāmbhara, śarapuṅkhikā, sarpākṣī, śatāvarī, śigru, śikhīśikhā, somavallī, śūraṇa, svayambhūkusuma, śvetārka, śvetavarṣābhū, tagara, tilakarṇikā, triparṇikā, utpala, vajrakanda, vajralatā, vandhyā, varṣābhū, viṣṇukrāntā, vraṇaghni, vṛścikālī, vyāghrapādī, and yakṣalocana (3.34–41).

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Chapter ten mentions eight poisonous plants that may be used by a physician: kūrma, mustaka, saktuka, sarṣapāhvaya, śṛṅgī, śvetaśṛṅgī, vālaka, and vatsanābha; ten poisonous substances are to be avoided: dardura, granthi, hālāhala, hāridra, kālakūṭa, karkaṭa, keśava, markaṭa, meṣaśṛṅgī, and raktaśṛṅgaka. (10.38–40). The śālāsārādigaṇa, employed in bhāvanā, consists of aguru, arjuna, asana, the two types of candana, dhava, gardabhāṇḍa, kālīya, the two types of karañja, karkaṭa, khadira, the two types of lodhra, pūga, pūtika, the two types of śāla, and śirīṣa (10.69–71).

v3.c50.s4.6

Some noteworthy names of plants occurring in the Rasakhaṇḍa are: kākamañjarī (3.26), kāntamukha (5.37), kova (5.28), and nāgavandhyā (5.39).

v3.c50.s4.7

The Rasendrakhaṇḍa

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The arrangement of the diseases in the Rasendrakhaṇḍa largely agrees with the Mā- dhavanidāna, apart from the addition of jvaratīsāra, jaratpittaśūla, urograha, bradhna, snāyuka, somaroga, and rasājīrṇa to the list of Mādhava's diseases; separate chapters on pānātyaya, yonikanda⁹⁴ and mūdhagarbha are absent. The chapter on urograha is identical with the chapter on this disease in Vaṅgasena's Cikitsāsārasaṃgraha; the verses on somaroga are partly the same as those in Vaṅgasena's. The chapter on women's diseases has verses on the prognostic significance of the day of the week on which a woman begins to menstruate (38–45)⁹⁵ and on the development of the embryo (80–85); it contains specific recipes against śūla in each of the ten months of pregnancy (99–116) and verses on eight malpositions (126–127). The chapter on children's diseases mentions disorders called cora (16–19) and paścādruja (48). The chapter on poisoning enumerates twenty-five poisons of vegetable origin (19–28).

v3.c50.s4.9

⁹⁴ ...

v3.c50.s4.10

⁹⁵ ...

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Some noteworthy names of plants mentioned in the Rasendrakhaṇḍa and its glosses are: ābhā (bhagna 7), āhā (vātavyādhi 39), balāhaka (jvara 180; gloss: = mustaka), cā-raṭi (unmāda 22; gloss: = kumbhāḍu), celaka (vātavyādhi 135; gloss: = guvākatvac), coraka (unmāda 22; gloss: = corahelī),⁹⁶ dahanavitapī (nāsāroga 85; gloss: = lāṅgalī), gauraharidrā (śārīravraṇa 11; gloss: = dāruharidrā), kuthāraka (śārīravraṇa 20), lāṅgalī-dvaya (unmāda 23; gloss: = rāsnā and gandharāsnā), malapū (bhagandara 2; gloss: = kṛṣṇodumbara), pāṣāṇa (aśmarī 4; gloss: = kulattha), and suraṅgī (karṇaroga 3; gloss: = raktaśobhāñjana).

v3.c50.s4.12

⁹⁶ ...

v3.c50.s4.13

The Vādikhaṇḍa The Vādikhaṇḍa enumerates six substances called śakti: vajra, vaikrānta, vajrābhra, kāntapāṣāṇa, taṅkaṇa, and bhūnāga (1.56). The uparasas consist of: gandha, tālaka, kā-sīsa, (manaḥ)śilā, kaṅkuṣṭha, bhūkhaga, rājāvarta, and gairika (1.57).⁹⁷ The mahārasas are rasaka, vimalā, tāpya, capalā, tuttha, añjana, hinguḷa, and sasyaka (1.58–59ab).⁹⁸

v3.c50.s4.14

⁹⁷ ...

v3.c50.s4.15

⁹⁸ ...

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The names of the twenty-seven Rasasiddhas are: Bali, Bāṇasura, Candrasena, Carpati, Govinda,⁹⁹ Hara, Indradyumna,¹⁰⁰ Kāmalin,¹⁰¹ Kāpālika, Kapila, Khaṇḍa, Lampaṭa, Loka,¹⁰² Māṇḍavya, Nāgabuddhi, Nāgārjuna, Naravāhana, Ratnaghoṣa, Śambhu, Śārada, Subuddhi, Surānanda, Śūrāsenaka,¹⁰³ Tāttvika,¹⁰⁴ Vādava,¹⁰⁵ Vyā-lācārya, and Yaśodhara (1.66–70).¹⁰⁶

v3.c50.s4.17

⁹⁹ ...

v3.c50.s4.18

¹⁰⁰ ...

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¹⁰¹ ...

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¹⁰² ...

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¹⁰⁴ ...

v3.c50.s4.22

¹⁰⁵ ...

v3.c50.s4.23

¹⁰⁶ ...

v3.c50.s4.24

The group of divine drugs (divyauṣadhi) is composed of agnidamani, ajakarṇī, ajāmārī, ākhukarṇī, aṅkola, apāmārga, arka, badarī, bākucī, balā, bhūkadamba, bhū-mipāṭalī, bilva, brahmadaṇḍī, brāhmī, bṛhatī, cakramarda, caṇā, cāṇḍālī, candralatā, cāṅgerī, the three kinds of citraka, devadālī, ekavīraka, eraṇḍa, garuḍī, ghanā, go-jihvā, gorambhā, guñjā, haṃsapādī, hastimūlikā,¹⁰⁷ hemavallī, hingu, indravāruṇī, jalakumbhī, jātī, kadalī, kākajaṅghā, kākamācī, kākaṭuṇḍikā, kālikā, kāñcānana, kaṅguṇī, kanyā, kāravallī, karavīra, kārpāsa, kaṭutumbī, khaṇḍajārī, kokilākṣa, kośātakī, kṛṣṇadhattūra, kṛṣṇajīrā, kṛṣṇatulasī, kṣīrakandaka, kukkuṭī, kumbhī, lajjārī, lākṣā, lakṣmaṇā, lāṅgalī, mahābalā, mahārāṣṭrī, maṇḍūkaparṇikā, mañjiṣṭhā, markaṭī, maruvaka, meghanāda, mesaśṛṅgī, mīnākṣī, muṇḍī, muśalī, nāgabalā, nā-gavallikā, nīlī, niśā, padmacāriṇī, palāśa, pāṭalāgaruḍī, pathyā, peṭārī, pīluka, pūgī,¹⁰⁸ śvetā and raktā punarnavā, puṅkhā, puṣkaramūlaka, raktasnuhi, rambhā, rudantī, sahadevikā, saindhava, śākavṛkṣa, śamī, śaṅkhapuṣpī, sarṣapa, sarpākṣī, śatāvarī, śikhīśikhā, sinduvārikā, snuhī, somalatā, śuṇṭhī, sūraṇa, sūryāvartaka, svarṇapuṣpī,

v3.c50.s4.25

¹⁰⁷ ...

v3.c50.s4.26

¹⁰⁸ ...

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śvetāparājitā, tilaparṇī, triparṇikā, udumbara, vacā, vajralatā, vāla,¹⁰⁹ vanarājaka, vanasūraṇa, vandhyākarkoṭakī, vartulapattrakā, vijayā, viṣamuṣṭi, viṣṇukrāntā, vṛścikālī, vyāghranakhī, yavacīñcī, all the kṣīravṛkṣas, and the various kinds of poisonous substances (2.14cd–28).

v3.c50.s4.28

¹⁰⁹ ...

v3.c50.s4.29

The plants called siddhamūlikā, used in the jaraṇa of mica, are: agni, agnimathanī, bṛhatī, haṃsapādī, indravāruṇī, kadalī, khaṇḍajātī, kumārikā, lāṅgalī, maṇḍūkī, mūṣā, śaṅkhapuṣpīkā, sarpākṣī, vajrī, vandhyākarkoṭakī, and vyāghrapādī (12.53–54).

v3.c50.s4.30

A cakrayantra (6.75cd–76ab) and gaurīyantra (15.¹⁰³; 16.¹¹⁵) are referred to. (Anu)vāsana is regarded as a distinct saṃskāra (11.35). Eight varieties are described of mākṣikasattva: resembling guñjā (seeds),¹¹⁰ indragopa, a gem (maṇi), śukaṭuṇḍa (the beak of a parakeet), śulba (copper), kiṃśuka flowers, and lākṣā (lac), and, finally, a variety called dhauta (washed) (13.22–36). Two varieties of manaḥśilāsattva are distinguished: resembling guñjā and the rays of the sun in the early morning (13.37–41). Four varieties of capalā are mentioned: red, yellow, white, and black (16.90).

v3.c50.s4.31

¹⁰³ ...

v3.c50.s4.32

¹¹⁰ ...

v3.c50.s4.33

Some interesting names of plants are: bhūmyapāmārga (12.45), karuṇī (6.70), kuḍuhuñjikā (4.33), mahindī (9.67), muruṇḍī (11.15), nāgakanyā (10.17), teṇṭū (8.45), vasantapuṣpikā (8.22), vasubhadra (20.¹¹²), vasubhaṭṭa (20.92), and vegī (17.30).

v3.c50.s4.34

The Rasāyanakhaṇḍa The Rasāyanakhaṇḍa describes in its first chapter dietary and behavioural rules to be observed prior to and during the use of mercurial preparations for rasāyana purposes. One of the requirements consists of the removal of loṇa- and amladoṇa, caused by the consumption of salty (lavaṇa) and sour (amla) articles of food (1.4–6ab). Paying homage to the Kumārīs¹¹¹ and Yoginīs¹¹² is also recommended (1.8).

v3.c50.s4.35

¹¹¹ ...

v3.c50.s4.36

¹¹² ...

v3.c50.s4.37

The ritual connected with the consumption of kālāntarasa prescribes sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman and the collection of the mixture of male and female procreatory fluids (rajobīja) that is called gagana (3.197cd–199ab).

v3.c50.s4.38

The consumption of fishes that can live on wet soil (vālukāmatsya, vālukāmīna, sthalamīna)¹¹³ is repeatedly recommended for their aphrodisiac properties (6.80; 7.38). They are found on the shore of the Western ocean, near the Amara-caṇḍeśvara temple (prose between 7.38 and 39). Pills in the form of leeches (jalaukā) are employed in order to suppress ejaculation during intercourse (7.39–55).

v3.c50.s4.39

¹¹³ ...

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Geographical names and names of deities connected with particular localities, mentioned in chapter eight, are: Acaleśa (154: a mountain), Acchataila (133: a mountain), Alampura (63, 64: a town),¹¹⁴ Amareśvaradeva (155),¹¹⁵ Āvartadeva (36), Bhīmapāduka (63: a village), Bhṛgupātana (129, 132), Brahmeśvareśvara (56), Caṇḍikā (58, 168), Candraguptaprākāra (135), Chelikā (122), Gaṇeśvara (108), Ghaṇṭāsiddheśvara (5, 9), Guṇḍiprabhā (144: probably a mountain), Guṭikāsiddhakeśvara (182), Hastīśilā (41),¹¹⁶ Hastīśiras (42), Ileśvara (153),¹¹⁷ Īśvara (71), Jāleśvara (33),¹¹⁸ Kadambeśvaradeva (116), Kākaleri (176: a forest), Kālavarṇeśvara (148), Kokilābila (24), Koṭīśvara (153),¹¹⁹ Kuṇḍaleśvara (38, 120),¹²⁰ Liṅgaparvata (166: a mountain),¹²¹ Mahānandeśvara (147), Maheśa (67), Mallikārjuna (2, 129, 135, 173),¹²² Mallinātha (5, 10),¹²³ Maṇipalli (20: a village), Maukalī (89: a Yakṣiṇī), Nandana (87, 94, 96, 98, 99, 100: a forest),¹²⁴ Nīlavana (142: a forest), Parameśvara (85), Paṭāhakarṇa (159), Piṇḍādevī (169), Puruṣeśvara (39), Puṣpagiri (121: a mountain), 125 Rāmeśvara (35), 126 Śaila (182), 127 Śailarāja (159), 128 Śambhu (1, 185), Sarveśvara (173), Śiva (43), Śrīgiri (185), 129 Śrīśaila (8, 14, 33, 56, 67, 140, 144, 147, 149, 158, 184), 130 Sureśvara (33), Svargapurī (29), Tambīpura (146), 131 Tripurāntakadeva (14, 19, 24, 29, 31), 132 Turaleśvara (149), Umāparvata (150: a mountain), and Yogeśvarī (64).

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¹¹⁴ ...

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¹¹⁵ ...

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¹¹⁶ ...

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¹¹⁷ ...

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¹¹⁸ ...

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¹¹⁹ ...

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¹²⁰ ...

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¹²¹ ...

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¹²² ...

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¹²³ ...

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¹²⁴ ...

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The Rasāyanakhaṇḍa contains a rather large number of mantras. 133

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Some noteworthy names of plants are: īśvaraliṅgī (7.23), munimuṇḍikā (5.2), riṭṭhaka (8.40), and vajrakāpālīnī (5.5). An interesting substance is sābuṇa (5.29). 134

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The author mentions his name as Nityanātha (I.1.25). The colophons of the MSS and editions call him Nityanātha or Nityanāthasiddha, 135 son of Pārvatī. 136 More information is not available. 137

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The author refers to his teacher (II.1.22; III.19.140; 20.62) without disclosing his name.

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Nityanātha is regarded as one of the Rasasiddhas. 138

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Works ascribed to Nityanātha, apart from the Rasaratnākara, are: (1) Indrajālakautuka; 139 (2) Kakṣapuṭa; 140 (3) Kakṣapuṭavidyā; 141 (4) Kāmaratna; 142 (5) Kāmaratnatantra; 143 (6) Kautūhalavidyā; 144 (7) Mantrasāra; 145 (8) Nityanāthatantra; 146 (9) Nityanāthīya; 147 (10) Rasaratnamālā; 148 (11) Rasaratnasamuccaya; 149 (12) Śabaracintāmaṇi; 150 (13) Siddhasiddhāntapaddhati; 151 (14) Siddhisāvara; 152 (15) Tantrakoṣa; 153 (16) Vandhyāvalī; 154 (17) Yogasāra. 155 G. Hāldār 156 associates Nityanātha with the Aśvínīkumārasaṃhitā.

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Some formulae ascribed to Nityanātha are: gulmavajriṇīvaṭī 157 and kāmeśvaramodaka. 158

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An authority called Siddhanātha may be the same as Nityanātha. The Kāmaratna and Yogasāra are sometimes ascribed to him. Siddhanātha is quoted in the Aṣṭamahāmātrā. He is credited with some formulae: divyarasāyana, 159 lokanāyakarasa 160 and udayabhāskararasa. 161

Date

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Nityanātha’s Rasaratnākara has been assigned to the period between the third century B.C. and the fourth century after Christ, 162 the twelfth, 163 twelfth or thirteenth, 164 thirteenth, 165 thirteenth or fourteenth, 166 fourteenth, 167 and fifteenth century. 168 D.G. White expressed as his opinion that Nityanātha lived slightly later than Gorakṣanātha but earlier than the author of the Bhūtiprakaraṇa of the Gorakṣasaṃhitā, in the late thirteenth century. 169

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This uncertainty concerning the chronological position of the work can be cleared up by taking into consideration the works and authors mentioned in it and those referring to it. The reference to Gorakṣanātha indicates that the Rasaratnākara is later than the thirteenth century, the reference to the KāKacaṇḍeśvarīmata that it is posterior to

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about A.D. 1400. Nityanātha’s work was well known in the sixteenth century, as appears from references to and quotations from it in Ānandabhāratī’s Ānandamālā, Bhāmīśra’s Bhāvaprakāśa, Ṭoḍara’s Āyurvedasaukhya, and Miyān Bhūwah’s Ma‘din al-Shifā’. Nityanātha’s date can be pushed back further because he was known to Gopālakṛṣṇa, the author of the Rasendrasārasaṃgraha (last quarter fifteenth century) and to the author(s) of the Lakṣmaṇotsava (A.D. 1449/50).

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The evidence points to the first half of the fifteenth century as the period of composition of Nityanātha’s Rasaratnākara. This dating is supported by the earliest MS of the work, completed in A.D. 1473. 170

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Rasaratnasamuccaya

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The *Rasaratnasamuccaya* by Vāgbhaṭa¹ is an extensive manual of alchemy and iatrochemistry.

Contents

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The work consists of about 3,870 verses, arranged in thirty chapters (adhyāya); it can be divided into two parts: chapters one to eleven, dealing with alchemy, and chapters twelve to thirty, the treatment of diseases (iatrochemistry).

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Chapter one (rasotpatti; 88 verses) begins with a maṅgala addressed to Śiva as the foremost physician of the world (jagatpradhānabhiṣaj) (1). It proceeds with an enumeration of the twenty-seven Rasasiddhas and a series of authors on rasaśāstra, whose works were studied by the compiler of the *Rasaratnasamuccaya* (2–8). These verses are followed by a description of the Himālaya and the abode of Śiva (10–21). The remaining subjects of the chapter are: the praise of mercury (22–41),³ its ability to bestow jīvanmukti (42–59),⁴ its origin (60–66),⁵ its names and varieties (67–79), the five gatis of mercury and their removal (80–87), and the origin of cinnabar (88).⁶

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The subjects of chapters two to ten are: the mahārasas (2; 163 verses),⁷ uparasas (3; 158 verses),⁸ ratnas (4; 84 verses),⁹ lohas (5; 243 verses),¹⁰ the initiation of a pupil (6: śiṣyopanayana; 64 verses),¹¹ the laboratory (7: rasaśālā; 37 verses),¹² technical terms (8: paribhāṣā; 101 verses),¹³ yantras (9; 87 verses),¹⁴ mūṣās, koṣṭhīs, puṭas and groups of substances (10; 97 verses).¹⁵

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Chapters two to five, seven, eight and ten are for the greater part borrowed from the *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi*.

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Chapter eleven (135 verses)¹⁶ describes two systems of weights (mānaparibhāṣā; 1–13), lists the eighteen saṃskāras (14–16), deals with the doṣas of mercury (20–25), and gives an account of a number of saṃskāras and related subjects (29–135). These saṃskāras and related subjects are: svedana (29), mardana (30–33), mūrchana (34–35), utthāpana (36), pātana (37–46), rodhana (48), niyāmana (49), dīpana (50–52), the rasamūlikā plants (53–59), bandha (60–107), strīdrāvaṇa (108–112), killing (māraṇa) of mercury (113–121), the uses of the ashes (bhasman) of mercury (122–127), two series of kakāras (128–130),¹⁷ and the treatment of disorders caused by mercurial preparations (132–135).

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Chapters twelve to twenty-five deal with the aetiology, symptomatology and treatment, in particular by means of rasayogas, of a long series of diseases, arranged in a partly unprecedented way.¹⁸ Chapter twenty-six (59 verses) is devoted to rasāyana, chapter twenty-seven (144 verses) to vājīkaraṇa.

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Chapter twenty-eight (lohakalpa; 104 verses) describes thirty-six different lohakalpas, preceded by verses on the purification and killing of the metals (loha) used in these kalpas. Chapter twenty-nine (viṣakalpa; 160 verses), in the form of a dialogue between Śiva and Pārvatī, deals with the mythical origin of poison (1–9), thirteen poisonous substances of vegetable origin (10–19), the uses of poisonous substances (20–50), and one hundred and eighteen viṣakalpas (51–159). Chapter thirty (rasakalpa; 138 verses) is concerned with the jāraṇa (1–11) and killing (12–21) of mercury, the uses of its ashes (bhasman) in eighty-six rasakalpas (22–114), and the praise of the expert physician (115–137).

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Sources are rarely referred to by the author.¹⁹ The *Rasārṇava* is mentioned at the end of the verses on weights of chapter eleven (11.13). The two series of kakāras of chapter eleven were taken from the *Devīśāstra* (11.128–129) and from a work by Śrīkṛṣṇadeva (11.130). Some of the verses borrowed from the *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi* contain the name of its author, Somadeva;²⁰ verses with the names of authorities, referred to by Somadeva, are often left out.²¹ One method of killing diamonds is attributed to Somasenānī (4.38–40). Rāmarāja’s *Rasaratnapradīpa*²² and the *Rasaratnākara*²³ are quoted according to some of the editors of the *Rasaratnasamuccaya*.

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Names of divinities and other authorities associated with particular formulae occur repeatedly in the chapters on treatment; noteworthy are the names of Ātreya,²⁴ Bhāluki,²⁵ Nāgārjuna,²⁶ Nityanātha,²⁷ and Suśruta.²⁸

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In spite of the author’s silence on the works he consulted and from which he borrowed, some of the sources can be identified.²⁹ The *Rasahṛdaya* was used in the composition of chapter one.³⁰ Chapters two to five are mostly from chapters ten to twelve and fourteen of the *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi*.³¹ Chapter six has been taken from the *Vādikhaṇḍa* of the *Rasaratnākara*.³² Chapters seven and eight correspond to chapters three and four of the *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi*.³³ Chapter nine has a composite structure; it consists of borrowings from the *Rasārṇava*, *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi*, and some other, unidentified, texts.³⁴ Large parts of chapter ten are from chapters five and nine of the *Rasendracūḍāmaṇi*.³⁵ Some portions of chapter eleven derive from the *Rasārṇava* and *Rasaratnākara*.³⁶

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A remarkable feature of the nidāna verses of chapters twelve to twenty-five is that they are not borrowed from the *Mādhavanidāna*, but from some so far unidentified source.

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Works quoting from or referring to the *Rasaratnasamuccaya* by name are: Ambikādattaśāstrin’s commentary on the *Rasendrasārasaṃgraha*, the pariśiṣṭas of the *Ānandakanda*, the commentary on the *Aṣṭamahāmātrā*, the *Āyurvedīya Khanijavijñāna*, the *Bhāvaprakāśa*,³⁷ the *Bheṣajasamhitā*, the *Bṛhadrasarājasundara*, Devendranātha and Upendranātha Senagupta’s *Āyurvedasaṃgraha*, Gulrājśarmamiśra’s commentary on the *Āyurvedaprakāśa* and the same author’s *Viśikhānupraveśavijñāna*, Haridattaśāstrin’s commentary on the *Rasataraṅgiṇī*, Lakṣmīrāma’s commentary on the *Siddhabheṣajamaṇimālā*, Mādhava’s *Āyurvedaprakāśa*, Mahādeva’s commentary on the *Rasapaddhati*, Narendranāthamitra’s *Capalanirṇaya* (in the *Rasataraṅgiṇī*), the *Pāradasamhitā*, *Rasadhātuprakāśa*, *Rasakāmadhenu*, *Rasamitra*, *Rasatattvavivecana*, *Rasavidyāmahārṇava*, *Rasayogasāgara*, *Rasendrakalpadruma*, *Rasoddhāratantra*, Ratnākarauṣadhayogagrantha, Śivadatta's auto-commentary on the Śivakoṣa, Somadevaśarman's commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, the Vaidyakasamgraha, Yādavajī Trikamajī's Rasāmṛta and Siddhayogasamgraha, the Yogaratnākara, and Cat. Madras Nr. 13198.38

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The Rasaratnasamuccaya was one of the sources of Āyurvedaprakāśa, Kūpīpakvarasanirmāṇavijñāna, Rasavidyāmahārṇava, and Rasendrasambhava.

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The author of the Rasaratnasamuccaya is quoted as Rasavāgbhaṭa in the Āyurvedadhīsāra, Gulrājśarmamiśra's commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Haridattaśāstrin's commentary on the Rasataraṅgiṇī, Mādhava's Āyurvedaprakāśa, Mahādeva's commentary on the Rasapaddhati, and the Rasakāmadhenu.39 He is cited as Vāgbhaṭa in Mādhava's Āyurvedaprakāśa.

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The Rasaratnasamuccaya is quoted anonymously in the Rasajalanidhi and Rasendrapurāṇa.

Special features

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The names of the twenty-seven Rasasiddhas40 mentioned in chapter one of the Rasaratnasamuccaya are:41 Ādima,42 Bhāskara,43 Brahmā,44 Candrasena,45 Gomukha,46 Govinda,47 Hari,48 Indrada,49 Kambali,50 Kāpālika,51 Kapālin,52 Khaṇḍa,53 Lampaka,54 Laṅkeśa,55 Māṇḍavya,56 Matta,57 Nāgabodhi,58 Nāgārjuna,59 Naravāhana,60 Ratnakośa,61 Śambhu,62 Sāttvika,63 Surānanda,64 Śūrasenaka,65 Viśārada,66 Vyādi,67 and Yaśodhana68 (1.2–5ab).

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The list is followed by the names of authors on rasaśāstra whose works were consulted by the son of Siṃhagupta, who wrote the Rasaratnasamuccaya. The authors mentioned69 are: Bhairava,70 Bhāluki,71 Harīśvara,72 Kākaṇḍīśvara,73 Mahādeva,74 Maithilāhvaya or Maryalāhvaya,75 Manthānabhairava,76 Nandin,77 Narendra,78 Rasāṅkuśa,79 Rasendratilaka,80 Ṛṣihṛṅga,81 Svacchandabhairava,82 Vāsudeva,83 and Yogin84 (1.5cd–8).

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The second list of twenty-seven Rasasiddhas (6.51–55), borrowed from the Rasaratnākara (III.1.66cd–71ab),85 consists of: Āgama,86 Bali,87 Bāṇāsura,88 Candrasena,89 Carpaṭi,90 Govinda,91 Indradhūma,92 Kāmāri,93 Kāpālika,94 Kapila,95 Khaṇḍa,96 Lampaṭa,97 Laṅkā,98 Māṇḍavya,99 Muniśreṣṭha,100 Nāgabuddhi,101 Nāgārjuna,102 Naravāhana,103 Ratnaghoṣa,104 Śambhu,105 Śārada,106 Subuddhi,107 Surānanda,108 Śūrasenaka,109 Tāntrika,110 Vyālācārya,111 and Yaśodhana.112

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Five gatis of mercury are described: jalaga, hamsaga, malaga, dhūmaga, and jīvagati; the first four are visible, whereas jīvagati is invisible (1.81–83). The eight mahārasas are: abhraka, vaikrānta, mākṣika, vimala, adrija (= śilājatu), sasyaka, capala, and rasaka; rājāvarta, included in this group in the Rasendracūḍāmaṇi, is omitted, while capala has been added (2.1); mākṣika or tāpya is described as found along the river Tāpī and in the countries of the Cīnas, Kirātas and Yavanas (2.73). The eight uparasas consist of: gandhāśman (= gandhaka), gairika, kāṅkṣī, (harit)āla, (manaḥ)śilā, añjana, and kaṅkuṣṭha (3.1); the eight sādhāraṇarasas are: kampilla,113 gaurīpāṣāṇa, navasāraka, kaparda, vahnijāra, girisindūra, hīṅgula, and mṛddāraśṛṅga (3.126–127). Rājāvarta is regarded as one of the ratnas (4.75–81).

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Chapter eleven discusses two systems of weights (11.1–13), the second of which is related to the Māgadha system of āyurveda.114

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The eighteen saṃskāras enumerated are svedana, mardana, mūrchana, utthāpana, patana, rodha, niyāmana, saṃdīpana, gabanabhakṣaṇamāna, samcāraṇa, garbhadṛti, bāhyadruti, jāraṇa, grāsa, sāraṇa, saṃkrāmaṇa, vedha, and śarīrayoga (11.14–16). The first eight saṃskāras, necessary for the preparation of medicinally useful substances, are described in more detail; the last ten saṃskāras, necessary for aurifaction, are neglected. Twelve doṣas of mercury are distinguished: three naisargikadoṣas: viṣa, vahni, mala; two yaugikadoṣas: nāga and vaṅga; seven aupādhikadoṣas or kañcukas: parpaṭī, pāṭanī, bhedī, malakarī, andhakārī, and dhvāṅkṣī (11.20–24).

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Twenty-five types of bandha of mercury are distinguished; a twenty-sixth type, called jalūkabandha, recognized by some authorities, is added (11.60–64). The twenty-five types are:115 haṭha-,116 ābhaṣa-,117 kriyāhīna-,118 piṣṭikā-,119 kṣāra-,120 khoṭa-,121 poṭa- or parpaṭī-,122 kalka-,123 kajjalī-,124 sajīva,125 nirjīva-,126 nirbīja-,127 sabīja-,128 śṛṅkhalā-,129 druti-,130 bālā-,131 kumāra-,132 taruṇa-,133 vṛddha-,134 mūrti-,135 and mahābandha136 (11.65–89). The jalūkabandha is elaborately described (11.93–107).138

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The diseases, the treatment of which is dealt with in chapters twelve to twenty-five, are enumerated in the introductory verses of chapter twelve (12.1–8):139 jvara, raktapitta, kāsa, śvāsa, hīdhma, vaisarvya (= svarabheda), kṣaya (= rājayakṣmam), aroca, praseka, chardi, hṛdroga, tṛṣṇā, madyodbhava (= madātyaya), arśas, udāvarta, atisāra, grahaṇyarti, pravāhin, visūci, vahnimāndya (= agnimāndya), mūtrakṛcchra, aśmarī, meha, somaroga, piḍikāḥ, vṛddhi, vṛddhi, gulma, śūla,140 udara, pāṇḍu, śopha, visarpa, kuṣṭha, śvitra,141 nabhasvat (= vātavyādhi), vātāsra (= vātarakta),142 vandhya (infertility), garbhiṇīruj, sūtīkāroga, bālaroga,143 unmāda, apasmṛti, netraroga, karṇaroga, nāsāroga, āsyaroga (= mukharoga), śiroroga, vraṇa, bhaṅga, bhagaṇdara, granthi and related diseases,144 kṣudraroga, and guhyaroga.145

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Noteworthy features of the nosology of the Rasaratnasamuccaya are: a disease called lohala (15.78);146 seven types of vardhma (18.11);147 a list of the eight mahārogas at the beginning of chapter twenty-one: vātavyādhi, aśmarī, kuṣṭha, meha, udara, bhagaṇdara, arśas and grahaṇī (21.1); descriptions of śītavāta (21.2), sparśavāta (21.12) and raktavāta (21.42); nine types of vandhya: ādivandhyā, raktajā, pittajā, kaphajā, saṃnipātajā, bhūtajā, devajā, abhicārajā (22.1–2); a male, incapable of procreation, is called vandhya (22.3); women with four more types of disorders of fertility are called garbhasrāvī,148 mṛtavatsā,149 strīprasūti,150 and kākavandhyā (22.4);151 the list of nose diseases mentions six varieties of pīnasa (24.19);152 kṣayajāśiroroga and anantavāta are absent from the list of diseases of the head (24.71); the treatment of baldness and premature greying of the hair are discussed after the section on diseases of the head (24.82–90); khaṇḍakeśa and cācāroga are used as synonyms of baldness (indralupta; 24.82 and 87); the list of kṣudrarogas consists of vyaṅga, kacchapa, nīlikā, kunakha, viddha,153 utkoṭha, koṭha,154 alasa, kakṣa, ruddhaguda, prasupti,155 vivṛtā, visphoṭa, valmīka, viṣṭha,156 kadara, ajagalli, jaṭumaṇi, andhālajī, rājikā, kṣudrā,157 lāñchana, śarkarā, yavaprakhyā, agnirohīṇī, jālāśmagardabha,158 vidārī, masūrikā, paḍmakaṇṭaka, gardabhī, śarkarārbuda, śaṣa, ānandadūṣikāḥ,159 gaṇḍhāhvayā,160 panasikā, and irivellikā (25.1–2).

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