A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c50.s6.2

v3.c50.s6.2

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