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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c51.s3: The Rasasaṃketakalikā

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c51.s3

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English

The Rasasaṃketakalikā

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The Rasasaṃketakalikā by Kāyastha Cāmuṇḍa¹ is a treatise on alchemy and iatro-chemistry in 399 verses,² arranged in four chapters (ullāsa).

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Contents³ The maṅgala is addressed to Śiva as the lord of mercury (Raseśa). Chapter one (49 verses) describes the mythical origin of mercury (1.2–4b),⁴ the varieties of mercury (1.4cd–5ab), the doṣas and kañcukas (1.5cd–6), some saṃskāras (mardana, svedana, mūrchana, pātana, gandhakajāraṇa, bandha, māraṇa; 1.7–40), the properties of killed mercury (mṛtarasa) (1.41–46), the side effects of the use of mṛtarasa and their treatment (1.47–48), and the results of paying homage to the lord of mercury (1.49). Chapter two (65 verses) is concerned with the description of the six natural metals (loha), their properties, varieties, purification and killing (2.1–49), lohakitta (2.50–51), kharpara (= rasaka; 2.52–53), the purification and killing of some alloys (kāṃsya and pittala; 2. 54ab), the treatment of disorders caused by the metals (2.54cd), and the nirutthakaraṇa⁵ of the metals (2.55–57); the chapter ends with the description of abhraka, its varieties, killing, the extraction of its essence (sattvapātana), the killing of the essence,⁶ and the uses of the products obtained (2.58–65). Chapter three (16 verses) deals with viṣas⁷ and upaviṣas (3.1–9), opium (3.10–12), and bhṛṅgī (3.13–16). Chapter four (129 verses) is a collection of rasayogas to be employed against various diseases and for rasāyana and vājīkaraṇa purposes. Chapter five (40 verses) contains formulae for pills (guṭikā; 5.1–30) and some other preparations (5.31–40).⁸

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Sources are not referred to. Cāmuṇḍa mentions the sampradāya of his guru (4.85 and 91).

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The Rasasaṃketakalikā is quoted in the paribhāṣā pariśiṣṭa of the Ānandakanda, the Āyurvedābdhisāra, Caturbhujamiśra’s commentary on the Rasahṛdaya, Khare’s commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Gulrājśarmamiśra’s commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, the Rasakāmadhenu, the Rasamitra, the Rasāmṛta of Yādavji Trikamjī, the Rasāyanasaṃgraha, and Somadevaśarman’s commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa. It is one of the sources of the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Bheṣajasaṃhitā, Pāradasaṃhitā, and Rasayogasāgara.

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A commentary on the Rasasaṃketakalikā by Somadevaśarman is recorded.⁹

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Special features Four varieties of mercury are distinguished, named after the four varṇas (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; 1.4cd). Five naisargikadoṣas and seven kañcukas are mentioned; their names are not enumerated (1.5cd–6). Eighteen saṃskāras are referred to, but only a few, which are easily carried out, are described (1.7). Four types of rasabandha are mentioned: pāṭa¹⁰ or parpaṭīkābandha, khoṭa or piṣṭībandha, jalaukā or pakvabandha, and bhasmākhya (1.16–17). The preparation of two varieties of rasabhasman, ūrdhvaga- and talabhasman (1.18–28ab),¹¹ is described, as well as the preparation of five varieties which differ in colour: rakta, pīta, kṛṣṇa, nīla, and pāṇḍurāruṇa (1.28cd–33).¹² The six natural metals are gold, silver, copper (arka), tin, lead and iron (2.1); bronze (ghoṣa or kāṃsya) and brass (āvartaka or pittala) are alloys (2.1). Five varieties of gold are distinguished (prākṛta, sahaja, agnija, khanija and rasavāḍottha; 2.4–5), three varieties of silver (sahaja, khanija, kṛtrima; 2.10), two varieties of copper (nepāla and mleccha; 2.14) and of tin (khuraka amd miśraka; 2.25). Three types of iron are mentioned: muṇḍa, tīkṣṇa and kānta; muṇḍa has three varieties (mṛdu, kuṇṭha, kāṇḍāra), tīkṣṇa six (kharasāra, hotrāsa, tārāvarta, kālaloha, gajākhya), and kānta four (romaka, bhrāmaka, cumbaka, drāvaka) (2.34–37). Zinc is not mentioned as one of the metals, but kharparasattva is described (2.52–53).¹³

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Four varieties of mica (abhraka) are distinguished (pīta, sita, asita, and rakta, called respectively piṇāka, dardura, nāga, and vajra; 2.58–59). A nīlakaṇṭhamantra accompanies the killing of poisons (3.3–4ab). Upaviṣas mentioned are vajra, arka, heman, halinī, hayāri and viṣamuṣṭikā (3.9).¹⁴ Four varieties of bhṛṅgī¹⁵ are distinguished; their flowers are white, red, yellow and dark (kṛṣṇa) (3.13–15).

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The rasas of chapter four are not arranged according to a particular scheme. One of the formulae is also found in Cāmuṇḍa’s Jvaratimirabhāskara.¹⁶ Divine or human authorities to whom rasayogas are attributed are: Bhairavānanda,¹⁷ Brahmā,¹⁸ Nāgārjuna,¹⁹ and Rudra.²⁰ One formula²¹ is said to have been of profit to Ghaṭaśravas,²² Kumbhayoni,²³ Vṛkodara,²⁴ Śanaiścara,²⁵ Sahasraḍṛś,²⁶ Pañcamukha,²⁷ and Caturmukha.²⁸

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Some of the rasayogas may be original contributions of Cāmuṇḍa, because they are not found in earlier works.²⁹

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Noteworthy items of the materia medica are: ākalla(ka) (4.129; 5.12), jambhala (2.61), jhaṣanayana (2.61), malapū (1.38),³⁰ phaṭakī (1.40),³¹ phiṭkarī (4.83 and 127),³² and sora (4.83).³³

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Śaṅkhadrāva was known to Cāmuṇḍa (4.38–89).

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