A History of Indian Medical Literature v4.c63.727

v4.c63.727

200 An alloy of equal parts of lead, tin and zinc. 201 A substance consisting of equal parts of iron and mica. 202 Five varieties are mentioned, distinguished by their colour. 203 Identified as jade. 204 Described as a semi-precious stone, found in Khambhāta in Gujarāt. 205 CC: not recorded. Editions: a The Rasopaniṣat, edited by K. Sāmbaśiva Śāstrī, Trivandrum Sanskrit Series No. XCII, Śrī Setu Lakṣmī Prasādamālā No. IV, Trivandrum 1928; this edition is based on two MSS from private collections; the edition comprises eighteen chapters; variants are given in footnotes and in a pāṭhabheda at the end; this ed. was reviewed by L.D. Barnett (JRAS 1930, 445–446). b rasopaniṣat (prathama-khaṇḍa) (“śaraccandraprabhā” bhāṣāṭīkā saha), anuvādaka: vaidya badrīnārāyaṇa śarmā (vijayanagarastha), Kṛṣṇa-Gopāla Granthamālā Nr. 28, Ajmer 1959; this edition comprises chapters one to sixteen; the MSS on which it is based are not indicated; the Hindī commentary is useful; two indexes (vargānukramaṇikā and vanauṣadhināmasūcī) are found at the end. References are to a. The title is mentioned at 1.3 and in the chapter colophons. See on the Rasopaniṣat: ABI 328; BDHM 3, 2, 1965, 106; V. Deshpande (1992), (1994); S. Lévi (1930/32: 421); V. Śukla I, 158–159; Tāntrika Sāhitya 551; D.G. White (1996): 155. 206 D.G. White (1996: 155) classifies the Rasopaniṣat as a Māheśvara Siddha work. See on the Māheśvara Siddhas: D.G. White (1996): 101–103. 207 The treatise begins with Pārvatī requesting Śiva to expound the Rasopaniṣat to her (1.3); complying with her request, he asks her to listen to his exposé on the Mahodadhi (1.9). The names Mahodadhi and Rasopaniṣat figure next to each other in the chapter colophons, which may indicate that both titles refer to the same work. The work itself is referred to as Mahodadhi (1.56); another Mahodadhi is also mentioned (12.26). The editors of editions a and b, Atrideva (ABI 328), and V. Śukla (I, 158) assume that the Rasopaniṣat forms part of a larger work called Mahodadhi. 208 Edition a, however, has at the end: samāptā ceyaṃ rasopaniṣat. 209 Prose is found between 16.101ab and 101cd, 17.208 and 209 (a mantra), 18.117 and 118, 464 and 465, 466 and 467, 467 and 468, 475 and 476, 477 and 478, 479 and 480, 481ab and 481cd, 489ab and 489cd, 494ab and 494cd, 501ab and 501cd, 505ab and 505cd, 506ab and 506cd. 210 See 1.21cd–23ab. 211 See 1.23cd–24ab. Drāvaṇa consists of melting, purifying and recasting for obtaining untarnished metals (V. Deshpande, 1994: 317). 212 Sparśavṛddhi is the transmuting power of a mercurial preparation (see the Hindī commentary of ed. b ad 3.4–5). 213 A substance called mahāṅkuśa appears to be the same as abhrakasattva (see 3.4–5). 214 See 1.24cd–25ab. 215 See 1.25cd–26ab. Compare on dīpikāyantra: Rasajalanidhi I, 254. 216 See 1.26cd. The bījas mentioned are suvarṇa- and tārābīja, consisting of purified gold, respectively silver (see the Hindī commentary of ed. b). 217 See 1.26cd–27ab. 218 See 1.27cd–28.