A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c12.t5: Book V. On Metals

A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c12.t5

Language: English

Book V. On Metals

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The pure metals are: gold, silver, and iron. The putilohas (lit. metals emitting a fœtid odour) are two: lead and tin. Dhātuloham is iron proper and often conveys different meanings. The alloys are three in number: brass, bell-metal and vartaloha. I

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(1) वज्रवल्ली according to “Vaidyakasabdasindhu” is the same as अस्थिसंहारलता i.e. *vitis quadrangularis*.

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(2) Loha (lit. iron) is often used in the wider sense of a metal.

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Gold

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Gold is known to be of five kinds :—of which 3 are attributed to mythical and celestial origin ; the fourth is called *kshanija* (lit. begot of mines) : the 5th is obtained by the transmutation of the baser metals. (See Bk. VIII, 80-83.) 2

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Gold is to be purified and killed, as otherwise [if taken internally] it robs one of strength, virility and happiness and brings a series of maladies. 11

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Gold-leaf of the weight of one *karsha* is to be smeared with salt and placed between two earthen saucers and heated on a charcoal fire for an hour and a half when its true colours will come out. 12

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The best method of *killing* all the metals is with the aid of the ashes of mercury.¹ The next best is through the agency of the roots, whereas *killing* with sulphur is least to be recommended. 13

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¹ Generally sulphide of mercury (see p. 65).

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When a metal is killed with *ariloha* (meaning: not clear), it is injurious. Gold-leaves, pierced with holes and coated with a paste of lemon juice and the ashes of mercury and roasted ten times are thereby *killed*. 14

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Project into melted gold its own weight of the ash of marcury ; [when cooled] powder it and rub it with lemon-juice and cinnabar and roast it in a covered crucible twelve times. The gold thus acquires the colour of saffron.¹ (cf. Rasārnava XVI. 81, p. 74). 15-16

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Gold-leaf is killed by being rubbed with one-fourth of its own weight of killed mercury and acid of any kind and roasted eight times.² 17

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Silver

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Silver is of 3 kinds : namely sahajam (of mythical origin), begotten of mines and artificial. 22

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Silver melted with lead and borax undergoes purification........ Arrange on an earthen dish a mixture of lime and ashes in a circular row and place in it silver with its equal weight of lead. Now roast it over fire until the lead is consumed. Silver thus purified is to be used for medicinal purposes.)³ (Cf. p. 68) 32-34

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(1) This refers to the mistaken notion that the sublimate of factitious cinnabar (vermilion) contains gold.

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(2) It will be seen that although killing with sulphur direct is not recommended, the gold is in reality converted into the sulphide and afterwards into metallic gold in a fine state of powder. See under "Killing of Metals."

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(3) Cf. Rasārnava नागेन चारराजिन द्रावितंशुद्धिमुच्छति। "Silver is purified by being melted with lead and the ashes." The process is practically that of cupellation.

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Silver-leaf is to be rubbed with mercury and the juice of *artocapus lakoocha* and is to be embedded in sulphur and heated in a covered crucible over a sand-bath; when cold, the mass is once more rubbed with orpiment and acids and roasted 12 times. By this process, the silver is reduced to ashes 35-37

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Silver is reduced to ashes by being 3 times rubbed with powdered iron pyrites and lemon juice and roasted in a covered crucible. 38

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Take 4 parts of silver-leaf and one of orpiment and rub them with the juice of lemon and roast the mixture and repeat the operation 14 times and thus silver is completely incinerated.¹ 40-41

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¹ We shall complete the account with an extract from Rasendrasārasamgraha: "Siver-feaf is pierced with holes and smeared with twice its weight of cinnabar and subjected to distillation in the Pátana Yantra (see Bk. ix on apparatus). The mercury comes off and killed silver remains behind."

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Copper

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There are two varieties of copper: the one brought from Nepal is of superior quality; that dug out of the mines of other countries is designated Mlechchha.² 44

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² The generic term for a barbarian or a foreigner.

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Copper-leaf is killed by being rubbed with lemon-juice, sulphur and mercury and roasted thrice

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Iron

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There are three kinds of iron: namely, mundam (wrought iron), tīkshnam and kāntam; mundam again is of 3 varieties: viz., mridu, kuntham and kadāram.

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That which easily melts, does not break and is glossy is mridu; that which expands with difficulty when struck with a hammer is known as kuntham; that which breaks when struck with a hammer and has a black fracture is kadāram. 71-72

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Tīkshnam (properly cast-iron, steel) : there are 6 varieties of it. One variety is rough and free from hair-like lines and has a quicksilver-like fracture and breaks when bent. Another variety breaks with difficulty and presents a sharp edge. 75-78

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Kāntam: there are 5 kinds of it, namely, bhrāmaka, chumbaka, karshaka, drāvaka and romā-kānta. It possesses one, two, three, four and five faces and often many faces [with which to attract iron] and is of yellow, black and red colour respectively. The variety which makes all kinds of iron move about is called bhrāmaka, that which kisses iron is called chumbaka, that which attracts iron is called karshaka, that which at once melts the iron is called drāvaka (lit. a solvent) and the fifth kind is that which, when broken, shoots forth hair-like filaments. 84-89

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Mercury is like an intoxicated elephant and kāntam is like the bent hook wherewith to restrain it. The wise man digs it out of the mines. That which has remained exposed to the sun and the atmosphere is to be avoided.¹ 92-93

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If water is kept in a vessel and oil poured over it and the oil does not spread about; if asafœtida gives up its odour and decoction of neem (*Melia azadirachta*) its bitterness and milk, being boiled in it, does not overflow but rises high like a peak—if such be the characteristics of the vessel, know that it is made of kānta iron. 94

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Powdered iron is to be macerated awhile in the decoction of the three myrobalans, in cow's urine and then to be mixed up with clarified butter and fried in an earthen vessel and stirred with an iron rod until a blade of straw thrown over it catches fire. The iron powder is to be pounded and the above process repeated five times.

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(1) Couplets 84-93 are taken bodily from Rasānava.

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Or iron is roasted four times in a covered crucible with the decoction of the myrobalans and is reduced to fine powder.¹ 104-105

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¹ The process is practically the same as that of Chakrapáni, who ascribes it to Nagárjuna. (See p. 62.)

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Leaves of *tīkṣṇa* iron are repeatedly to be heated and plunged into water and then to be powdered in a stone mortar with an iron pestle * * * The powder of iron thus obtained is to be roasted twenty times in a covered crucible in combination with mercury and sulphur, and after each roasting the powder of iron is to be pounded as directed above—iron thus reduced to ashes is to be used in medicine. 107-110

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Take one part of iron and twentieth part of its weight of cinnabar and rub them with lemon juice and sour gruel and roast the mixture in a covered crucible. The operation being repeated 40 times, *kāntam*, *tīkṣṇam* and *mundam* are killed—of this there is no doubt. 113-114

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Take of mercury one part, sulphur two parts and iron powder three parts and rub them with the juice of the Indian aloe and after 6 hours transfer the mass to a brass-vessel and cover it with the leaves of the castor-oil plant. At the end of an hour and a half the mass will become heated. It is then buried under a heap of paddy grains and taken out after three days and then powdered very fine and the contents passed through linen.¹ All the three varieties of iron are thus completely killed. Gold and other metals can be killed by this process after being reduced to fine powder like iron.

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Rust of iron is to be heated and powdered till it is reduced to fine powder—this is called mandūra.²

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The qualities which reside in killed iron are also to be found in the rust of iron, hence the latter may be substituted for the treatment of diseases.³

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Tin

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Vangam (tin) is of two kinds—kshurakam and misrakam; the former is endowed with superior qualities; the latter cannot be recommended for medicinal uses.

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(1) “Rasendrasārasamgraha” has the same recipe with slight variations. According to it the powder is so fine that it “floats on water like a duck.” Cf. below p. 119.

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(2) Analysis of “Mandúra”; see Appendix I.

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(3) This couplet also occurs in Rasendrasārasamgraha.

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Kshurakam is white, soft, cool (to the touch), readily fusible and bright and does not clink (when struck).

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Misrakam is dirty white * * * This is an anthelmintic and a destroyer of the urinary disorders. 155

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Molten tin is dropped into the juice of Negundo vitex mixed with turmeric; the process being repeated 3 times, the metal undergoes purification.

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Tinfoil is to be smeared with a paste of orpiment and the milky juice of Calotropis gigantea and then to be covered with the ashes of the bark of Ficus religiosus and Tamarindus Indicus and roasted and then reduced to ashes.¹

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¹ A few more recipes are given, in all of which orpiment plays an important part; the one quoted below from Rasendra-sárasamgraha will yield the "ash" of tin in the shape of an oxide: "Melt tin in an earthen pot and to the molten metal add an equal weight of powdered turmeric and Ajowan (Ptychotis ajowan) and cumin seeds, and afterwords the ashes of the bark of Tamarindus Indicus and Ficus religiosus and continue stirring over fire. The tin will be reduced to ashes."

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Lead

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Sīsakam (lead) is readily fusible, very heavy, presents a black and bright appearance on fracture, is of fœtid odour¹ and black exterior. 171

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Take of lead 20 palas and apply strong heat to it and drop into the molten metal one karsa of mercury and throw into it one after another the ashes of *Terminalia arjuna*, *T. bellerica*, pomegranate and *Achyranthes aspera*, weighing one pala each. The mass being vigorously stirred with an iron spoon for 20 nights in succession, the metal is calcined yielding a bright red ash.² 176-179

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(1) Lead and brass (see below) are said to emit an offensive odour. In connection with this it is interesting to read Professor W. E. Ayrton's address "On the Smell of Metals"—Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1898, p. 772. Cf. also "Alch. Syr." Trad., 121, as well as the opening lines of the present Book describing tin and lead "as metals of fœtid odour." In the Syrian Alchemy "Silver is distinguished from tin by its absence of fœtid odour"; regarding this M, Berthelot very pointedly remarks: "on voit que l'odeur propre que dégagent les mémaux frottés avec la main, ou bien au contact d'une matière organique, jouait un rôle important dans leur étude chez les anciens auteurs; importance que cette odeur a perdue aujourd'hui."—"La Chimie au moyen âge": T. ii. 121 (trad.)

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(2) The following process is given both in the "Rasendrachintámani" and "Rasendrasársamgraha": "Rub lead with the juice of *Adhatoda vasica* and melt it in an earthen pot add to it one fourth its weight of the ashes of *Adhatoda* and *achyranthes aspera* and stir the mass with a rod *Adhatoda vasica* and heat over a fire. Repeat the process seven times. The lead will be turned to vermilion-like powder."

Linked texts (4)

Cakradatta (Cikitsāsaṅgraha) — Cakrapāṇidatta, Sanskrit
Rasārṇava — Sanskrit
Rasendracintāmaṇi — Ḍhuṇḍhukanātha, Sanskrit
Rasendrasārasaṃgraha (Gopāla Kṛṣṇā) — Gopāla Kṛṣṇā 1800, Sanskrit