A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c32.t1.106

v2.c32.t1.106

The only instance in which we find some allusion to adepts outside the pale of Hindu institutions occurs in Rasaratnasamuchchaya.* But the term Mlechchha used there is a generic one applied indiscriminately to the Sakas, the Yavanas (Greeks or Bactrians), the Chínas (Chinese), etc. The Hindus have never been shy of acknowledging their obligations to the Yavanas; Varāhamihira for instance expresses his admiration for the proficiency of the latter in the field of astronomy and would gladly learn at their feet.* In the Mahábhárata again we find the services of the Yavana architect, Purochana, requisitioned. We have not, however, come across a single passage, which may be construed into implying a hint to alchemists in the West. That the term Mlechchha in R. R. S. really refers to the Kirátas is evident from the colophon to Rasahridaya. †