History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c17.s1: Rasaratnakara Of Nagarjuna

History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c17.s1

Language: English

Rasaratnakara Of Nagarjuna

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I shall now speak of the purification of important *rasas* (minerals).

What wonder is it that *rājavarta* (lapis lazuli) digested with the juice of *Albizzia lebbek* converts silver of the weight of one gunja (*rati*—a kind of seed weighing 1.9 grains approx) into one hundred times its weight of gold of the lustre of the rising sun? 1

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What wonder is it that yellow sulphur, purified with the juice of *Butea monosperma*, converts silver into gold when roasted thrice over the fire of cow-dung cakes? 2

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What wonder is it that calamine * * roasted thrice with copper converts the latter into gold? 3

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Calamine, a zinc mineral, when roasted with copper in the presence of reducing organic matters, is likely to give rise to brass, which was possibly passed as artificially prepared gold.

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What wonder is it that cinnabar digested several times with the milk of the ewe and the acids (vegetable acids) imparts to silver the lustre of gold glowing as saffron? 4

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Digestion of minerals is to be effected in the decoction of *Dolichos biflorus*, *Paspalum scrobioulatum*, the urine of man and the acid juices of (the fruit of) ratan (*Calamus rotang*) and afterwards with the addition of alkalies (soda, borax, etc.). The operation of roasting is to be performed thrice. 5

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What wonder is it that the pyrites macerated in the juice of *Musa sapientum* and in castor oil and clarified butter, and

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The numerals at the end of each recipe correspond to the number of verses (*slokas*) of the original Sanskrit Text.

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placed inside the bulb of *Amorphophalus campanulatus* and roasted (in a closed crucible) undergoes perfect purification?

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The process is likely to lead to the production of metallic copper from pyrites.

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*Chapala* (possibly some sulphur-containing mineral) and other minerals, being macerated in the juice of lemon for 3 days, become purified. Gold being smeared with the five earths, the ashes and salts, and roasted, undergoes purification

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Silver alloyed with lead and fused with ashes becomes purified.

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Lo! it is not to be wondered at that copper, melted with the alkali derived from the earth and the milk of the ewe, clarified butter and one-sixteenth of its weight of oil, will become pure like the crescent of the moon

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It may be compared to the process for the purification of crude copper by means of 'poling'.

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Macerated in the ashes of *Schrebera swietenioides, Butea monosperma* and cow's urine and mixed with the powdered root of *Euphorbia antiquorum*, turmeric......borax, powdered lac and made into balls with the milky juice of *Gymnema sylvestre* and honey, and strongly heated in a closed crucible, *vaikranta* yields its essence. Of this there is no doubt.

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*Mákshika*, (pyrites), repeatedly soaked in honey, oil of *Ricinus communis*, urine of the cow, clarified butter and the extract of the bulbous root of *Musa sapientum*, and heated in a crucible, yields an essence in the shape of copper. A similar treatment has also been prescribed for *tápya* (a variety of pyrites)

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*Rasaka* (calamine), digested repeatedly with fermented paddy-water, natron and clarified butter, and mixed with wool, lac, *Terminalia chebula* and borax and roasted in a covered crucible, yields an essence of the appearance of tin, of this there is no doubt.

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*Vimala*, digested with alums, green vitriol, borax and the watery liquid expressed from *Moringa oleifera, Musa sapientum* and finally roasted in a covered crucible in combination with the ashes of *Schrebera swietenioides*, yields an essence in the shape of *chandrarka* (lit. copper of gold-like lustre). 35-36

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*Darada* (cinnabar), when distilled in a *patana yantram* (distillation or sublimation apparatus) into a vessel containing water, yields an essence identical with mercury. There is no doubt about it. 37

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Verses 50-51: Dissolution of gems (pearls, etc.) by digestion in vegetable acids, e.g. sour gruel (impure vinegar) and the juice of certain acid plants.

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Here ends Chapter Second of Rasaratnakara by Nagarjuna on the *killing* of diamond and the metals, extraction of the essence of minerals and liquefaction of mica

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In the beginning of this chapter we have seen that there are certain recipes, which all refer to the floating mass of traditions current at the time of the author on the transmutation of the base metals into gold. They are quite laconic, and are of fragmentary and disjointed character. The meaning, therefore, is not always clear. Various ingenious methods were resorted to for debasing gold, or making an alloy, which will imitate the character of gold. Silver, copper, lead, zinc and mercury were often made into an amalgam, and the latter rendered compact and coloured yellow with the aid of orpiment. No wonder that the law-books prescribe severe penalties on the fraudulent debasers of the precious metals. Thus according to Manu "the king shall cause a goldsmith, who behaves dishonestly, the most noxious of all the thorns, to be cut to pieces with razors."