History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c17.s3: Chemistry In Rasarnava

History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c17.s3

Language: English

Chemistry In Rasarnava

c17.s3.1

In Rasarnava, as in all other Tantras, knowledge is imparted in the shape of a dialogue between Bhairava (Siva) and his consort Parvati.

Sri Bhairava said: "The *rasas* (mercury and some important minerals) and *uparasas* (inferior minerals), the metals, a piece of cloth, *vidam* (preparation for killing metals), a pair of bellows, iron implements, stone pestles and mortars, the apparatus known as *koshti*, mouth blow-pipe, cow-dung, substantial wood (as fuel), various kinds of earthen apparatus (e g. crucibles, etc), a pair of tongs, earthen and iron vessels, weights and balances, bamboo and iron pipes, the salts and the alkalies, the poisons—all these are to be collected and chemical operations begun". (*cf.* Rasaratnakara.)

c17.s3.5

*Dola Yantram*: "A pot is half-filled with a liquid and a rod placed across its mouth from which is suspended the medicine tied in a piece of cloth. The liquid is allowed to boil and the medicine is heated by its vapour. This is called *dola yantram*".

c17.s3.6

*An Apparatus for Killing Metals* · "Make two iron crucibles each 12 digits in length; the one with a narrow orifice containing sulphur is inserted into the other holding mercury; below the mercury is placed water (in a separate vessel). The mercury and sulphur should be carefully moistened in garlic juice, which has been filtered through a cloth. The apparatus is now lodged in an earthen pot and another placed over it, the rims being luted with cloth previously smeared with earth. * * Now cow-dung fire is urged. After continuing heating for three days the apparatus is taken out." This is known as *musha yantram*, which digests sulphur and other substances.

c17.s3.7

*Garbha Yantram* :—The description of this apparatus in Rasarnava is exactly similar to that given in Rasaratnakara (vide p. 132). So, it is not repeated here. It is stated that by means of this apparatus mercury can be reduced to ashes in the course of one to three days.

c17.s3.8

*Efficacy of the Apparatus* :—"For killing and colouring mercury, an apparatus is indeed a power. Without the use of herbs and drugs, mercury can be killed with the aid of an apparatus alone; hence, an expert must not disparage the efficacy of the apparatus."

c17.s3.9

*Hamsapaka Yantram* ·—"Take an earthen dish and fill it with sand, and then place another over it · apply gentle heat. Now digest in this apparatus (the ingredients) with the five alkalies, the urines and the *vida*. This is known as the *hamsapaka yantram* by the adepts."

c17.s3.10

*Crucibles*·—"Earth of black, red, yellow and white colour burnt husks of paddy, soot, earth from the ant-hill, well-burnt excrements of the goat and the horse · rust of iron......" These are the ingredients used in varying proportions for making crucibles, retorts, etc.

c17.s3.11

"There are two kinds of crucibles, viz., open and covered (lit. blind) ·the covered one resembles the nipple of a cow and is fitted with a lid, which has a raised head."

c17.s3.12

"For the purification of silver, the crucible is best made of two parts of the ashes of *Schrebera swietenioides*, and one part each of brick dust and earth."

c17.s3.13

The porous crucible is of the nature of a 'cupel'.

c17.s3.14

*Colour of Flames* :—"Copper yields a blue flame that of tin is pigeon-coloured; that of lead is pale-tinted · that of the iron is tawny; · that of the "peacock" ore (*sasyaka*) is red."

c17.s3.15

*Sasyaka* being blue vitriol (a copper mineral) cannot impart red colour to the flame. The reading in the manuscript seems, therefore, to be defective. ·

c17.s3.16

*Test of a Pure Metal* :—"A pure metal is that, which when melted in a crucible, does not give off sparks nor bubbles, nor spurts, nor emits any sound, nor shows any lines on the surface, but is tranquil like a gem (shows signs of tranquil fusion)."

c17.s3.17

*Kosthi Apparatus* :—"For extracting the essence of metals a *koshti* apparatus (vide illustrations) is preferred, which is sixteen digits in width and two cubits in length."

c17.s3.18

"Here ends Chapter Fourth of Rasarnava, which treats of apparatus, crucibles and the colour of flames."

c17.s3.19

*The Alkalies* :—"The three alkalies are the borax, trona (natron) and *yavakshara* (carbonate of potash). The ashes of sesamum, *Achyranthes aspera*, *Musa sapientum*, *Butea monosperma*, *Moringa pterygosperma*, *Schrebera swietenioides*, *Raphanus sativus*, *Zingiber officinale*, *Tamarindus indica* and *Ficus religiosa* respectively are regarded as the standard plant ashes".

c17.s3.20

*The Maharasas* :—"Bhairava said, "*Makshika* (copper pyrites), *vimala* (a variety of pyrites), *sila* (rocks), *chapala* (possibly some sulphur-containing mineral), *rasaka* (calamine), *sasyaka* (blue vitriol), *darada* (cinnabar) and *srotonjana* (stibnite),—these are the eight *maharasas*"

c17.s3.21

*Copper from the Pyrites* :—"*Makshika*, 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."

c17.s3.22

"*Vimala*, digested with alum, 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* (copper of gold-like lustre").

c17.s3.23

*Chapala* :—"There are four varieties of *chapala*—yellow, white, red and black. That which has the lustre of gold or silver is most appropriate for the fixation of mercury. The last two are indifferent and readily melt like lac and are useless. *Chapala* melts like tin when heated over fire—hence the name".

c17.s3.24

Brass from calamine and copper is mistaken for gold.

c17.s3.25

"*Rasaka* (calamine) · There are three kinds of it : namely, of the colour of earth, of the appearance of treacle, and of the colour of stones What wonder is it that *rasaka* mixed with (certain organic matters) and roasted three times with copper converts the latter into gold ?"

c17.s3.26

*Extraction of Zinc from Calamine.*—"*Rasaka* 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."

c17.s3.27

*Extraction of Copper from Sasyaka.*—"Take blue vitriol and one-fourth its weight of borax, and soak the mixture in the oil expressed from the seeds of *Pongamia glabra* for one day only and then place it in a covered crucible and heat in the charcoal fire—by this process an essence is obtained from it of the beautiful appearance of coccinella insect "

c17.s3.28

*Saurashtri.*—"Distillation of *saurashtri* (alum ). Alum is to be macerated in the bile of the ox one hundred times and then its essence is to be extracted by distillation—a very secret process, not to be divulged."

c17.s3.29

*The Metals* —"O goddess ! listen now to what I say about the metals. Gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and lead ; these are the six metals and their resistance to waste ( i e. corrosion ) is in the order in which they have been named "

c17.s3.30

*The Killing of Metals-Vida.*—"Hear attentively as I shall now speak of the killing of metals. There is no such elephant of a metal which cannot be killed by the lion of a sulphur."

c17.s3.31

Bhairava said : "*Kasisa* (green vitriol), rock-salt, the pyrites, *sauvira* (stibnite), the aggregate of the three spices ( namely, black pepper, long pepper and dry ginger ), sulphur, saltpetre, the juice expressed from 'malati' (*Echites* *caryophyllata*)—all these moistened with the juice of the root of *Moringa oleifera*, makes a *vida*, which would kill all (the metals).”

c17.s3.32

“Sulphur, orpiment, sea-salt, sal-ammoniac, borax,—these, digested with plant ashes and urines, give rise to another kind of *vida*.”……

c17.s3.33

………Having thus collected the ingredients, the chemical operations should be carried out. O goddess! I have told you all, what more do you want to hear?”

c17.s3.34

*Purification of Quicksilver.*—“Quicksilver, rubbed with the juice of the aforesaid plants (21 different plants mentioned in the previous verses) and distilled seven times, becomes pure.”

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“Quicksilver, made into a paste by being rubbed with copper and subjected to distillation, leaves behind tin and lead (with which they are often adulterated) and becomes pure.”

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*Killing of Mercury* :—“Green vitriol, alum, salt, borax, mixed with the aforesaid vegetable drugs (mentioned in previous verses) kill mercury in an instant (in the shape of calomel).”

c17.s3.37

*Killing of Gold* :—“Saltpetre, green vitriol, sea-salt, rock-salt, mustard, borax, sal-ammoniac, camphor, the pyrites—all these are to be taken in equal parts. The crucible is to be smeared with the milky juice of *Euphorbia neriifolia* and *Asclepias gigantea*, then having added the power of the aforesaid “*vida*”, the gold is to be killed, my beloved!”

c17.s3.38

*Test for Killed Mercury* :—This is identical with what is described in Rasaratnakara by Nagarjuna (q. v., p. 134).

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*Colouring of Metals* :—“Iron, lead and copper are coloured by means of calamine,—the whole turns into gold”. (*cf.* VII. 31-34).

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"Mercury is composed of the five elements and represents Siva himself."
XII. 78.

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"Take one pala of the ash of mercury and rub it with the same weight of sulphur and roast the mixture in a covered crucible: thus we get vermilion of the colour of the rising sun."
XIV. 81.

c17.s3.42

"Take the vitriol which is of the colour of the throat of the peacock (i. e. blue vitriol), saffron, calamine, as also the excrement of a young calf, the poisons, powdered *Plumbago zeylanica*, all in equal proportions, rub them with acids and dry in the shade. Having added honey to the above mixture, smear it on a thin sheet of lead. When roasted in a covered crucible, the lead is coloured in no time; the lead which is now of beautiful colour is fit for bedecking the persons of the gods."
XVII. 70-74.

Linked texts (2)

Rasārṇava — Sanskrit
Rasaratnākara — Nityanātha Siddha, Sanskrit