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History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c26: Iatrochemical Period

History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c26

Language
English

Contents

Iatrochemical Period

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( 1300 A D to Circa 1550 A D )

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A GENERAL SURVEY

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During the Tantric Period, with its system of the "Philosophy of Mercury", a vast mass of chemical information was accumulated, which was pressed into signal service in the period immediately succeeding it—the Iatrochemical Period of India The prominent feature of the former lay in the search after the *elixir vitae* and the powder of projection, as the contents of the Rasaratnakara and the Rasarnava amply testify ; whereas in the latter these fantastic and extravagant ideas, impossible of realization, had subsided into something more practical and tangible. The numerous preparations of mercury, iron, copper and other metals, although they could not secure immortality or revive the dead, were found to be helpful accessories in medicine. At first they came to be used cautiously and tentatively, mixed up with the recipes of the Charaka and the Susruta, which were drawn chiefly from the vegetable kingdom ; but they soon began to assert a supremacy of their own and even to supplant the old Ayurvedic treatment by herbs and simples. Nay, even absurd pretensions were set up on behalf of these metallic preparations. Thus in Rasendrachintamani, a work probably coeval with Rasaratnasamuchchaya, we come across this remarkable passage : "Revered teacher ! be pleased to instruct me, for the benefit of the weak and timid, in a mode of treatment which will dispense with the use of the lancet, and both active and potential cauteries." This is putting in a plea for the indiscriminate use of mercurial remedies.

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Rasratnasamuchchaya is a typical production of the Iatrochemical Period. The names of treatises dealing with medicinal chemistry are simply legion. But they are all cast in the same mould, and the close similarity of their contents would render their translation only a work of supererogation. We have, therefore, confined ourselves to quoting only such parallel passages as are calculated to throw light upon, or corroborate the authenticity of the text of Rasaratnasamuchchaya.

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Rasarajalakshmi by Vishnudeva also deserves some prominence here, not because of its intrinsic worth but because of the references to previous Tantras and alchemists; among which are Rasarnava, Kakachandisvara, Nagarjuna, Vyadi, Sachchhanda, Damodara, Vasudeva and Bhagavat Govinda. It was compiled in the latter part of the 14th century.

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There is a series of other works belonging to this period, the one characteristic feature of which is that opium is recognised as an official drug in the materia medica portion. These may be taken to date from the middle of the 14th century A.D

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Rasanakshatramalika by Mathanasimha, physician to the king of Malwa, should find a mention here; the date given for the copy of the manuscript is *Samvat* 1557, i.e. 1500 A.D. The work itself is therefore older.

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Rasaratnakara by Siddha Nityanatha, son of Parvati, comes next in order. The author gives the sources of his information and explains the object of his compilation in the following words: "Whatever has been revealed by Siva in Rasarnava under the preparations of mercury; the Dipika of Rasamangala on mercury; all that has been said by Nagarjuna for the benefit of the people afflicted with diseases, as also by Siddha Charpati, by Vagbhata and Susruta,—all these and many other treatises on mercury and minerals being consulted, I have, after rejecting the drugs and medicaments which have become rare and difficult to procure, put together (in my work) the essential features thereof. * * * All that I have learned from my teachers and have been in a position to subject to practical tests has been incorporated into my work for the benefit of mankind." In addition to the authorities cited above Nityanatha quotes from Chakrapani and Rasendrachudamani.

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Rasendrachintamani next claims our attention. There is much dispute over its authorship, and no direct information is available about the time of its composition. The author refers to Rasarnava, Nagarjuna, Govinda, Nityanathia, Siddha Lakshmisvara, Trivikramabhatta and Chakrapani.

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Rasasara is an important treatise of this period. It is a comprehensive but purely chemical work dealing with 18 operations on mercury; various chemical processes are incidentally described, a good many of which, however, overlap each other The author, Govindacharya, as a devout Hindu begins with his adoration of Siva and Vishnu, and tells us at the outset that his treatise is a composition and epitome based upon standard works on the subject and the contribution of the adepts It is interesting to note that he declares his indebtedness to the Buddhists of Tibet for a knowledge of certain processes This seems to indicate that the cultivation of alchemy and chemical knowledge had become neglected, almost forgotten, in India proper, and the earnest searchers for the lore had to repair during the time of our author to Tibet. Confirmatory evidence to the effect is equally furnished in the colophon to Rasahrıdaya of the previous period. We have already discussed that during the decadence of Buddhism and the corresponding ascendancy of Brahminisin in Bengal, circa 11th to 13th century A D, this branch of science found a safe retreat in the land of the Kiratas The work is very likely a product of the 13th century A D, and there is mention of opium in it. But the author was evidently quite in the dark as to the origin of opium, which he believed to be derived from certain kinds of poisonous sea-fish or snakes (The Sanskrit word for opium, *ahiphena*, lit foam of the snake.)

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Another well-known treatise is Sarangadhara-samgraha—a compilation by Sarangadhara Its peculiarity is that it is based upon the Ayurvedas (the Charaka, etc.) on the one hand and the Tantric chemical treatises on the other. In the chapter on the purification and incineration of metals, seven of these are recognized; but, strange to say, there does not occur any mention of zinc Later on, nine metals are named including two alloys, brass and bell-metal, after the nine planets, the significance of which will be discussed in the proper place. The date of Sarangadhara can be ascertained with accuracy, as besides this medical compendium he is the author of the "Paddhati", a voluminous miscellany containing with other matters a poetical anthology. The author dates his work in *Samvat* 1420 or A.D. 1363. The name of the author's father is Damodara and that of the grandfather, Raghavadeva, who attended the court of Raja Hammira, the Chauhan.

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Rasendrasarasamgraha by Gopalakrishna, also a treatise of this period, is more or less a compilation based upon many Tantras, though the author mentions only two of them; namely, Rasamanjari and Chandrika In this treatise special stress has been laid on the therapeutic efficacy of mineral preparations. Like Rasendrachintamani it assigns a minor place to the ancient Ayurvedic method of treatment by *kashayayoga*, i.e., by herbs and simples; as far as the knowledge of chemical processes goes, it must be held inferior to the former Numerous medicinal recipes agree word for word with those in Rasendrachintamani, which only proves that both have drawn on a common stock There is no question of the one borrowing from the other, as both belong to the same period. This work is very popular in Bengal.

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Rasendrakalpadruma is another work of this period. It deals chiefly with mineral preparations and is a mere compilation from Rasarnava, Rasamangala, Ratnakara, Rasamrita and Rasaratnasamuchchaya; the numerous citations with which it is replete are of some use in correcting many doubtful readings in these latter.

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Another treatise of this period which deserves mention here is Dhaturatnamala. This epitome is devoted exclusively to short processes of killing metals and minerals. Six metals are recognized at the outset, namely, gold, silver, copper, lead, tin and iron, as in the ancient works, but, strange to say, later on *kharpara*, which is the mineral calamine, is taken as synonymous with *jasada* or zinc. The author is one Devadatta of Gujrata. This work cannot be placed earlier than the 14th century.

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The latter part (1500–1600 A D.) of the Iatrochemical Period, representing practically the final phase of Hindu Chemistry and Materia Medica, is characterised by the fact that over and above opium, some other foreign drugs were incorporated into its pharmacology. By the beginning of the 16th century A.D. the Portugese had fairly established themselves at Goa and some other parts of India, and as a result of intercourse with them, that dreadful scourge—the venereal disease—had made its appearance. Sanskrit medical treatises, from the Charaka and the Susruta downwards and ending with Sarangadhara, are silent about the malady, though they give fairly accurate descriptions of diseases of the genital organ (*upadamsa*) But syphilis had now to be reckoned with and a new name had to be coined for it. Accordingly we find Rasapradīpa, one of the standard works of this period, given to Tantric method of treatment, prescribing calomel and *chobchīni* (China root, *Smilax china*) for what is now termed for the first time *phirangaroga* or the disease of the Portugese. The use of this drug as a remedy for syphilis, it is believed, was made known to the Portugese at Goa by Chinese traders about A.D. 1535. This indirectly furnishes us an approximate date for the composition of Rasapradīpa This work also gives us a detailed process for the preparation of mineral acids by distillation, which the author names *samkhadravaka* (lit a solvent for conch-shells). This is described as a substance endowed with the property of dissolving metals. It is thus evident that the use of mineral acids as a solvent for metals was unknown in India before this time.

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*Rasakaumudi* is another compilation belonging to this period and as far as its contents go it is comparable to Rasapradīpa in many respects Both opium and mineral acids are prescribed in it.

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The next work which should now claim our attention is the well-known Bhavaprakasa of Bhavamisra It is a voluminous compilation in which the Ayurvedic method of treatment has been adopted mainly, and ample citations are given from Charaka, Susruta, Vagbhata, Harita, Vrinda and Chakrapani One or two chapters have also been devoted to mineral preparations; but these have been borrowed chiefly from Rasapradipa, Rasendrachintamani, Sarangadhara and other standard works. *Phirangaroga* has also been mentioned, as also its treatment with calomel (*rasakarpura*) and *chobchini* The author lived about the time of the Emperor Akbar and evidently in that part of India which is now known as the Uttar Pradesha. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at that Muslim influence is discernible in his book

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A remarkable production of this period is, however, the treatise entitled Dhatukriya or “operations with metals.” It is in the shape of a dialogue between Siva and Parbati; in short, it pretends to be a part and parcel of the Rudrayamala Tantra. The work cannot be placed earlier than in the 16th century A.D., as it contains reference to the countries of the *Phirangas* and to Ruma, the Arabic name for Constantinople (Istambul). For the first time we come across the very appropriate term *dahajala* (lit. burning water), coined to denote sulphuric acid. The information about the metals is of very meagre and poor description, and it has been needlessly spun into an inordinate length.

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Arkaprakasa or a treatise on the preparation of medicinal tinctures and essences should also find a place here. Its authorship is ascribed to Ravana, the mythical king of Ceylon. The contents of the work, however, reveal its date. For instance, mercury, treated with *samkhadravaka*, is prescribed as the remedy for *phirangaroga* (syphilis) Opium is also found in its prescriptions; while the term *jasada* is used to indicate zinc. As a distilling apparatus, tinned copper vessel has been recommended Mahommedan influence is distinctly discernible in this hybrid production. The very title of the book is evidently Sanskritised from the Persian *arrak* (essence).

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References may finally be made to some other works of this period, *viz.* Rasamanjari by Salinatha, Rasaranjana, Gandhakakalpa a Tantra), Rasarnava (quite distinct from the standard alchemical work bearing the same title), and Rasaratnakara (different from that of Nityanathaj. But there is nothing new in them, as they all repeat the processes already described.

Chemistry In Rasaratnasamuchchaya

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BOOK I

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Salutation to him—the excellent, the greatest physician of the world, by the nectarous ocean of whose benign glance, resplendent with brilliance, born of everything that is joyous and auspicious, and which acts like unfailing elixir, the diseases of his devotees, such as birth, death and old age, and worldly attachment are cured in an instant. (The salutation is strictly Buddhistic.) 1

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Adima, Chandrasena, Lankesa, Bisarada, Kapali, Matta, Mandavya, Bhaskara, Surasenaka, Ratnakosa, Sambhu, Sattvika, Naravahana, Indrada, Gomukha, Kambali, Vyadi, Nagarjuna, Surananda, Nagabodhi, Yosodhana, Khanda, Kapalika, Brahma, Govinda, Lampaka and Hari—these are the twenty-seven experts on alchemy as also Rasamkusa, Bhairava, Nandi, Sachchhandabhairava, Manthanabhairava, Kakachandisvara, Vasudeva, Rishyasringa,—the compiler of alchemy, the ascetic Rasendratilaka, Bhaluki, who has got the appellation of Maithili, Mahadeva, Narendra, Ratnakara and Harisvara. 2-7

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This treatise on well-tried mercurials and minerals, named Rasaratnasamuchchaya, adopted to the treatment of diseases, is being compiled by the son of Simhagupta, after having consulted the works of the aforesaid adepts and others. It will treat of mercury, the minerals and the metals, the construction of the apparatus, the mystical formula for the purification of the metals, the extraction of the essences (active principles), liquefaction and incineration. 8-10

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(Here follows a description of the virtues of mercury and its mythical origin).

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By partaking of mercury, men are freed from a multitude of diseases, arising out of the sins of former existence—of this there is no doubt.

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He who falls foul of mercury, which is the generative principle of Siva, will rot in the hell aeon after aeon

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From the mouth of the God of fire * * * * mercury dropped into the country of Darada (Dardistan, the mountainous region about Kashmir, is famous for the ores of cinnabar; *darada* is in fact a name of cinnabar), and it has there remained ever so long The soil of that region, on being subjected to distillation, yields mercury.
89-90

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Here ends Book First of Rasaratnasamuchchaya, composed by Vagbhata, son of Simhagupta, prince of physicians

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BOOK II

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