Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Metals, Gems and other substances
by Bhudeb Mookerjee | 1938 | 47,185 words | ISBN-10: 8170305829 | ISBN-13: 9788170305828
This third volume of the Rasa-jala-nidhi deals with purification techniques of the Seven Metals (sapta-dhatu) and various Gems (ratna). It also deals with substances such as Alkalis (kshara), Salts (lavana), Poisions (visha) and Semi-poisions (upavisha) as well as various alcholic liquors. The Rasa-jala-nidhi (“the ocean of Iatrochemistry, or, che...
Part 6 - Uparatna (6): Upala (chalcedony, opal, and agate)
It is a general name given to three different kinds of stones, viz. marmarashman (chalcedony), baropala (opal), and rudhira-palanka (agate.)—all of these are amorphous or uncrystallized.
Chalcedony as well as opal has one uniform colour, but the former has no sub-colour or radiance, whereas opal has various sub-colours. Agate has several colours and several layers. It has no subcolours, but it has variety of colours and figures impressd upon it. Chalcedony or marble stone has only one of the following colours;—White-black, smoky, green, white, etc. White variety of chalcedony is called “karpura-mani” or camphor-stone. Opal has any of the following colours:—White, bluish-white, black, red, rain-bow-colour. Each opal may have one or more of these as sub-colour.
The black variety of all the amorphous stones is called “bhramara-mani” or black-bee stone.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Uparatna (6): Upala (chalcedony, opal, and agate)’ included in Bhudeb Mookerjee Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory. The text includes treatments, recipes and remedies and is categorised as Rasa Shastra: an important branch of Ayurveda that specialises in medicinal/ herbal chemistry, alchemy and mineralogy, for the purpose of prolonging and preserving life.