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 1 - Characteristics Of Quartz (Sphatika)
Varieties of Sphatika (Quartz).
Quartzes are of several varieties. The mandakanti or lack-lustre quartz grows in the forests in the Vindhya hills. They have the colour of green tendrils of asoka tree or of pomegranate seeds. The black variety grows in mines of sapphire in Ceylon.
In mines of emerald grow quartz of three different variety. All of them are very clear, transparent, and free from layers. A glare of light emerge from them. The general name for all these sphatikas is “jyoti-rasa”. Of these three, the red variety is called “rajavarta” (see later); the bluish variety is called “raja-maya”, and that variety which has got marks like a sacred thread upon its surface is called the “brahma-maya”.
Properties of Sphatika.
It is neither cold nor warm. It is efficacious in pitta, inflammation, impurities of the blood, and wasting diseases. To count its beads in religious devotion is productive of much good.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Characteristics Of Quartz (Sphatika)’ 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.