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 Lapis lazuli (rajavarta
(a) The best type of this stone (which is a kind of quartz) has a blue colour with an admixture of slight red. It is heavy and smooth. Rajavartas of different description are inferior to these.
(b) A genuine rajavarta is devoid of dirt, devoid of whiteness, smooth, blue, heavy, clear, having various sub colours, and beautiful like the neck of a pea-cock.
Properties of Rajavarta.
(a) Rajavarta is efficacious in gonorrhoea, waste, piles, anemia, phlegm, and vayu. It increases the power of digestion; is nutritious and curer and preventer of diseases and senile decay.
(b) Rajavarta is heavy, smooth, cool, and pacifier of pitta. It firings fortune to its wearer.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Characteristics of Lapis lazuli (rajavarta’ 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.