Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 1: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory
by Bhudeb Mookerjee | 1938 | 67,774 words | ISBN-10: 8170305829 | ISBN-13: 9788170305828
This first volume of the Rasa-jala-nidhi includes preliminary information on Alchemy including initiation of a discpiple, laboratory setup, mercurial operations and commonly used technical terms. The Rasa-jala-nidhi (“the ocean of Iatrochemistry, or, chemical medicine) is a compendium of Sanskrit verses dealing with ancient Indian alchemy and chem...
Part 6 - Mercurial operations (4): Raising of Mercury (utthapana)
First process.
Mercury is to be rubbed with one-fourth its weight of powdered turmeric, and a sufficient quantity of the juice of kanya, and then sublimated in a Patana Yantra (an apparatus for the sublimation of mercury). This is what is called the utthapana or raising of mercury.
Second process.
Mercury is to be rubbed in the sun with lime juice, dried, and taken out. The remains of this mercury, incapable of being collected, if any, should be sublimated by means of a Damaru-yantra or Vidyadhara-yantra.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Mercurial operations (4): Raising of Mercury (utthapana)’ included in Bhudeb Mookerjee Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 1: 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.