Part 7 - Extraction of essence of mica

First process.

Mica, powdered and immersed for one day in aranala, and mixed with a little of shurana, and with one fourth its quantity of tankana and a few shaphari fishes, is to be subjected to bhavana with the juice of the tuber of banana plant. This is then to be rubbed with she-buffalo’s stool, made into a lump, dried, and heated in a kostha by a strong fire made of banyan wood, resulting in the extraction of an essence. This essence is superior to all the metals in efficacy, and may be used for prevention of senility and diseases, after being duly incinerated. This essence, found in the form of small particles, is to be collected, kept in a crucible, and heated in conjunction with what is called, the “Mitra-panchakam” (or the five friends) with the result that the particles of the essence will smelt together into a mass, resembling a piece of bell-metal. This essence is to be purified and incinerated in the same way as iron.

The pancha-mitra are—(1) ghee, (2) honey, (3) guggulu, (4) gunja, and (5) tankana. They bring about a combination of the seven different metals by being heated together by a fire made of char-coal.^[1]

Second process of extraction, of essence of mica.

Purified mica, with one fourth its quantity of tankana, is to be rubbed with the juice of mushali and heated steadily by means of a kosthi-yantra. This will lead to the coming out of the essence.

Third process.

Mica is to be rubbed separately with each of the following, and dried in the sun, after it is rubbed every time:—kasamarda, musta, basaka, punarnaba, brahmi or hilamochika, karabella leaves, and hansapadi. It is then to be rubbed separately with one eighth its quantity of each of the following, and similarly dried in the sun:—powdered wheat, small fish, and tankana. It is next to be rubbed with the milk, curd, ghee, urine, and stool of a goat, or a cow, or a buffalo, and made into a small ball, a little bigger than a tinduka fruit. The ball is then to be subjected to heat in a patala-kosthi, which lets the essence drop downwards and deposit itself down below.* The remains of the ball are to be freed from dirt, rubbed with a little of tankana and cow-dung, and again made into a ball which is to be dried and heated in the afore-said manner, for the extraction of more essence. The remains of the second ball, if there are any, are again to be treated in the same manner for the extraction of more essence.

Fourth process.

Essence of mica is extracted, if it is rubbed with the powder of each of the following, and a sufficient quantity of milk, made into a ball, and then heated in a kosthi-yantra:—molasses, guggulu, laksha, sesamus cake, tankana, wool, rala, and small fishes. By this process, it is possible to obtain essences even of such hard things as stone, earth, etc., not to speak of mica.

Fifth process.

Dhanya-abhra is to be rubbed with the following in order of their occurrence:—tankana, molasses, tankana, red glass, mahisha-panchaka, laksha, exudation of sarja tree, juice of the tuber of banana, small fish, juice of shurana, juice of castor leaves, hingu duly purified (by being fried with ghee), tankana, juice of wild shurana, and honey. The whole thing is to be made into a ball, and dried. This is then to be subjected to heat (by means of a kosthica-yantra) which turns it into some thing resembling oxidised iron, This lump is then to be powdered and essence of mica, very fine and soft, is to be collected from these powders.

First process of purification of essence of mica.

The essence of mica is to be purified and incinerated in the same way as iron (see later).

Second process of purification.

The particles of essence of mica are to be kept confined with the shodhaniya-gana and sour kanji, in a crucible, and heated until the smelting of the particles. The essence is then to be heated again twice. Thus purified, the essence becomes fit, by incineration, for being swallowed by mercury and for use as a rasayana (i.e., a medicine which prevents and cures physical decay and senility).^[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See page 305, vol I, for articles effecting an easy smelting of hard metals.

[2]:

For meaning of shodhaniya-gana, see vol. I, page 306.