Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature

by Sulekha Biswas | 1990 | 69,848 words

This essay studies the presence of Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature over three millennia, from the Rigveda to Rasaratna-Samuccaya. It establishes that ancient Indians were knowledgeable about various minerals and metallurgy prior to the Harappan era, with literary references starting in the Rgveda. The thesis further examines the evolutio...

Warning! Page nr. 14 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

Potteries and other Inorganic Materials The Vedic literatures were not primarily concerned with either metallurgy or ceramics. Thus we do not find in them the details about two outstanding innovations of that age: iron metallurgy and pottery technology. We hardly get any information about the PGW (Painted Grey Ware) in the Vedic literatures. The Atharva Veda (Atharvaveda. 4.17.4) refers to the ama (unbaked) and nila lohita ware which is believed to correspond to the earlier blackand-red ware (Joshi, 1987: 24-25). Sayana had explained nila-lohita as: that (pottery) which was made in a fire-kiln where the fire was nila on account of the emission of smoke and lohita on account of burning (the combined process of carbonization and oxidization). Hegde pointed out that ayorasa or iron rust was used in making the ritual potteries (Shatapatha Brahama 6.5.1.6), and whereas hematite is red, in a reducing fumace it was converted to blue or rather black magnetite (Thapar, 1987: 415). The reducing atmosphere was provided in an inverted technique of firing in agnicayana fire altar or by some other mechanism. Baudhayana Srautasutra (9.1-4 and 10.1-8) of C.800 B.C. described the making of Pravargva rite potteries such as mahavira, the fire-altar (agmicayana) and the cauldron (ukha). Bharadvaja Srautasutra (c.600 B.C.) described the polishing of potteries (11.3.9) using cotton cloth and abrasive such as gavidhuka, very hard wild grain and Klitaka or Yastimadhu blackish paste (Kashikar, 1969:21 and 26). However all these details pertained

Warning! Page nr. 15 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

III-15 to the earlier and archaic varieties of potteries of ritual importance, and did not highlight the recently developed wares such as PGW or NBPW (Thapar, 1987). Similarly, we find only casual references to brickmaking in the ritual contexts. Shatapatha Brahama 6.1.2.22 records: 'baking the brick (raw material) amounts to oblation (to god through fire); bricks are produced from what is offered to fire-god (esta) therefore these are called istaka (bricks)'. Glass or faience beads used to decorate the horse's tail during the famous asvamedha sacrifice (Shatapatha Brahama 13.2.6.8). Mica powder was used as a degraissant in the Harappan potteries.. But we do not know whether mica was specifically known as abhra in the Vedic literature S.Bra 7.5.2.48 refers to, and defines cloud as abhra: abhram va 3144 21 31414 bhasma Salt or lavana is rarely mentioned in the early Vedic literature such as the Rgveda.. The word appears in the period of the Brahmanas. S. Bra 5.2.1.16 recognises salt as an important item of food: 'salt means cattle and cattle is food'. The property of a salt like borax to act as a flux and assist in joining two pieces. of gold was known (Cha.Up.4.17.7, Jai. Bra.Up. 3.17.3): lavanena suvarnam samdadhyat (pieces) using salt (borax). 'One should join gold The salt from the sea was known as lohita lavana or red salt (Ka.S.S.31.17) and also as saindhava or the salt from sindhu or the sea (B.Up.2.4.12). B.Up. further explained in this referenc that when dissolved in water, a salt particle loses its particulate

Warning! Page nr. 16 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

III-16 nature and yet imparts salty taste to the entire mass of water: saindhavakhilya udake prasta udakam eva anuviliyeta asya udagrahanaya iva na ha syat ; yatah yatah tu adadita lavanam eva (B.Up.2.4.12) Collyrium or anjana was another important commodity of common use in the Vedic India. This material was probably black antimony sulphide, applied in the eyes by means of thin 'antimony rods made of copper etc. Atharvaveda. 4.9.1-10 eulogizes anjana which was available in the Tri-kakuda (three-peaked) or Traikuta mountains (Sulaiman range), in the Himavata (Himalaya) as well as on the Jamuna valley (Atharvaveda. 4.9.10). This material was supposed to protect the user from evil influences and also from various diseases such as tuberculosis, high fever, snake bite etc. (Atharvaveda.4.9.4 and 8). Was this also internally administered as a medicine? Traikuta anjana seems to have become rare in the age of the Sutras which has been. hinted in several passages (s.Bra.3.1.3.12, Ka.S.S.7.2.32). Shellac or lac was known in the age of the Atharva Veda. The word laksa signified lakhs (Atharvaveda.5.5.1-9) as laksa or silaci. of larvae swarming out of a single lac incrustation. component of Lac hiranyavarne subhage was used to colour garments. laksa The dye (Atharvaveda.5.5.7) It was also used as medicine in case of injury by weapons (Atharvaveda. 4. 12.1-77 5.5.1-9)

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: