Essay name: Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature
Author:
Sulekha Biswas
Affiliation: Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj University / Department of Sanskrit
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.
Chapter 2 - Minerals and Metals in the Rigveda
4 (of 15)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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II-4
recorded here that in the Pre-Harappan stratum of Kalibangan,
chalcedony and agate blades have been found. These were serrated,
mounted on wooden handle and probably used for cutting and sowing,
At a later stage, chert blades were introduced. Side by side copper-
made axe and parasu were found, the latter probably used for cutting
scrubby bushes (Lal, 1979:70). Chert and Chalcedony blades have
been found at Banawali also (Bisht, 1982).
(Hindi)
The väsi in the Rgveda is probably an adze with a flat
surface and a sloping edge for cutting or rough shaping of wooden
materials. Its modern equivalent could be the carpenter's basula
Rv 10.101.10
Mehta et al (1987) have pointed out that whereas [
refers to asmamayi vasi or stone-made implement, Rv 8.29.3 mentions
vasim ayasim or a metallic axe. Sāyana explains that this could be
a stone adze with a metallic edge.
Fire in Metallurgy
It is evident that the transition from the neolithic to the
chalcolithic age has been subtly depicted in the Rgveda. This
transition was possible only through the discovery and use of fire.
Generation of fire by friction (3.29.1), and its sustenance by the
in the
fire-wood (arani) and the fuel wood (atas) have been described
Rgveda (vide Appendix B reference to agni
-
reference to agni, atas and arani
Agni or fire has been described as the cradle of (metallic)
gems: ratnadhatamam (1.1.1). Here quite evidently, ratna or gem
stands for metallic gems like gold and silver. These two metals
