Rasashastra

In this paper we list out root elements as per Vedic Metallurgy described in Vaimanika Prakarana of Bharadwaja . Root or Beeja Loha as they are called are , elements formed inside the earth during formation of earth’s crust & by influence of cosmic rays coming from Sun , Moon & other deep space objects . By using different combinations of these Beeja Lohas , different alloys are made which had advanced properties like heat absorbent, heat resistant  , light weight , cold resistant etc

Ayurveda is the most ancient therapy which was practiced by our Acharya long back ago. Among all the therapeutic measures used by Vaidya, Rasashatra is considered as the backbone of all the treatments. Most commonly practiced Dravya in Rasashastra are Parad (mercury), Gandhak (sulphur), Abhrak (Mica), Shilajatu (black bitumen) and so on. The main purpose of Rasashastra is said to be Dehvad which was later on carried forward to the level of Lohvada and Chikitsavad. To achieve this along with Parad, Gandhak was most popularly practiced by Rasacharya. Gandhak was very well known Dravya from Samhita time but after 8 th century there was no any Dhatukarma which was formulated without Gandhak. In the text Rasatarangini six different Shodhan processes were mentioned out of which special emphasis will be given to fifth Shodhan method that is by Urdhvapatan using Damru Yantra. Gandhak obtained by this process is considered as the purest form. This article entitling " Gandhak Shodhan-Research work with special emphasis on Fifth method following Rasatarangini" will discuss each and every aspect of Shodhan Process which was carried out practically.

Metals like iron, copper are being used by humans since the prehistoric period. Tamra (copper) is used in the form of vessels, medicine in day to day life since centuries. During
the medieval period, with the advent of Rasashastra, Tamra Bhasma (calcined ash) occupied a
significant role in the Ayurvedic therapeutics. It is the drug of choice in the treatment of many diseases like Udara (ascitis), Yakritvikara (hepatic disorders), Kushtha (skin diseases) etc. Recently many research works have been carried out on it. The present paper is a simple compilation focusing on the historic review, modern review, types, Grahyaagrahyatva, harmacodynamic properties, Shodhana, Marana and Amritikarana procedures, dose and formulations of Tamra
Bhasma. This review is expected to refurnish the existing knowledge and give an insight to the researchers in this area of education and research.

Longer shelf life and efficacy in smaller doses make herbo-metallo-mineral preparation very popular among Ayurvedic physicians. Though these formulations are being used successfully since centuries; serious doubts has been raised from western researchers regarding their safety. Tamra Bhasma is one of such metallic preparations which are used for the treatment of wide array of diseases like Parinamashula (peptic ulcer), Pandu (anemia), Kushtha (skin disorders), Shwasa (dyspnoea) etc. In the present review, various formulations of Tamra were compiled from Bhaishajya Ratnavali and approximate percentage of copper in them has been calculated. In this review, total 221 formulations were screened out which directly or indirectly contained Tamra Bhasma in them. Out of them maximum formulations (65) were found in Jwara Rogadhikara. This effort will be helpful to Ayurvedic physicians, drug manufacturers and research scholars to understand the different uses of Tamra Bhasma along with its dose, Anupana etc.

In Sanskrit medical literature, rasāyana is defined as one of eight subject areas of medicine. The proclaimed aim of rasāyana therapies is to preserve or promote health and well-being, but also to prolong life, to halt degeneration caused by aging, to rejuvenate and to improve cognitive function. The term “rasāyana” describes the therapies that together constitute this branch of medicine; the methodology and regimen of treatment; and the medicinal substances and formulations used in these therapies.

In Indian alchemical literature, the Sanskrit term “rasāyana” is predominantly used to describe the final stages of alchemical operations, i.e.  all that is involved in the taking of elixirs for attaining a state of spiritual liberation in a living body. Rasāyana in this sense describes a series of related processes, including the preparation of the elixir; the preparation of the practitioner; the intake of the elixir and finally, the process of transformation the practitioner undergoes after intake of the elixir.

In my paper, I present examples of rasāyana sections from a selection of medical and alchemical treatises to explore their connections and divergences. I also discuss how the connections between medical and alchemical rasāyana sections reflect the development of iatrochemistry in alchemical literature.

Watch the documentary at https://youtu.be/sQ7OqbJXkCk

The Rasahṛdayatantra, the earliest of the Sanskrit alchemical works transmitted to us, is characterized by its concise style. With few flourishes, it succinctly describes alchemical operations in a structured way, providing a quick overview of procedures. However, the brevity of its descriptions also means that it can be difficult to fully understand the described procedures.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Rasahṛdayatantra's presentation of procedures, the AyurYog project and Andrew Mason (neterapublishing) have been working on reconstructing some of this text's alchemical operations as they are described in chapter two. These procedures, called saṃskāra, are supposed to ready mercury and also other materials for their use in mercurial elixirs. The first eight of the saṃskāra (of a total of eighteen) are aimed at ridding mercury of unwanted contaminants and flaws.

This film shows the fourth procedure, the 'raising', or sublimation (Sanskrit: utthāpana) of mercury. The purpose of this procedure is to activate mercury after it has been cleansed with aloe, triphala and leadwort in the thickening (mūrchā) procedure.
See the accompanying blog for context:
http://ayuryog.org/blog/fourth-procedure-bringing-mercury-rise-utth%C4%81pana

The text gives this very brief description of the procedure:

"The mercury, which has become completely cleansed and freed from lead and tin through trituration with this, is brought to a rise from a sour gruel decoction in a condensation apparatus."
(Rasahṛdayatantra, chapter 2, verse 7)


The following procedures were executed by a trained professional and should not be attempted without expert supervision.

A collaboration of AyurYog (ayuryog.org) and neterapublishing (neterapublishing.com).


This project was made possible through funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research
and innovation program under grant agreement No.639363.

Watch the documentary at https://youtu.be/IddH7TmxdcU

The Rasahṛdayatantra, the earliest of the Sanskrit alchemical works transmitted to us, is characterized by its concise style. With few flourishes, it succinctly describes alchemical operations in a structured way, providing a quick overview of procedures. However, the brevity of its descriptions also means that it can be difficult to fully understand the described procedures.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Rasahṛdayatantra's presentation of procedures, the AyurYog project and Andrew Mason (neterapublishing) have been working on reconstructing some of this text's alchemical operations as they are described in chapter two. These procedures, called saṃskāra, are supposed to ready mercury and also other materials for their use in mercurial elixirs. The first eight of the saṃskāra (of a total of eighteen) are aimed at ridding mercury of unwanted contaminants and flaws.

This film shows the third procedure, the thickening (Sanskrit: mūrchā) of mercury. The purpose of this procedure is to remove the toxic elements of mercury.
See the accompanying blog for context:
http://ayuryog.org/blog/reconstructing-alchemical-procedures-third-procedure-thickening-m%C5%ABrch%C4%81

The text states:


"The three inherent faults of mercury are called ‘dirt’, ‘fire’, and ‘poison’.
Through dirt, it produces fainting, through fire, a burning sensation, through poison, death. Aloe removes dirt, the three myrobalans remove fire, and leadwort removes poison. Therefore, one should thicken it seven times with a mixture of these."
(Rasahṛdayatantra, chapter 2, verses 5-6)


The following procedures were executed by a trained professional and should not be attempted without expert supervision.


A collaboration of AyurYog (ayuryog.org) and neterapublishing (neterapublishing.com).
This project was made possible through funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research
and innovation program under grant agreement No.639363.

There have been a number of attempts at editing and translating the text of the Nāṭyaśāstra and Abhinavabhāratī, including most recently Professor K.D. Tripathi’s first volume of the Nāṭyaśāstra (2015) and a selection of translations included in Professor S. Pollock’s Rasa Reader (2016). Despite a relatively long history of scholarly engagement, however, much about this tradition remains poorly understood, and the texts themselves remain very difficult to establish conclusively: both texts are technical, and to add to this, the Nāṭyaśāstra is available in widely-divergent forms in several families of manuscripts, while the Abhinavabhāratī is available only in a highly corrupt form in a single family of manuscripts.

This workshop will principally include a close textual reading of selections from the Rasādhyāya (chapter 6) of the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni—the celebrated work on Indian aesthetics—together with the Abhinavabhāratī commentary of Abhinavagupta. The discussion in the Abhinavabhāratī includes a critical overview of the history of Indian aesthetics up to Abhinavagupta himself in the tenth century, including such thinkers as Śrī Śaṅkuka, Bhaṭṭa Lollaṭa, Bhaṭṭa Nāyaka, etc. The aim of the workshop is not only to familiarize the participants with the principal questions and debates in Indian aesthetics, but also to discuss the philological challenges posed by these texts with experts in the field. We will therefore work with parallel texts and manuscripts in our readings of the Abhinavabhāratī.

Watch the documentary at https://youtu.be/BIxhcwMwCvU

The Rasahṛdayatantra, the earliest of the Sanskrit alchemical works transmitted to us, is characterized by its concise style. With few flourishes, it succinctly describes alchemical operations in a structured way, providing a quick overview of procedures. However, the brevity of its descriptions also means that it can be difficult to fully understand the described procedures.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Rasahṛdayatantra's presentation of procedures, the AyurYog project and Andrew Mason (neterapublishing) have been working on reconstructing some of this text's alchemical operations as they are described in chapter two. These procedures, called saṃskāra, are supposed to ready mercury and also other materials for their use in mercurial elixirs. The first eight of the saṃskāra (of a total of eighteen) are aimed at ridding mercury of unwanted contaminants and flaws.

This film shows the second procedure, the trituration (Sanskrit: mardana) of mercury with several other substances. The purpose of this procedure is to remove contaminants from mercury.
See the accompanying blog for context: http://ayuryog.org/blog/second-procedure-trituration-mardana

The text states:


"Trituration with sour gruel is carried out for three days with molasses, burnt wool, and salt, together with soot, brickdust, and mustard, each in the amount of a sixteenth part to the mercury.
(Rasahṛdayatantra, chapter 2, verse 4)



The text gives limited information on each procedure, so that a reconstruction necessarily involves using other sources as well. Some uncertainty, however, remains.


The following procedures were executed by a trained professional and should not be attempted without expert supervision.


A collaboration of AyurYog (ayuryog.org) and neterapublishing (neterapublishing.com).

This project was made possible through funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No.639363.

Watch the documentary at https://youtu.be/jM7sg4LCKaM

The Rasahṛdayatantra, the earliest of the Sanskrit alchemical works transmitted to us, is characterized by its concise style. With few flourishes, it succinctly describes alchemical operations in a structured way, providing a quick overview of procedures. However, the brevity of its descriptions also means that it can be difficult to fully understand the described procedures.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Rasahṛdayatantra's presentation of procedures, the AyurYog project and Andrew Mason (neterapublishing) have been working on reconstructing some of this text's alchemical operations as they are described in chapter two. These procedures, called saṃskāra, are supposed to ready mercury and also other materials for their use in mercurial elixirs. The first eight of the saṃskāra (of a total of eighteen) are aimed at ridding mercury of unwanted contaminants and flaws.

This film shows the first procedure, the steaming (Sanskrit: svedana) of mercury. The purpose of this procedure is to remove contaminants from mercury.

See the accompanying blog for context: http://ayuryog.org/blog/philology-and-experimentation-reconstructing-alchemical-procedures

The text states:

"The steaming of mercury is carried out with a sixteenth each of mustard greens, salt, the three pungent substances, leadwort, fresh ginger and radish together with sour gruel for three days over a mild fire."
(Rasahrdayatantra, chapter 2, verse 3)

The text gives limited information on each procedure, so that a reconstruction necessarily involves using other sources as well. Some uncertainty, however, remains.