Rasārṇavakalpa (English critical edition)

PREFACE

It is well-known that alchemy, the forerunner of chemistry and iatro-chemistry The study of chemistry as applied to medicine., was inextricably mixed with the religious and philosophical thought of the relevant culture. In India, alchemy seems to have developed, receiving sustenance from tantric practices as evidenced by the form and contents of the existing rasaśāstra Treatises on alchemy/mercury. texts. The present work, the Rasārṇavakalpa, which is part of the Rudrayāmalatantra, seems to contain a number of alchemical ideas and practices that mark the transitional phase from tantric practices based on mercury-sulphur esoterism to iatro-chemical practices involving not only mercury and sulphur but also a number of other minerals and metals. A significant feature of the text is that it describes the use of herbs and their extracts in the treatment of minerals and metals to render them fit for internal use. In this respect, the Rasārṇavakalpa appears to have unique characteristics.

Until now, only one manuscript of the Rasārṇavakalpa has been available, which is in the collections of the Asiatic Society Library, Calcutta. In one of his publications, the late Ācārya P. C. Rây drew the attention of interested scholars to the existence of this valuable source material, and the need for studying it was later stressed by Professor P. Rây, who initiated the work on this manuscript under the National Commission for the Compilation of History of Sciences in India, of which he was a member and honorary Supervisor.

In the present work, the text has been edited as accurately as possible, accompanied by an English translation of all relevant verses. The verses dealing with religious and allied aspects have not been translated, but their gist has been noted in the footnotes where appropriate. An introduction has been written to bring to the fore some of the important contents of the text. If these prove helpful to scholars choosing to study this text critically as a fresh source of Indian alchemy and iatro-chemistry, our humble efforts will have been amply rewarded.

We are indeed beholden to the late Professor T. R. Seshadri, F.R.S., for providing valuable suggestions. Our special thanks are due to Pandit S. L. Bhattacharyya for his help in editing the Sanskrit text, and to Dr. D. Joshi, Department of Rasaśāstra, Post-Graduate Institute of Indian Medicine, Banaras Hindu University, for his suggestions. We are also thankful to Mrs. S. Mitra, Assistant Editor, Indian National Science Academy, for her technical assistance.

MIRA ROY
B. V. SUBBARAYAPPA