Modern chemistry and ancient Indian knowledge

Ancient Indian chemists were conducting their experiments in well-equipped chemical laboratories. They more than employed more than 32 pieces of apparatus for chemical and pharmaceutical investigations. They called them as ‘Yantra’

Rasaratna Samuchchaya : It gives the working, usage and construction of such yantras. ‘Tiriyak Patana Yantra’ is one those, used for purpose of the distillation. This particular device first introduced by Nagarjuna for the extraction of essence of cinnabar.

The distillation of perfumes: The distillation of scents, perfumes and fragment liquids and ointments was one area where the knowledge of chemistry was applied in India, since ancient times. At those times, perfumes and fragment ointments were of two type namely, Teertha (Liquid) and Gandha (slurries or ointments). ‘Place the chemical in a vessel provided with a long tube inserted in an inclined position which enters the interior of other vessel arranged as a receiver. The mouth of the vessel and the joint should be luted clay and cloth. Now put a strong fire at the bottom of the vessel containing chemicals, while the other vessel is in cold water. The apparatus is used for distillation’ (Rasaratna Samuchchaya 1.48-50)

In India, chemistry had its beginnings in remote antiquity in the development of purposeful and practical arts meant to fulfil the demands of the necessities of life. Of particular interest is the Indian alchemy, otherwise known as ‘Rasa Vidya’ which possibly formed part of the mystic practices of certain sections of tantric and sidhas. In India the beginning of chemistry as practical and purposeful art are noticeable in remote antiquity. Of particular importance is the knowledge as well as the technique concerning the baking of clay and


Production of pottery, i.e. of objects fashioned from clay and hardened by fire. Metalwork, processing of various naturally occurring minerals, slaking of the burnt limestone, compositions of essential oils, use of pigments, and production of different types of glass were among the noteworthy chemical practices in India even in vedic times. Ancient Indians were far ahead in so many areas like chemicals, medicines, textiles, dyeing, tanning, perfumery, glass, ceramics, gems, cements, mortars, lutes etc. the ancient medical system of
India.

Ayur veda, is mainly related to health. All the process developed for extracting metals like gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc etc. from their ores, making alloys of these metals with specific properties, using finely powered and treated metals and metallic preparations in medicine etc are essentially chemical processes. The ancient Indians excelled in several chemical processes– melting, smelting,casting, tempering of steel, calcinations sublimation, steaming, fermentation etc.Various technological developments including the use of iron has led various social and military developments. The history of Indian indigo, dyes and dyeing industry marks also an interestingly study.



Ancient Indian manuscripts of chemistry:


1) Rasa Ratnakara by Sidha Nagarjuna
2) Rasaratna Samuchchaya by Vagbhataachaarya
3) Rasa Hridaya by Bhagavad Govinda
4) Rasaarnava – author not known
5) Rasendra Chudamani by Somadeva
6) Rasapraka Sasudhakara by Yasodhara
7) Rasa Chintamani by Madanantha Deva
8) Rasa Rajalaxmi by Vishnudeva
9) Rasa Nakshtra Maalika by Mathan Simha
10) Rasaratnakara by Nithyanantha Sidha
11) Rasa Pradeepa - author not known
12) Rasa Kalpa from RudraYaamalam
13) Dhatu Kriya or Dhatu Manjan form Rudrayaamalam
14) Dhatu Ratnamaala from Ashwinikumara Samhita
15) Kaka Chandeswarimatha Tantra
16) Rasasaara by Govindachary
17) Rasakaumudi by jnanachandra
18) Rasarajalakshmi by ramiswara Bhatta
19) Rasindrachintamani by Ramachandra Guha
20) Rasabheshaja kalpa by surya panditha
21) Rasankita Kalika by chamunda
22) Loha Padhati by suriwara
23) Kankali Granta by narasimha sotri
24) Rasa Mukthavali by devanatha
25) Rasa padhati by bindu panditha
26) Rasaamrutha by ramiswara
27) Rasendra sara samgraha by gopalakrishna kaviraja
28) Paradayoga sastra by sivaramayogin
29) Rasa ratnamaala by Narasimha Kavi raja
30) Rasamangala by Gahananda Muni
31) Rasaraja Smaskara by Ramakrishna

Rasavadin (Scientists ) had their own Rasasalas (Chemical Laboratories) which contained several types of contrivances, and apparatus furnaces, instruments and places for washing and drying operations. The apparatus include the Koshti Apparatus for extraction of essence, pair of bellows, pestle and mortar, sieves of different meshes, crucibles, glass retorts, iron pans, conch shell etc.The apparatus employed by Indian alchemist were named as ‘Yantras’. The crucible ‘Musha Yantra’ was earthren one. ‘Svedini Yantra’ was used for steaming purposes. ‘Patana Yantra’ was employed for distillation and sublimation. The extraction of mercury from cinnabar was made from apparatus named as ‘Vidyadhara yantra’. Balka is a type of sand bath for heating uniformly, the substances for long time. If instead, salt was used it was called a ‘Lawana yantra’.

A closed crucible containing the chemical substances and keep inside a mass of sand is styled as ‘Bhudhara Yantra. It will thus be noticed that the rasavadins of India must have developed the different alchemical compositions through protracted and sustained experimentation over a long period. Though India had outstanding achievements to its credit in the field of rasa sastra (Chemistry), it did not receive encouragement or support from the intelligentsia of that age. The practices ultimately had remained as practical arts than as branches of a developing Chemical science. ‘Gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc are the six types of metals, their stability i.e. resistance towards corrosion/reactivity is in the verse of the above order’ – (Rasarnavam). ‘When strongly heated in the fire the loss of weight for gold is nil, for silver 2%, tin8%, lead and copper 5% and iron 10%’ – (Yajnavalkya smrti)

Battery in vedic times: An interesting procedure, that gives proof for the usage and preparation of the battery cell is recorded in Agastya samhita. The following lines illustrate the electrical cell

Samstapya mrinmaye patre tamra patram susamskritam
Chayayechchighi griven chandrarbhi kashta pamsubhi
Dastamoshyo nighadavya paradachchaadidastata
Samyyoga jjayate tejo mitraavarunasamchjhitam
(Agastya Samhita)

Place with copper plates in an earthern pot, cover with copper sulphate and moistened saw dust.

Spread zinc powder and cover it with mercury. Due to chemical reaction, +ve and –ve electricity is produced. He further says that this water is decomposed in to oxygen and Hydrogen’. (Agastya Samhita).

Scientifically tested and proved by practical, When a cell was prepared accordingly to this text and measured, it gives open circuit voltage as 1.138 volts, and short circuit current as 23 mA.