Rasahṛdayatantra (1728 manuscript)

2. Ru.
4

And as it is said: "If mercury, equal to itself, is mixed with rājakī a type of mustard and uṣaṇa black pepper for a day and night, ground into a paste, and then steamed while mixed with gold and other metals, it becomes free of odor." original: "sāsyōrasaḥ syādyadi sūtatulyaiḥ sarājikaiḥ sōṣaṇakaiḥ kṣirātraṃ... nirgandhavaccha" One should grind it with various acidic substances as available. Here, the knowledge of the "lord of the pot" The text likely refers to the apparatus or the presiding deity of the chemical process. and the instruction for the vāsanā impregnation/fragrance is the primary focus. With this, the measure of the grāsa morsel/intake of mercury is declared. This is the definition. [133] Thus ends the second chapter, "The Purification of Mercury," in the commentary on the Rasahr̥daya Heart of Mercury, from the lineage of the glorious Kuñjara. [2]

Now, the process of jāraṇā digestion/calcination using bīja seed/metal is begun.

The wise practitioner, who is not perturbed by heat and is skilled in processing small quantities of mercury, should behave like sandalwood, which remains cooling even when cut. [1] Having determined the amount of the grāsa, one should induce garbhadruti internal liquefaction using bhūrja birch bark. Apply a fresh coating of salts, alkalis, and guggulu a fragrant resin along with urine. [2] This state of liquefaction, achieved through the biḍayantra an apparatus for processing mercury with special salts, leads to digestion The text refers to the various methods (mantras/procedures) for digestion.. The types of digestion are three: grāsavāraṇa intake digestion, garbhadrutivāraṇa internal liquefaction digestion, and drāvaṇa liquefaction.

Explaining garbhadrutijāraṇa: as previously mentioned, after having digested the grāsa in the prescribed number, one should then initiate garbhadruti. Place the mercury inside a bhūrja birch bark packet. [Specifically] with salts like saindhava rock salt, svarjikā natron/alkali, and urine from a cow or other animals, a new coating is applied. It should then be set [in the apparatus] as instructed. [1]

Now, the method for jāraṇā is described. One should digest the mercury through steaming using dolāyantra, the swing apparatus with fresh, dense cloths. [2] The process involves a pot half-filled with sauvīra fermented gruel and urine. [2]

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By this sequence, one should digest the grāsa in three days. The sign of a digested [mercury] is when it is processed in the apparatus as if it were the same [nature as the metal]. [3] By this sequence of three days, the digestion occurs; otherwise, the garbhadruti must be performed. After these days of steaming, the sign of digested mercury is known: one should know if the grāsa is digested or not by removing it from the apparatus. [4]

The removal of mercury's impurities is described. One should wash it in a vessel with kājika fermented gruel to remove impurities by rubbing it through cloth. [5] "Removed from the apparatus" means placing it in a vessel made of iron and washing it with kājika. If impurities remain, it should be rubbed through a cloth again. [5]

The procedure for this: afterwards, place it in a vessel containing surabhī cow urine/viscous liquid and rub it so that nothing is lost. One should shake it until the kājika attached to it is entirely cleared. [6]

The procedure for this: when it is thus purified by the friction of the hands, it becomes completely clean. Place it in a vessel with a four-fold cloth over the top. [8] By this method, the mercury becomes free of impurities through friction with the hands. The digestion is successful when the mercury is filtered through the four-fold cloth. [9]

The signs of digested mercury are described. If it flows entirely through the cloth and does not decrease in weight, and is one with the vessel, then the mercury is known as digested. [7]

525
1938