Ayurvedic Text Series

Composed by Shri Govindacharya

Rasasara The Essence of Mercury

A horizontal divider with a central diamond-shaped floral ornament.

Having bowed first to Ganesha, to Shiva, and to Shivaa Parvati,
And to the gurus, the Bhairavas, the Siddhas, the Yoginis, and the planetary deities. (1)
Having bowed daily with my head, with devotion to their lotus feet,
And having meditated upon Hari Vishnu, the supreme Lord, and upon Rasendra the Lord of Mercury, the unchanging Shiva. (2)
Having examined all the scriptures and having experienced things as they are,
Extracting the essence from the essence for the sake of brevity. (3)
I shall describe the Rasasara as spoken by various Siddhas,
For the benefit of practitioners and out of compassion for the people. (4)
When mercury is devoid of impurities, it becomes equal to the Grandfather Brahma.
When it is bound solidified through alchemical processes, it is called Vishnu; when it is colored, it is called Shiva. (5)
When it is moved and killed sublimated and fixed, it is the Lord of the Universe itself.
When it is transmitted to metals, the Lord of Mercury acts as an agent of transmutation. (6)
It is the divine Lord, the remover of the three worlds' suffering,
The destroyer of old age and disease, and the eliminator of death and poverty. (7)