What exactly is Rasaśāstra? The Sanskrit word rasa carries several meanings depending upon its context. Within the Rasaśāstra literature, it became particularly associated with mercury (pārada), although the field eventually encompassed a much broader range of minerals, metals, and other substances. Over centuries, an extensive literature developed around the preparation and processing of these materials. Important texts associated with this tradition include: - Rasārṇava - Rasahṛdaya or Rasahṛdayatantra - Rasaratnasamuccaya - Rasaprakāśasudhākara These works belong to different periods and intellectual contexts, and therefore should not be treated as a single uniform textbook. Collectively, however, they provide valuable evidence for historical Indian practices involving substances, apparatus and material transformations. Mercury: the extraordinary metal : No substance is more closely associated with Rasaśāstra than mercury. Even to a modern observer, mercury is remarkable. It is...
Rajeev Singh is Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD), University of Delhi. He is an inorganic chemist with research specialization in Material Chemistry and Organometallics. He did his Ph. D. from the University of Delhi and was a TWAS postdoctoral fellow. His other area of academic interests are into revival, communication, and awareness of knowledge of ancient Indian sciences, IKS specially Chemistry and the contributions of Indian scientists.