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JAIN JOURNAL
And it was pressed into signal service in the latro-Chemical period of India (1300-1550 A.D.)
A comparative study of the Suvarna-Raupya-Siddhi Sastra with other Jaina MSS. and the Indian works on Rasāyanavidyā and Dhātuvidyā show that since the second century A.D. the Indian alchemists were endeavouring to make gold.' The research to make gold was continued by them throughout the Middle Ages, together with the studies dealing with industrial processes, especially metallurgical process and with the manufacture of drugs. In the course of the researches of the Indian alchemists many chemical discoveries were made by them.
During the Middle Ages an extensive system, in part secret, of code names10 or symbolic letters'l or names for chemical substances was developed by the Jainacaryas. For example :
dhammo mangalamuk itthaṁ ahimsā saṁjamo tavol devā vi taṁ namamsaṁti jassa dhamme sayā mano//
Deciphenment of Code Names
dhammo
= pāradah(mercury), (SRSS. Ch. II, comm.)
mangalam
= hemah (gold), (Ibid).
ukittham
= nepaladesodbhavam tāmram (Nepalese copper), (Ibid).
ahimsä
= kamtheri (a species of opuntia), (Ibid).
samjamo
= rāto agathia (red agasti/glandiflora), (ibid).
tavo
= kışņa kanaka (black dhaturā = thorny apple), (Ibid).
deva vi
= pili devāli (yellow andropogon serrantus), (Ibid).
6 It is evidenced that most of the Jaina MSS. of this period were written with golden
ink.
? SRSS, ch. II, 1,2,3,6,8,14; ch. III, 1,4,6,7,9,52,103,105,109; ch. IV. 4,5,12,15,17
18,19,25,29,40. 8 Ibid., chs. 1-14. . Ibid., chs. 9, 10, 14. 10 Ibid., ch. 1, gatha 1, (dhammo mangalam, etc.). 11 Ibid., ch. II. 7; ch. III. 1. 12 pitam (gold), Ibid., ch. II. 1. 2. etc.; taram (Silver), Ibid., ch. 1. 10, svetam (silver),
12 pitam Ch. 1.27.
mentary
18 Ibid., ch. Il commentary.
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