Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 323

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STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA [Ch. V The ceiling and floor of the royal chamber also were studded with many kinds of jewels and gems, the lustre of which dispelled the darkness from it as already described in connection with the topic Houses' in the seventh section of the fourth chapter." Blacksmithy
The Bhs throws a welcome light upon the occupation of blacksmith and his workshop (ahikaranī)s which consisted of iron (aya), iron furnace (ayakottha), pliers (sandāsaņam), charcoal (ingāla, ingālakaddhiń) furnace (bhatthā), leather strap or billowing bag (cammettha), mallet or hammer (murthie), wooden stands (adhikaranīkhodi) and waterpot (udagadoņi)".
The text presents also a vivid picture of the working process of blacksmithy. It is described that a man cast and recast some piece of iron ore into the iron furnace with the help of a pair of pliers (saradāsaenai) for heating it ; tben he took it out and placed on the anvil (adhikaranž) ; next he malletted, cut and tore and filed the mould ; then again he heated and allowed it to get cooled by dipping it into the water pot.
By this process the blacksmith tempered the iron-piece to bring its metallic property, specially the steel-element, to its surface-layer-thus to a state of working condition, as it is suggested by the reference to its dipping into the water pot.
The text further gives an account of the art of this trade by way of analogy thus :
As some man (blacksmith), striking a particle of iron with a great sound and indistinct noise is not able to remove a gross matter of that article, just like that the karma-matters of the infernal beings do not get easily dissociated.
It also throws light upon the process of tempering and normalizing a newly sharpened sickle by dipping it in the salt bath solution?
12 Bhs, 11, 11, 428. 6 16, 6, 1, 229.
8.4 II, 16, 1, 564.
5 lb, 16, 1, 564. 7 Ib, 14, 7, 525.