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Visamajvara (typhoid fever) goes away (if the medicine thus prepared is taken); it is to be taken with butter made of she-buffalo milk, all gonorrhea (diseases) go away, if it is taken.1
Vaikranta (Tourmaline)2
According to the Rasaratna Samuccaya of Vagbhata, Vaikranta (tourmaline) has eight faces and six angles, it is slippery, heavy and of pure or mixed tint. There are stated to be eight kinds of vaikranta from the point of view of colour, viz., white, red, yellow, blue, with shades met with in the down of the pigeon, grass-green, black and variegated.3
There is mine of Vaikratna in the northern and southern parts of the Vindhyas. It is capable of cutting the metals like iron etc., because of its being hard. 4
Vaikranta can be purified by mixing kṣāra and salt in kañji, etc., amlavargas (acids), mutravargas (human urine, etc.), decoction of kulattha (Dolichos uniforus lamk) juice of banana (plaintain) or the decoction of kodo (Kodrava = paspalum scrobiculatum).5
If its ash is to be made, sulphur is to be rubbed in the juice of lemon and reduced to paste. Next by keeping Vaikranta into paste, it is to be gajaputagni eight times.6
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1. SRSS., Ch. 7-1.
2. Vaikranta (tourmaline) is not mentioned in the Suvarna-Raupya-Siddhi Sastra as such, but it is referred to in the Rasaratna Samuccaya 1. 5. as one of the superior minerals.
3. Astasraścaṣṭaphalakaḥ satkono masrno guruh / Suddhamiśritavarpaiśca yukto vaikranta uccyate // Sveto raktasca pitaśca nilaḥ pārāvatacchaviḥ Syamalaḥ kṛṣṇavarṇaśca karburaścāṣṭadhā hi saḥ // Rasaratna Samuccaya,, Vagbhat, 2/52-53.
4. Vindhyasya dakṣine bhage hyuttare va'asti sarvataḥ / Vikṛntayati lohani tena vaikrāntakaḥ smrtaḥ" Ibid., 2/58
5. Vaikrāntakāh syustridinam visuddhah samsveditah ksārapatūni dattva / Amleşu mütresu kulattharambhanire 'athava Kodravavaripakvah / Kulatthakvathasamsvinno vaikrantaḥ pariśiuddhyati // Ibid. 2/63-64.
6. Mriyate' aşṭaputairgandhanimbukadrava samyutaḥ /
Vaikranteṣu ca tapteşu hayamutram vinikşipet //
Paunah punyena vā Kuryad dravaṁ dattva putam Tvanu / Bhasmibhūtam ca vaikrantam Vajrasthane niyojayet / Ibid., 2/64-65.
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