Ugradityacharya Ka Rasayanke Kshetra Me Yogadan - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Ugradityacharya ka Rasayanke Kshetra me Yogadan" by Dr. Nandlal Jain:

This article meticulously details the contributions of Acharya Ugraditya to the field of chemistry (Rasayan), placing his work within the broader historical context of Indian chemistry and Jain scholarly traditions.

The author begins by tracing the origins of chemistry back to kitchens, laboratories (Rasashala), and other scientific workshops, highlighting the role of fire in making food digestible and medicinal. Rasashalas, in particular, are credited with providing longevity and knowledge of medicine, while modern chemistry has evolved from these early workshops that focused on natural substances, minerals, mercury, and alchemical pursuits like transmutation and immortality. The article asserts that Jain Acharyas, including Pujyapada, Samantabhadra, and Ugraditya, played a significant role in this development.

The text then outlines Dr. Ray's division of Indian chemistry history into four periods: Prehistoric (4000-1500 BCE), Ayurvedic and Vedic (1500 BCE - 800 CE), Transitional and Tantric (800-1300 CE), and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (1300-1600 CE). It notes early chemical knowledge evident in the Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic period with its mentions of metals, liquors, and Atharvaveda's references to toxicology and alchemy.

Early Jain texts like the Uttaradhyayan and Dashavaikalik Sutras are cited for their mentions of various medicinal preparations and fumigations. The article highlights specific references from Acharaanga, Sthananga, and Nishithachurni concerning dietary components, salts, mercury compounds, arsenic, and toxic substances. Sthananga is noted for detailing four branches of medicine, dietary effects, nine types of corruptions (in dairy products, ghee, etc.), seven classes of bodily constituents (including gems as constituents), and six types of weapons based on chemical principles like explosives, poisons, salts, fats, acids, and alkalis. The text also points out that the Angas of Jain scripture, particularly the twelfth Anga, Drishtivada, contained a section called Pranavada that described medicine and chemistry, indicating its recognized importance within Jainism. Later, Jain scholars integrated chemistry and medicine into the seventy-two arts, including metallurgy and alchemical processes, and even into the 64 arts attributed to women.

Kautilya's Arthashastra (4th century BCE) is discussed for its detailed description of six metals, gem testing, fermented drinks, chemical warfare, toxicology, acids, alkalis, and various salts, indicating a scientific foundation in contemporary chemistry, albeit with an artistic flair.

The period following Kautilya is marked by the influential Ayurvedic texts of Charaka and Sushruta. While the exact dating of these texts is debated, they are generally believed to have been compiled around the 2nd century BCE. These texts contain extensive chemical information, including 133 names of minerals, six metals, five salts, five minerals, acids, alkalis, and descriptions of metal calcination and 84 fermented beverages. The article emphasizes that the development of Indian chemistry is closely linked to Ayurveda, with the term "Rasayan" itself implying a substance that sustains life and cures disease. The fascination with minerals and the creation of colorful compounds through their refinement led to chemistry also being called "alchemy" (Kimiyagiri).

The text notes a literary gap for several centuries after Charaka and Sushruta, with only Kundakunda's religious literature (100-200 CE) providing insights into general chemical knowledge, including atomism, metallurgy, mercury studies, and toxicology, as well as the properties of air and water purification. Jain Acharyas like Samantabhadra (4th-5th century CE) and Pujyapada Devanandi (5th-6th century CE) are mentioned for their works on chemistry and medicine, though these texts are not fully available. The contributions of Nagarjuna, a nephew of Pujyapada, are also discussed, highlighting the confusion arising from multiple scholars adopting the name "Nagarjuna" to enhance their credibility.

The author challenges the views of scholars like Prof. Ray and Satyaprakash, aligning with Vidyalankar's perspective that texts like Kashyapasamhita and Ashtanga Hridaya were written during this period. The general consensus is that mercury, salts, sulfur, and their compounds were widely used in ancient India, and their chemistry was well-developed, with methods for transmuting mercury into gold being frequently mentioned. While direct therapeutic use of mercury and its compounds isn't widely documented in this early literature, some external applications are noted.

The article credits Buddhist Siddhas and the Nath Sampradaya for establishing the use of mercury and sulfur compounds in medicine, acknowledging the ambiguity surrounding Nagarjuna's role. It proposes that Acharyas like Nagarjuna, considered a contemporary of the 7th century CE, are more logically placed in Indian chemical history. Nagarjuna's work is described as instrumental in the widespread use of mercury and its compounds as life-extending medicines, with his development of methods for mercury purification and compound preparation being significant.

The text then focuses on Acharya Ugraditya, who lived in the Trikalinga region of present-day Odisha about 150 years after Nagarjuna. Ugraditya studied the works of earlier Acharyas and compiled his knowledge in his book, Kalyanakaraka. Although primarily an Ayurvedic text, Kalyanakaraka offers valuable insights into the science and technology of the 9th century CE. It is noted as the first Ayurvedic text from Eastern India of its era, with earlier works predominantly from South India (often Jain texts) and the far North. This highlights the exchange of knowledge across different regions of India.

Kalyanakaraka is considered a crucial link between Nagarjuna and later scholars, with many significant texts appearing about a century after Ugraditya. The article criticizes prominent scholars for overlooking Ugraditya's important work, while praising Vidyalankar for acknowledging it.

Based on references in Kalyanakaraka to King Nruptunga Vallabhendra (Amoghavarsha I, 800-877 CE), it is deduced that Ugraditya likely lived in the first half of the 9th century CE, possibly contemporary with mathematicians Mahaviracharya and Dhavalacharya Virasenacharya.

While specific details about Ugraditya's personal life are unavailable, his guru was Shri Nandi, and he composed his work in a Jain temple on Ramagiri mountain in the Trikalinga country.

Kalyanakaraka itself is described as a significant text, published in 1940, with an introduction by the renowned Ayurvedic scholar Dr. Gune. It contains 25 chapters and 2 appendices, primarily focusing on Ayurvedic medicine covering its eight branches. It contains numerous chemically significant elements, particularly in its observation and testing of the properties of various useful substances and medicines, along with recommended dosages. Key chapters include "Dhanayadi-Guna-Guna Vichar" (Chapter 4), "Drava-Dravyadhikar" (Chapter 5), "Rasayanadhikar" (Chapter 6), "Vish-Rogadhikar" (Chapter 19), and "Rasa-Rasayanadhikar" (Chapter 24). These chapters demonstrate the study of plants, minerals, and substances prepared in Rasashalas during Ugraditya's time.

The article highlights three key features of Kalyanakaraka:

It only describes medicines and preparations derived from the plant or mineral kingdoms or their processing.
The final chapter refutes the use of alcohol, meat, and honey from a Jain perspective, arguing against the practices of earlier scholars. This aligns with the Jain concept of 'moolgunas' (fundamental vows). Ugraditya abstains from using these substances in his formulations and provides rational arguments for their prohibition.
Its Ayurvedic foundation is noted, with a distinct organizational structure, placing the 'Rasayanadhikar' (Chapter on Rasayana) at the end.

The chemical details covered in the text include:

Properties of Water: Water is classified as one of the five elements. The text describes the properties of water based on its source (e.g., salty/sour from hard, stony soil; sweet from soft, clayey soil; bitter from dry, brown soil). Rainwater is considered nectar-like, and boiled water is medicinal. It emphasizes drinking clear, odorless, and cool water. Groundwater requires purification through methods like exposure to sunlight, moonlight, heating, filtering, or adding purifying agents like the Katak fruit or linseed oil. Modern interpretation suggests these methods cause coagulation of dissolved salts and kill microbes.
Properties of Other Substances: The text details the properties of various solid foods, vegetables, and liquids, including grains, lentils, sesame, wheat, and barley, based on their effect on the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). It mentions tubers as nourishing and detoxifying, spinach and bathua as Pitta and acidity reducers, and pointed gourd as an antidote for acidity, worms, and skin diseases. Spices are described as Vata and Kapha pacifiers, and ginger, black pepper, pippali, onion, and garlic are noted for reducing acidity and increasing digestive fire. Sour fruits are characterized as Vata-pacifiers and laxatives. Raisins, bananas, mahua, water chestnuts, and coconuts are considered heavy and Kapha-promoting.
Milk and Dairy Products: Milk from eight sources is discussed as beneficial and nourishing, a result of biochemical metabolism. Freshly drawn milk is considered nectar, while warm or pasteurized milk is beneficial for various diseases, improves eyesight, and promotes longevity. Curd is acidic, aids digestion, is detoxifying, aphrodisiac, and a laxative. Buttermilk is sour, easily digestible, promotes digestion, and purifies urine and feces. Butter and ghee are considered sour-sweet compounds that enhance vitality, strength, and longevity.
Vinegar and Kanji: These are sour substances that alleviate Vata disorders (acidity). Various oils are described as hair-growth promoting, vitalizing, and anthelmintic. Urine from different sources is also discussed, noting its sharp, bitter, and heating properties, and its use as an anthelmintic and acid-alkali neutralizer.
Alcohol: Alcohol is described as detrimental to mental clarity, judgment, normal functioning, and discretion, causing numerous diseases and diminishing human dignity.
Dietary Stages: The text outlines three main stages of a meal: the first for smooth and sweet foods (like halwa, kheer), the second for sour and salty items, and the third for liquids. It recommends including vegetables, kanji, and milk in every meal. The seven bodily constituents (rasa, rakta, mamsa, meda, asthi, majja, virya) are formed from food digestion.
Minerals and Other Chemical Substances: The book lists minerals used medicinally, including harital (orpiment), nilanjan (galena), kasees (ferrous sulfate), fitkari (alum), geru (iron oxide), panchalvan (five salts), tutiya (copper sulfate), dipanjan (kohl), mansil (arsenic sulfide), shilajit (bitumen), makshik (pyrite), banslochan (bamboo camphor), sphatikmani (crystal). Metals like gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and bronze are mentioned, along with their ashes. Ashes of conch, pearls, coral, and mercury are also included, with methods of preparation described. The uses of camphor, vajrakshar (potassium carbonate), and sulfur are discussed. The ash of silk cloth is recommended for stopping bleeding.
- Alkaline Substances: These perform three functions: cutting, penetrating, and scraping. They are obtained by boiling plant ashes in water and exist in dilute and concentrated forms. They are smooth and white. In modern terms, they are primarily solutions of potassium carbonate (yavaksar). Wounds are washed with alkalis to prevent infection, acting as antiseptics. The text emphasizes the importance of the physician knowing alkali-treatment procedures, stating that over half of the fifteen medical procedures involve chemical processes.
Description of Poisons: Poisons are defined as substances that cause harm or obstruct bodily functions upon external application or ingestion. Following Kautilya and Sushruta, who highlighted the necessity of toxicologists for royalty, Ugraditya categorizes poisons into three types:
- Stationary, Plant, and Earthly Poisons: These are further divided into ten types based on roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, sap, resin, tubers, and minerals. Examples include oleander, gunja, kachnar, datura, akauva, gomutra, kalkoota, tubers, and sankhiya. Their poisonous effects manifest in seven stages.
- Movable or Animal Poisons: These are expelled from animal bodies through sixteen means, including eyes, respiration, teeth, saliva, urine, feces, semen, nails, wind, bile, anus, mouth, stings, corpses, and bones. They are found in snakes, monkeys, mad dogs, porpoises, lizards, rats, scorpions, flies, mosquitoes, specific fish, and corpses. The poison enters through a bite or touch and exhibits its full effect in seven stages over a period of up to 450 "kala" (unit of time).
- Artificial Poisons: Although not explicitly detailed, this category could include substances prepared in Rasashalas, such as potassium cyanide, carbon monoxide, and methyl cyanide, which were unavailable in that era.
- Poison Treatment: Treatment involves emetics, purgatives, and medicinal interventions. For bites, immediate actions include binding, bloodletting, cauterization, or leech suction.
Mercury Chemistry (Parada Rasayan): Mercury and its compounds are presented as providers of health and longevity, forming the basis of the "Rasatantra" (mercury-based medicine) in India, which incorporated elements of wonder. This system significantly aided the development of chemistry in India until the 16th century. Ugraditya is positioned in the nascent stage of this system. While his work on mercury chemistry is considered elementary compared to Nagarjuna's extensive 'Rasaratnakara', it still describes eight major processes for mercury: sweating, grinding, mixing with metals, compounding, binding, dissolving, coloring, and extracting essence. These processes involve six main actions: solidification, calcination, binding (compounding and mixing), heating, fumigation, and distillation.
- Specific processes like mercury solidification with jaggery, calcination with the juice of the Kant fruit, and mercury binding in Rasashala are detailed. The use of the Dolayantra (swing apparatus) for sweating mercury and preparing it for binding is mentioned. Mixing purified mercury with gold powder and grinding it creates a "Mishrarasa" (mixed mercury), which, when treated with various substances in a similar apparatus, yields "Rasabandha" (mercury compounds). Heating mercury with copper, mica, and iron powder also produces various mercury compounds, which are used as medicines. Makardhwaj, a medicine, is formed from the combination of mercury, sulfur, and gold.
- While Nagarjuna listed 26 instruments for mercury chemistry, Kalyanakaraka mentions less than half of that number. This indicates Ugraditya's relative deficiency in mercury chemistry and treatment compared to his expertise in minerals and chemical substances.

Conclusion:

The article concludes by stating that Ugraditya's Kalyanakaraka demonstrates the advanced state of chemistry in South India during his time. However, it also reveals a slower pace of knowledge dissemination and a time lag of two to three centuries between South and Eastern-Northern India. Nevertheless, the work serves as a vital link between Nagarjuna and later scholars, as other significant texts appear around a century after Kalyanakaraka, with the majority dating to the 12th-13th centuries. The author emphasizes the need for further research and documentation of the contributions of Jain Acharyas to chemistry and physical sciences.