Essay name: Alchemy in India and China
Author:
Vijaya Jayant Deshpande
Affiliation: Panjab University / Department of Chemistry
The thesis "Alchemy in India and China" explores the comparative aspects of alchemy in these two countries, focusing on chemical and protochemical formulations while addressing why modern science developed in the West rather than in India or China. It briefly touches upon internal alchemy in China and the ritualistic tantra in India.
Conclusion
8 (of 16)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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strengthens the traditional belief of "Bogar" being a
Chinese alchemist. The above case, along with the
alchemical references of "Ga峁嘾a Vyuha Sutra",
substantiates
the claim that travels of the Buddhists between China and
India contributed largely in the parallel development of
alchemy in the medieval period.
The next chapter further discusses names of certain
substances, frequently used in alchemical operations, in
Chinese and Indian languages. We find that the names of
substances like mica (Abhraka or Yun mu), lead (N膩g, long)
are identical in their meanings, in Sanskrit and Chinese.
Hence they could have been introduced from one language
into another, in a translated form. Some other words
like the ones for ammonium chloride (Navasara, Nao sha)
were probably introduced in a transliterated form, from
Sanskrit to Chinese.
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Further, the Tamil word "Senthuram" is found to be
the parent word for "Sindura" of Sanskrit. It means
red powder" in Tamil and is used for the same in Sanskrit.
This chapter further discusses three special cases
of transmission of alchemical and chemical ideas from
India to China, giving texual and etymological evidence.
The case of "Ban cha zhuo shui" or Vi峁daka,
i.e., poisonous water, suggests a possibility of
transmission of ideas regarding mineral acids from India
