Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 2: Minerals (uparasa)
by Bhudeb Mookerjee | 1938 | 28,803 words | ISBN-10: 8170305829 | ISBN-13: 9788170305828
This second volume of the Rasa-jala-nidhi deals with the purification, incineration and medicinal uses of various minerals (uparasa), as well as preventing faults due to misuse. It is continued in the third volume which deals with the various metals. The Rasa-jala-nidhi (“the ocean of Iatrochemistry, or, chemical medicine) is a compendium of Sansk...
Part 1 - Characteristics of Shankha (conch shell)
Shankha is of two kinds, viz, the dakshinavarta i. e., that which has got its involution from left to right, and the vamavarta i.e. that which has got it in an opposite direction. None but the virtuous can procure the former. The latter does not indicate good fortune in the owner. The home-stead which contains a conch of the former description is the abode of the goddess of fortune, Such a shell Is a destroyer of an abnormal excess of the three doshas. It is pure and a wealth in itself. A conch shell, which is devoid of dirts, is moon-white in colour, and if duly purified, is commendable for medicinal purposes; otherwise not.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Characteristics of Shankha (conch shell)’ included in Bhudeb Mookerjee Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 2: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory. The text includes treatments, recipes and remedies and is categorised as Rasa Shastra: an important branch of Ayurveda that specialises in medicinal/ herbal chemistry, alchemy and mineralogy, for the purpose of prolonging and preserving life.