Part 8 - Chemists of the Metallic School: King Rama Chandra

The brightest luminary in the sky we have been gazing at is King Rama Chandra of Ayodhya, the hero of the celebrated poem “Ramayana,” who killed Ravana in the field of battle. He was sent on exile for 14 years, during the greater portion of which he was in the forest of Dandaka, where he spent his time in the company of great sages who styled him “Dandaka natha” or king of the Dandaka forest. Here he learnt chemistry and alchemy from the sages and especially from two of them, named Kala-natha, and Lakshmisvara who were not only Yogis but siddhas or chemists as well. In those days, the forest of Dandaka was full of hermitages where great saints and yogis lived and spent their time in divine contemplation.

The book “Ramarajiya” is the greatest heritage left to us by this chemist king. In vain did I look for a reference to this book in Dr. Sir P. C. Roy’s History of Hindu Chemistry. Most probably the Dr. is not even aware of the existence of such a book. Reference to this book is to be found in Rasa-Ratna-Samuchchaya and in Bhava-Prakasha. It will appear to careful student of Hindu chemistry that a considerable portion of our existing knowledge of the science is to be found in this monumental work. There can not be any doubt as to the authorship of this original book. It is not in any way indebted to the other treatises hitherto brought to light, and this shows that it is more ancient than Rasa-Ratnakara of Nagarjuna. In the preface of Rama-rajiya, it has been clearly stated that it is composed by king Ramachandra of Ajodhaya, son of Dasaratha, who learnet Rasa-vidya (metallic chemistry) from such great sages as Kala-natha, and Laksmisvara. Elsewhere in the book, it is stated that the author is one who prepared an image of his wife in gold manufactured by himself (nijakṛtasuvarṇara??tapa?i?igna?aḥ). In Ramayana also we find that Rama-chandra prepared a golden image of his wife Sita. Rama-rajiya throw a light on the question of how this gold was obtained. Rasa-Ratna-Samuchchaya and Bhava-prakasha have drawn much upon this important treatise.

Bhavaprakasa has also quoted from Rama-rajiya two lines which are significant:—

satyo'nubhūtoyogīndraiḥ kramo'yaṃ lohamāraṇe |
kathyate rāmarājena kautūhaladhiyā'dhunā ||
     (Bhāvaprakāśa 2.3.95/96)

“Another method of making loha-bhasma which is sure and experienced by great ascetics, will be described now by Rāmarāja, out of curiosity, for those who are interested.” (Translation by Prof. K. R. Srikantha Murtyu)

“The true process of incinerating the metals, as experienced by the great Yogis, is now described by king Rama-chandra, who learnt it, out of curiosity, from those yogis.”

No other king of the name of Rama than king Rama of Ayodhya had an occasion to associate himself closely with great Yogis, who always live in the forests.

There is another book the authorship of which is attributed to king Rama-chandra. This is Rasendra-Chintamani. The manuscript which I had to study of this book shows it clearly that this was composed by king Rama-chandra, of the Surya dynasty, who was a son of Dasaratha and a disciple of Kala-natha. I find in Sir P. C. Roy’s History of Hindu Chemistry that he came across two different kinds of manuscripts, some of which ascribe the authorship to Rama-chandra whereas the rest of them to Dhunduka-natha, disciple of Kala-natha. The name “Dhunduka-natha” is evidently a scribe’s mistake for Dandaka-natha, the name given to Rama-chandra, while he resided in the forest of Dandaka. In reviewing the preface of vol. I of my Rasa-Jala-Nidhi, a writer in “Prabsi” of Jaista 1334 asserted that the author of the book was not Dandakanatha, but Dhunduka natha, a Buddhist Bhikshu. This opinion carries very little weight with those who have actually read the book which is full of salutations to Hindu gods and goddesses, without the slightest reference to Buddha or anything connected with Buddhism.

This book bears a distinct mark of composition by two different authors—one ancient and another modern, one original and another commentator, the original composition, which is believed to be that by King Rama-chandra, is in elegant verse, whereas the supplementary one which is of comparatively modern origin, is mainly, in prose. These two distinct portions have been woven up in into a complete fabric which is likely to deceive the eyes of a hasty reader, but not those of an attentive and persistent student. The first layer of composition is decidedly of a very ancient origin and has no reference, to such modern Chemists as Nagarjuna, Nityanatha, etc. whereas the second layer contains such references. Dr. Sir P. C. Roy appears to take the whole thing to be the composition of one and the same author, and the references to Nagarjuna, Nityanatha, and Chakrapani, etc., found in. the manuscript forming a supplementary portion of the treatise; have led him to infer that the book was composed in the 14th century A. D. That Rasendra Chintamani is decidedly older than any other existing treatise on Indian metallic chemistry is evident from the fact that mention has been made in it of 9 different kinds of iron, most of which can no longer be identified, whereas not more than three kinds have been mentioned in books which are comparatively of a modern origin.

Rama-chandra was a contemporary of Ravana. The remarks we made about the age of Ravana also apply to Rama-chandra.