Page:A History of Hindu Chemistry Vol 1.djvu/89

 Mahákála Tantra. Rasaratnákara, the authorship of which is ascribed to Nágárjuna, also belongs to this category; this work as well as Rasárnava, a Tantra of the Saiva cult, will claim our special attention, as they embody much valuable information on chemistry.

What is it that made these Tantras the repositories of chemical knowledge? The answer is given in the words of Rasárnava (lit. sea of mercury) itself, which extols the virtues of mercury and its various preparations:—

"Asit is used by the best devotees for the highest end, it is called pārada (quicksilver)."

"Begotten of my limbs, it is, O goddess, equal to me. It is called rasa because it is the exudation of my body."

"It may be urged that the literal interpretation of these words is incorrect, the liberation in this life being explicable in another manner. This