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Ayurkoshaआयुर्वेद ज्ञानकोश

Mineralखनिज

Mercury (parada)

पारा (पारद) · पारद

Extracted from the textNeeds a trained practitioner5 references

Built from passages of the source by the curated extraction. Pending human review.

Search the library for itDiscussed in 1 session

Names and synonyms

Sanskrit
पारदरसरसेन्द्रसूतहरिजचपलरसराज
Hindi
पारापारद
English
Mercurymercuryquicksilverparada
Romanized
paradapara

What the text says

Each statement reports the source, with its chapter, page and verse. Traditional descriptions are not presented as proven medical facts.

Definition1

  • Mercury (rasa, parada) is said to be also called rasaraja.

    Chapter 24 · p. 569 · v. 3Hindi commentaryTraditional description

Properties3

  • Mercury bound by the proper method (baddha rasa) is described as rasayana.

    Chapter 24 · p. 570 · v. 8Hindi commentaryTraditional description

  • Mercury purified by grinding and steaming is said to become very pure and, like a demon (rakshasa), to eat and digest all metals; the commentary adds that gold and other metals put into it mix at once, its weight does not increase, and they cannot be separated from it again.

    Chapter 24 · p. 571 · v. 14Sanskrit verseTraditional description

  • Mercury perfected by the eight great processes is said to become pure like the siddhas and like a living being, with great power, and to be regarded as a very god endowed with the powers beginning with anima, giving extraordinary results in many ways.

    Chapter 24 · p. 577 · v. 43Hindi commentaryTraditional description

Preparation1

  • In the juice of sarpakshi, sharavarini, sahachari, patha and kakadani mercury is said not to run here and there but to be well fixed (stambhita); steamed with oil combined with their paste and decoction it stays steady even in very sharp fire.

    Chapter 24 · p. 578 · v. 44Hindi commentaryTraditional description

Cautions1

  • The text says mercury processed (bound) with other metal groups containing rasa is not to be eaten, and that eating it gives rise to kushtha and many other groups of disease.

    Chapter 24 · p. 570 · v. 8Hindi commentaryTraditional description

Safety

  • Needs a trained practitioner. This procedure or preparation is of a kind that should only be carried out under qualified supervision.
  • Editorial safety note: heavy_metal, mercury, toxic, professional_supervision. This is a library classification, not a statement from the source.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, kidney or liver disease and other medicines all call for professional advice before any traditional remedy is used.

Find everywhere it is used

Open in the usage explorer

Formulations containing it

7
Ghee with bound mercury, triphala and haritakiKilled mercury taken with gold, milk and jaggeryMica and mercury with plant juicesPaste that brings lustre to the facePerfected mercury joined with goldSiddha ghee-nectar (siddhaghritamrita)Tutthadi collyrium

Procedures using it

15
Copper and gold globule fed to mercuryDigesting gold (bija) in purified mercuryDigesting tikshna iron, gold and makshika in mercury, and smearing copper and silver sheetsFeeding mica to mercury with arama-shitala and vrishchikaFixing (stambhana) of mercuryKilling (marana) of mercuryLamp (dipana) process for mercuryMaking and treating the eye probesProcessing mica with gold and joining it to mercuryPurification (shodhana) of mercurySarana, pratisarana and anusarana of mercuryStrengthening mercury by making it fire-resistantSwooning (murcchana) of mercury with old jaggeryTaking the perfected mercury with gold bhasmaTransfer (sankramana) of mercury with five plant juices

Conditions mentioned with it

1

Conditions named in the preparations that use it, or linked to it directly.

Kushtha (chronic skin diseases)

Organs and systems mentioned

2
EyesSkin

Other ingredients used together

24

Count of shared preparations.

Gold (svarna)×11Mica (abhraka)×6Milk (ksheera)×3Copper (tamra)×3Palasha (flame of the forest)×3Breast milk×3Sour fermented gruel (kanjika)×3Trikatu (three pungents)×3Orpiment (haratala)×2Silver (rajata)×2Lead (naga, sisaka)×2Jaggery (guda)×2Jiraka (cumin)×2Salt group (lavanavarga)×2Vida (digesting mixture for mercury)×2Pyrite (makshika)×2Sulphur (gandhaka)×2Rock salt (saindhava)×2

Topics of the text that discuss it

27
Binding of mercury: the practitionerBlack shilajatu kalpaBuilding the mercury workshopFixing mercuryGreatness of perfected mercuryGreatness of perfected mercury: preparations for useHow killed mercury is takenHow the perfected mercury is takenMaking the eye probesMethod of processing mercuryOpening of chapter 24Plant glossary, letter section प (entries 1–48: पटोल to प्लक्ष)

Course sessions

1
Mercury and rejuvenating preparations

Questions and answers

5
How is mercury purified (shodhana) in this chapter?What are the three processes of mercury named at the start of chapter 24, and what result does the text give for each?What is सूत in the glossary?What quality does the text say each process gives to mercury?Why does the text set out a faultless method of binding mercury, and what must come before the work begins?

Plant glossary entries

2
प्रभुसूत

Related entries

17
Black shilajatu (usha) kalpa for producing goldBuilding the mercury workshop (rasashala)Fixing (stambhana) of mercuryGarbhadruti (liquefying within mercury)Gems (ratna)Jaggery (guda)Jiraka (cumin)Life span (ayu)Mercurial and mineral preparation (rasa aushadhi)Palasha (flame of the forest)Processing of mercury (rasa samskara)Processing with gems; splitting the diamondPurification (shodhana) of mercuryRasayana (rejuvenation)Shilajit (shilajatu)The physician (vaidya)Wood apple (kapittha)

Where else is this mentioned?

Named 39 times on 17 pages. These are automatic name matches, so a few may refer to something else with the same name.

Questions and answers

What are the three processes of mercury named at the start of chapter 24, and what result does the text give for each?

Murcchana (swooning), marana (killing, making bhasma) and bandhana (binding): swooned mercury destroys many bad diseases, killed mercury brings wealth, grain and enjoyment, and bound (siddha) mercury gives the power of moving through the sky and freedom from ageing and death.

Detailed answer and sources
Why does the text set out a faultless method of binding mercury, and what must come before the work begins?

Because mercury processed with other metal groups containing rasa is not to be eaten: the text says it gives rise to kushtha and many other diseases, while properly bound mercury is rasayana.

Detailed answer and sources
How is mercury purified (shodhana) in this chapter?

It is ground in a stone mortar with brick powder and milk and washed with kanji, then tied in a bundle with trikatu, kanji, salts and asafoetida, steamed for three days in a kanji-filled vessel through a dolayantra, and washed with lukewarm kanji.

Detailed answer and sources
What quality does the text say each process gives to mercury?

Svedana makes it intense, mardana free of impurities, processing with metals strong, jirna pure, bandhana siddha, garbhadravana blended into one, ranjana coloured, and sarana able to pervade the body.

Detailed answer and sources
What is सूत in the glossary?

Mercury: पारद in the Hindi column and पारा in the Marathi column.

Detailed answer and sources

All references

Every page and verse of the source that this entry draws on.

Quick facts

Content type
Mineral
Categories
MineralMetal
Source pages with records
5
Pages naming it
17
Chapters
Chapter 24
Extraction tasks
T27
Record id
ingredient_parada