Indian Alchemy or Rasayana In the Light of Asceticism and Geriatrics

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About the Book

In Indian Alchemy Dr. Mahdihassan attempts to elucidate the point the Alchemy is a science through which the higher states of being reveal themselves with the matrix of spatio-temporal world. It is a science that is directly related to temporal levels of the universal hierarchy which is totally beyond the reach of any of the profane methods employed during the past century. It is this perspective which Dr. Mahdihassan applied to his study of Rasayana, which he sees essentially as geriatrics and closely bound to the life of ascetics in the wilderness and elderly people left by themselves in remote places. It brings a great deal of learning providing material that is fresh and is available for the first time.

Contents:

I. FOREWORD BY H.E. PROF. S.H. NASR CHANCELLOR: ARYAMEHR UNIVERSITY, TEHRAN

II. INTRODUCTION

PARAGRAPHS

1. DIFFERENTIAL APPROACH OF A SCIENTIST AND A HISTORIAN

2. THE AGENCIES ON WHICH ALCHEMY DEPENDED

3. OTHER LACUNAE IN THE ACCOUNTS OF ALCHEMY

4. CARDINAL POINTS OF KNOWLEDGE

5. THE POSITIVE CRITERION OF ALCHEMY AS A WHOLE

6. TIMES THAT MADE ALCHEMY

7. SOCIAL LIFE CREATED ASCETICISM AND THIS IN TURN AN URGE FOR REJUVENATION

8. BIRTH OF HERBALISM

9. THE FIRST NEED OF THE ASCETIC FOR AN ENERGIZER

10. COMPARATIVE PHARMACOLOGY OF ENERGIZERS

11. SOMA AS FRESH PLANT JUICE AND ITS HERB

12. THE POSITION OF RASAYANA IN INDIAN MEDICINE

13. PREHISTORIC COSMOGONY SUPPORTING THE IDEA OF REJUVENATION

14. CHARAKA AND HIS TWO CATEGORIES OF MEDICINE

15. HERBAL RASAYANAS

16. METALLIC PREPARATIONS AS RASAYANA

17. CHARAKA EXTOLLING IRON AND A REDUCING AGENT

18. CHARAKA'S INCIDENTAL MENTION OF A GOLD PREPARATION

19. SILAJIT OR MINERAL PITCH VITALIZER

20. CALCINED METALS AS PHLOGISTON

21. CALCINED METALS AS ALCHEMICAL PREPARATIONS

22. THE LEGEND OF PHOENIX AS IMPLYING RESURRECTION

23. GROWTH VERSUS REPRODUCTION

24. GROWTH INTRINSIC TO MATTER

25. ANIMISM VERSUS DUALISM

26. THE TWO SUB-SOULS

27. PULVERIZATION OF CALCINED METALS

28. CALCINED GOLD AS THE IDEAL HERBO-METALLIC PREPARATION

29. OTHER SYSTEMS OF GAINING LONGEVITY

30. THE BEGINNING OF ALCHEMY

31. HERBALISM IN CHINA AS PROGENITOR OF ALCHEMY

32. KASHMIR AS CONNECTING INDIA WITH CHINA

33. INDIAN ALCHEMY PROBABLY BEGINS ABOUT 500 A.D.

34. ALCHEMY IN INDIA ABOUT 1000A.D.

35. MOMIYAI A PANACEA OF LATER ORIGIN IN INDIA

36. DRUG-INDUCED SUBLIMATION OF THE MATERIAL BODY

37. LEGENDS OF GOLD WITH THE POWER OF GROWTH

38. ETYMOLOGY OF RASAYANA

39. RASAYANA AS ELIXIR

40. KIMIYA-ELIXIR

41. DRUGS OF REJUVENATION, CHINESE AND INDIAN, AS REACHING ALEXANDRIA

42. RASAYANA AS A PROPER NAME

43. RASAYANA AS SHIVA, THE RESURRECTOR, IN THE HINDU TRINITY

44. MERCURIALS AS DRUGS OF CHOICE IN ACQUIRING REJUVENATION

45. MAKARADHWAJA OR CUPID'S HALLMARK

46. MERCURY AS RELATED TO SHIVA IN INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

47. PERSISTENCE OF HERBALISM IN MERCURIAL

48. SHIVA AS HERMAPHRODITE AND CREATOR

49. SHIVA AS RELATED TO BRAHMA AND VISHNU

50. DRUGS OF LONGEVITY VERSUS OF IMMORTALITY

51. THE NATURE OF ACTIVE PRINCIPLE IN DRUGS OF IMMORTALITY

52. SUBLIMATING SUB-SOULS AS PRELUDE TO UNION OF OPPOSITES

53. THE ONE ORIGIN OF CREATIVE POWER

54. LEGENDS IMPLYING ALCHEMY AS INITIATING CREATION

55. DUALISM VERSUS PANTHEISM AND ALCHEMY

56. POSITIVE CONCEPTION OF SUB-SOULS

57. SYMBOLISM REVEALING ALCHEMY AS IMITATING CREATION

58. CONCORDANCE BETWEEN INDIAN MEDICINE AND INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

59. UNION OF OPPOSITES AS A PRACTICAL DOCTRINE

60. JABIR'S MAGIC SQUARE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS FOUR NUMBERS

SUMMARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY'

EXPLANATION OF FIGURES

FIGURES