Sutra 5

Devanagari script

पीतकास्ताम्रकास्ताम्रपीतका वा भूमिप्रस्तरधातवो भिन्ना नीलराजीवन्तो मुद्गमाषकृसरवर्णा वा दधिबिन्दुपिण्डचित्रा हरिद्राहरीतकीपद्मपत्त्रशैवलयकृत्प्लीहानवद्यवर्णा भिन्नाश्चुञ्चुवालुकालेखाबिन्दुस्वस्तिकवन्तः सुगुलिका अर्चिष्मन्तस्ताप्यमाना न भिद्यन्ते बहुफेनधूमाश्च सुवर्णधातवः प्रतीवापार्थास्ताम्ररूप्यवेधनाः ॥ कZ_०२.१२.०५ ॥

Transliteration

pītakās tāmrakās tāmrapītakā vā bhūmiprastaradhātavo bhinnā nīlarājīvanto mudgamāṣakṛsaravarṇā vā dadhibindupiṇḍacitrā haridrāharītakīpadmapattraśaivalayakṛtplīhānavadyavarṇā bhinnāś cuñcuvālukālekhābindusvastikavantaḥ sugulikā arciṣmantaḥ tāpyamānā na bhidyante bahuphenadhūmāś ca suvarṇadhātavaḥ pratīvāpārthās tāmrarūpyavedhanāḥ

Translation

Gold ores from earth/rock may be yellowish, coppery, or copper-yellow; when broken they may show blue streaks like a blue lotus, or colours like green gram, black gram, or rice-gruel; or be mottled like curd-drops and lumps; or like turmeric, harītakī, lotus-leaf, algae, artificial verdigris, spleen-colour, or flawless hues. When broken they may bear lines, dots, sand-like grains, and even swastika-like marks; they appear as small rounded pellets, are lustrous, and when heated do not split; they emit abundant froth and smoke. These are gold ores, suitable for alloying, and capable of ‘piercing’ (assaying/indicating) copper and silver.

Word by Word

पीतकाःyellow(-coloured)

ताम्रकाःcoppery/reddish

ताम्रपीतकाःcopper-and-yellowish (mixed hue)

वाor

भूमि-प्रस्तर-धातवःores/minerals in the ground’s rock strata

भिन्नाःbroken/split (when fractured)

नील-राजीवन्तःhaving blue streaks/marks (blue-lotus-like)

मुद्ग-माष-कृसर-वर्णाःof the colour of green gram, black gram, or gruel/rice-porridge

वाor

दधि-बिन्दु-पिण्ड-चित्राःmottled with clots/spots like curd-drops

हरिद्रा-हरीतकी-पद्म-पत्त्र-शैवलयकृत्-प्लीहानवद्य-वर्णाःhaving faultless colour like turmeric, haritaki, lotus-leaf, algae-made (greenish), or spleen (dark-reddish)

भिन्नाःwhen broken (again: on fracture)

चुञ्चु-वालुका-लेखा-बिन्दु-स्वस्तिक-वन्तःbearing lines, dots, and swastika-like marks like (bird-)beak sand-patterns

सुगुलिकाःwell-rounded; pellet-like (in lumps)

अर्चिष्मन्तःlustrous; having flame-like sheen

ताप्यमानाःwhen being heated

नnot

भिद्यन्तेthey split/break

बहु-फेन-धूमाःhaving much froth/scum and smoke

चand

सुवर्ण-धातवःgold-ores

प्रतीवापार्थाःsuitable for admixture/alloying (as an added charge)

ताम्र-रूप्य-वेधनाःable to pierce/assay copper and silver

Entities Mentioned

gold ore

copper

silver

FAQs

Why does the verse include behavior under heating (tāpyamānā na bhidyante)?

Because heat response is a practical authenticity/quality signal relevant to smelting outcomes; it reduces processing losses and guides state acceptance/rejection.