Refining Gold

[John Richards]

> I am currently researching sloka 11.14.25 of the Bhagavat-purana which
> compares the purification of the soul to the process of purifying gold by
> fire. The Sanskrit (without sandhi) is:
> yathaa agninaa hema malam jahaati
> dhmaatam punah svam bhajate ca ruupam
> "As gold, when smelted (blown) by fire, gives up impurity and again takes on
> its own form"
> 
> I urgently need the following information and I will be extremely grateful
> for any help:
> 1. In ancient India, how was "new" gold obtained, i.e. by mining, panning
> etc?

Howard,

I'm afraid I can't give you the information you require, but the
following contributory "evidence" may be of interest to you.

In the Buddhist Pali Canon, there is a discourse of the Buddha
(Anguttara Nikaya III.16) where he uses a similar analogy, saying that
there are 5 impurities in gold that make it no longer soft, workable,
and bright (pabhassara), but brittle, namely - iron (ayo), copper (loham),
tin (tipum), lead (siisam) and silver (sajjham).

Similarly, the 5 hindrances stop the mind (citta) from becoming soft and
workable, and resplendent.

By the way, isn't there something wrong with the first word of the
second line of your quotation?

-- 
John Richards
Stackpole Elidor (UK)
jhr at elidor.demon.co.uk