Mantra and Yantra in Indian Medicine and Alchemy
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Ancient Science of Life Vol. VIII, Nos. 1. July 1988, Pages 20-24 MANTRA AND YANTRA IN INDIAN MEDICINE AND ALCHEMY ARION ROSU Centre national de la recherché scientifique, Paris (France) Received: 30 September1987 Accepted: 18 December 1987 ABSTRACT: This paper was presented at the International Workshop on mantras and ritual diagrams in Hinduism, held in Paris, 21-22 June1984. The complete text in French, which appeared in the Journal asiatique 1986, p.203, is based upon an analysis of Ayurvedc literature from ancient times down to the present and of numerous Sanskrit sources concerning he specialized sciences: alchemy and latrochemisry, veterinary medicine as well as agricultural and horticulture techniques. Traditional Indian medicine which, like all possession, were deeply rooted in their Indian branches of learning, is connected consciousness. The presence of these in with the Vedas and him Atharvaveda in medical literature is less a result of direct particular, is a rational medicine. From the Vedic recollections than of their persistence time of he first mahor treatises, those of in the Hindu tradition, a fact to which testify Caraka and Susruta which may be dated to non-medical Sanskrit texts (the Puranas and the beginning of the Christian era, classical Tantra) with regard to infantile possession. Ayurveda has borne witness to its scientific Scientific doctrines and with one another in tradition. While Sanskrit medical literature the same minds. The general tendency on bears the stamp of Vedic speculations the part of the vaidyas was nevertheless to regarding physiology, its dependence on limit, in their writings, such popular Vedic pathology is insignificant and wholly contributions so as to remain doctrines of negligible in the case of Vedic therapeutics. Ayurveda, limits respected from the time of The Vedic sources, notably those of the te classical sources down to modern medical Atharvaveda, abound to magico-religious compilations. practices (prayers, charms, formulas and amulets), but these occur only rarely in the The study of the psychophysiological effect scholarly documents of the physicians of mantric recitation, principally in yogic (vaidya), Vestiges of his nature mainly exercises, contributes to the understanding resurface in the context of rites of delivery of the essentially psychosomatic use of and birth, rejuvenation cures, therapy for sacred formulas and ritual diagrams in poisonous strings and bites, and the Ayurvedic medicine. These mantras, or treatment of mental and infantile disorders instruments of thought, are applicable to the attributed to demonic possession total man, in both his psychophysical and (Kumaratantra.) spiritual dimensions. The practice of this procedure is as much auditive and visual as As bearers of spiritual traditions that drew it is gestual (mudrai) and graphic or upon a common Indian world-view, the figurative (yantra, mandala). Orientalists medical authors could not contemplate he have not failed to draw a connection elimination of beliefs that might have been between the device of manra-yantra and contradictory to their rational approach psychological introspection, observing as Pages 20-24 they have the efficacy of this Indian practice which assume a number of forms vary-under for the reintegration of personality. the twofold influence of, firs, the Vedas and Scientists have also undertaken then later of Tantrism- from long phrases physiological investigations of the poorly and relatively concise texts to extremely understood potentialities of japa. compact formulae. The Ayurvedic formulae, bereft of any established typology, The Vedic mantras, derived from the Vedas are not formally derived from the Vedas themselves, contain one or several verses, (even if they are sometimes indirectly whereas the non-Vedic formulae, proper to inspired by them), but rather from non- Tantrism and inscribed on yantras, present medical Hindu sources. In the Tantric appreciable differences. The garland sphere, here flourished a rich literature of formulae (mala-mantra), composed of safeguarding charms called “cuirasses” phrases, become less frequent, whereas the (kavaca) as well as “protections” (raksa) or use of phonic seeds (bija-mantra) “supports” (dharani). unintelligible syllables whose value is less semantic than symbolic, increases. Among Classical Ayurveda introduces only a few the classifications of such formulae, the examples of amulets for the newborn child Agnipurana introduces a threefold division or against the evil spirits that afflict infants according to gender; noteworthy among with disease. Vagbhata, in the these are those termed as feminine (stri), Astangasamgraha, gives a description of which end with the interjection svaha, and two mandalas of the latter sort. It is not th which are especially employed in medical until the 16 century that we find another reatment (amayadhyamsa) mandala, which the compiler of the Ayurvedic section of the Todarananda an Ritual therapeutics continues to persist in encyclopedia borrowed, along wih certain modern India where, as anthropological mantras, from he alchemical Rasarnava. investigations have revealed, medicine is The earlier Haritasamhita contains a ritual often reduced, especially in the countryside, diagram for easy childbirth another eutocic th to an empirical or magical art, Mantras and yantra is described by Vrnda in the 9 or th yntras are brought into play at delivery, 10 century and later by other compilers of against the bies of poisonous snakes and more recent times. This latter diagram incases of demonic possession. At the end represents a magic square, of the order three, of the last century, the Bengali kavirajas which is also found in the Arabic medical recited, as a means to enhancing the effect literature as early as A. D. 850 (Paradise of of medicines (antidotes, aphrodisiacs, Wisdom) elixirs), the esoterically syllabified formula om hrim hrim krom over drugs when they Ancient Indian chemistry, known as left the Ayurvedic pharmacy. Similar Rasasastra, concerns, in its positive and formulae were prescribed for the inernal or classical facet, the chemical arts (pharmacy external application of these remedies. and metallurgy). On he speculative side it expouses the twofold alchemical quest; the The present study on mantras and yantras is transmutation of metals and the search for limited to the teachings of Ayurveda and the universal medicine, that is at once a related sciences, as these are contained in panacea and an elixir (rasayana). In the scholarly Sankrit texts from antiquity down ancient period, Rasasastra was subsumed to the modern age. The medical mantras under Ayurveda as empirical pharmacy, in Pages 20-24 the middle ages, it becomes a disease. In the case of poisonous snake bites, iatrochemistry. elephants too are treated with mantras. A similar recipe may be found in the The literary history of this little-studied Asvavaidyaka, a manual of hippiatry which subject begins before the 10th century, and prescribes for a horse that has been bitten he earliest of its Sanskrit sources that an incision be made, together with a (Rasarnava, Rasarnavakalpa and formula, in order to draw the poison out of Rasendramangala) are connected with the he bite. Cows afflicted with excretory Tantric textual corpus. Mantras occupy an disorders (maladosa) are to wear bells important place in the medico-magical marked with a formula capable of driving procedures of the Indian alchemists. The out the disease (sarngadharapaddhati) Rasendracudamani (12th -13th century), which describes a mandala employed in Employed in human and veterinary alchemical initiation rites, glorifies the medicine, magical formulae also appear in earlier formulae, drawing in part upon the practices regarding the vegetable world. last book of the Taittiriyaranyaka. We Considered as living creatures, plants have encounter the same ritual in the thirteenth – enjoyed since the classical period their own century Rasaratnasamuccaya. Prescribed branch of medicine, known as Vrksayureda. for the consecration of the equipment of an This art of treating healthy and sick plants, alchemical laboratory, formulae of Tantric while it quite faithfully follows certain resonance intended to insure the acquisition Ayurvedic teachings, is also acquainted with of wonderful powers and success in the supernatural; for it too makes use of mercurial operations are recited in the formulae to protect crops against natural aurifaction process and in order to increase dangers (diseases, inclement weather, the virtues of drugs (Anandakanda and noxious animals). This supernatural Rasaratnakara). protection is insured by the recitation of a mantra, of which the written text is buried Indian beliefs concerning the animal beneath trees (sarngadharapaddhati) or kingdom are legion; and veterinary practices placed in the middle of cultivated fields (on cows, horses and elephants) are not (Krsiparasara). lacking in magico-religious aspects, which reflect Vedic and Puranic sources as much The gathering of medicinal plans is as technical treatises. Very early, formulae sometimes accompanied by a martric were used in a veterinary medicine inspired recitation, to which the ancient Ayurvedic by Ayurveda, which itself retains some texts allude (Susrutasamhia) or which they preparations (arka) for horss and elephants explicitly describe (Sarngadharasamhita). (arkaprakasa). This latte medical treatise (13th century) gives an count of magical precautions taken According to the Hastyayurveda which