Acharya Nagarjuna

. Acharya Nagarjuna A great scholar, teacher, an exponent, and organizer, Nagarjuna was above all a sage who realized the illusion of mundane existence in his theory of Shunyavad. Several myths and legends surround him. A second Nagarjuna, an alchemist and Tantrik saint, was in later days identified with the great Madhyamika exponent. Works of this alchemist as well as some books came to be attributed to Nagarjuna. Dr. B S Mehta writes on the medical contributions of Nagarjuna who in later years made in home in Andhra Pradesh, the land of two rivers, Krishna and Godavari. Modern medicine recognizes Paul Ehrlich who received the Nobel Prize in 1908 for his work on immunity as the father of modern chemotherapy. In 1910 he discovered Salvarsan or 606, the magic bullet which contained compounds that would have specific attraction to disease causing micro-organisms. He believed these would seek out microorganisms and destroy them, having no harmful effects on the bodies of patients. There is also another famous name from the Renaissance period, Paracelsus, who was a mystic who believed in the ancient theory of Macrocosm (Universe) and Microcosm. He talked about the effect of planets and also about the relation between metals and planets. In alchemy , he said each element (fire, earth, water, and air) is divisible into three parts: Salts, sulphur and mercury. His greatest contribution was his emphasis on the role of chemistry in medicine. Also known as the Luther of medicine, Paracelsus, who lived in the early 16th century, believed that modern medicine firmly stood on the strong pillars of philosophy, astrology, alchemy, and virtue. Alchemy was however his forte. But if we look deeper into ancient Indian texts, we find references to the brilliant scholar of Indian medicine: Nagarjuna known as Bodhisattva Nagarjuna who could well hold the honor of being called the ‘father of chemotherapy.’ The story of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna is worth recalling. From 150 BC to AD 200 the political situation in north India was in turmoil. Time and again scythians and Huns plundered the country. When the Kushan king Kanishka laid siege to the Magadh capital, Patliputra, and then mounted a massive attack, the Magadha empire crumbled whereupon Kanishka demanded a huge penalty, but the treasury was empty. In lieu of his demands, Kanishka accepted the begging bowl of Lord Buddha (Kanishka by that time had become a great devotee of the Buddha). He also took away the great scholar, the aged Ashwaghosh, as a parting gift. Nagarjuna was a young man then and, like Ashwaghosh, was a student of Nalanda University. Ashwaghosh accepted the Buddhist religion, and became advisor to Kanishka in Purushpur, yet he was in bondage. It was at this time that he wrote Buddha Charit and Sunderanand. One day Kanishka asked him about Nagarjuna and wanted to know whether it was possible to bring him to Purushpur. Ashwaghosh agreed, and Kanishka reached Patliputra (Bihar). Here, on the banks of the Ganga was a small hut. Nagarjuna was squatting on an old mat, busy writing Suhrilekha in the light from two clay lamps, and in front of him was a begging bowl. He was dark and thin and wore only a langot(loincloth). "This is the man whose fame rules the entire land and whose knowledge knows no bounds, and this great man lives like this?" questioned Kanishka. Nagarjuna was the guru of the Satavahana kings. However, here were two gurus – one acaged lion and the other a king of the jungle. Nagarjuna touched Ashwaghosh’s feet. Kanishka wanted him to accompany them to Purushpur, but Nagarjuna rejected the offer because not only was he a Magadhi, but also fiercely independent. And to win the entirety of the Indian landscape was beyond Kanishka’s powers. Ashwaghosh quietly conveyed a message to him : "Son, it is your duty to bring back the honor of the mother land." In AD 101, the Satavahana emperor attacked Purushpur

and, despite his powerful army, Kanishka lost the battle. The flag of Satavahana Vikramaditya flew on the fort of Purushpur. Nagarjuna was then only 24 years old. Ashwaghosh was freed and came to Magadha, and was accorded a grand welcome. His origins were in Mahakosal and as a young boy Nagarjuna studied the Vedas andVedangas. From there he traveled to Patliputra to worship Goddess Saraswati. At 18 he became a Buddhist and began an in-depth study of Ayurveda and Buddhist Philosophy. Kumarajiva’s (AD 344) Life of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna says much about this young scholar. Kumarajiva went to China and translated many Sanskrit works into Chinese. These Chinese translations too relate to the lives of Ashwaghosh and Nagarjuna. The original Sanskrit text has been lost and translations of the original Chinese versions into Indian languages have yet to be effected. Bodhisattva Nagarjuna was born in AD 78 during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. In those days Patliputra has scholars like Kautilya, Bhartihari, Vasumitra, and Asang and two brothers Aryadeva and Ding Nag. However, in AD 102, Nagarjuna reigned supreme. We have references to the effect that the learned Vasumitra came to Patliputra, all the way from Purushpur (Peshawar), to pay homage to that great philosopher. During the time of Nagarjuna, Buddhism had seen many changes and Nagarjuna did not entirely agree with the Buddhist philosophy. He founded ‘Shunyavad’, the cult of nothingness. He had not entirely forsaken the Vedic teachings, and his ‘Shunyavad’ shares many similarities with Kashmir Shaivism. He is also the founder of the Madhyamik School of Buddhism. Two of his works are well-known: Mul Madhyamika Karika andVigraha Vyavar Vartika. His work, Suhrilekha (letters to the King), is addressed to the Satavahana king, Yashshri (AD 173-230). He also studied the Mahayana creed in great detail and later propagated it in north India. His views of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy on existentialism have comparable perspectives to the modern views of Heideggar and Sartre. Tibetan sources too give indication of Nagarjuna’s medical works. He was a Siddha, a Sorcerer, and a powerful alchemist. His close proximity to South India is worth noting. His laboratory was on Shree Parvat, i.e., Srisailam (where the famous Shiva Temple (Jyotirling) Mallikarjuna is located) in Andhra Pradesh. At Srisailam, he experimented on metals, especially on mercury (parad). (The other name for parad is darad and the place was called Dardistan.) Here the chemist distinguished between metals and sub-metals, and also between solvents and solubles. He found that mercury could dissolve all metals and Nagarjuna was given the appellation Rasraj. Ayurvedic medicine prior to Nagarjuna comprised preparations largely from vegetable sources. Nagarjuna founded Ras Chikitsa or Rasayan which was vehemently opposed by orthodox vaidyas. Rasvaidyas however argued that the advantage of rasa is the small dose that is required, and the quick action, which protected the patient from imbibing foul tasting decoctions. They also argued that vegetable-based medicine becomes stale in the course of time while medicines comprising chemicals improve and become more potent. Nagarjuna invented the processes of "distillation" and "calcinations". According to Vrinda and Chakradutta he also discovered Kajjavali, the black sulphide of antimony. They were able to convert most metals into ashes and use them as powerful medicines.Makaradhwaj or Chandrodaya is a mercury compound that can work wonders with patients close to death. Like modern chemotherapy, rasa medicine is excellent but can sometimes be harmful. The preparation of ashes (bhasma) is a tedious chemical process that entails a thousand calcinations (sahasraputi). We still do not know how these processes impart special qualities to known chemical compounds. Nagarjuna had a command over iron and mercury. The treatise on iron (Lauha Shastra) existed in ancient times and Dhanvantari and Agnivesh refer to it. Kashyap and

Dhanvantari experimented on the transformation of iron into gold but were unsuccessful. Patanjali also refers to a Lauha Shastra, yet it is undeniable that theLauha Shastra of Nagarjuna is excellent. Nagarjuna was the first to use mercury and Kharpar (antimony?) as medicine, making them insoluble (agnisah). He found five types of mercury : The examples red and grey (slake) were good; yellow, white or multi colored (peacock color) had bad qualities and needed at least 18 treatments (sanskar) before they could be used. Regarding mercury, quicksilver, a vast amount of literature (post-Nagarjuna) is available. The Siddha sect (neither Buddhist nor Vedic) held that parad is Shiva, Mica is Parvati, gandhak is the raja of Parvati, and many fanciful theories were formulated. Mercury becomes solid and a Shiva linga can be made out of it. They worshipped a parad Shiva linga, called it Raseshwar, and started Raseshwarvad. Few Ayurvedic alchemists have made a mercury linga even in modern times. Other sects like Pashupati, Shaiva, Pratbhingya, and Vedics were attracted to the science of mercury. Buddhism had sects like Vajrayan (vajra is iron), Lingayan, or Sahajayan, and Mantrayan. They believed that the knowledge of Mantra and Tantra must be kept a secret, but Gorakhnath discussed them and his chief disciple believed this secrecy was merely for show. Vagbhatta lists the names of 27 Rasa Siddha Rasacharyas and Nagarjuna is one of them. Bharvi, the great poet, includes him in the quartet of four great scholars, the other three being Aryadeva, Ashwaghosh, and Kumar Labdh. He also forms part of the list of 84 Siddhas of Vajrayan. The Arabic word alchemist, the Latin word chemist, and modern chemistry are gifts of Nagarjuna. All these alchemists were in search of the elixir of life (and still are), and of a prescription capable of transforming iron or base metals into gold. Their quest is for a drug that can serve as an antidote for all poisons (theric). Modern science can be said to be indebted to many of these futile pursuits. Although he was a Buddhist scholar of which Pali was the principal language, Nagarjuna wrote in Sanskrit, a language which was being discarded at that time. Sanskrit scholars too owe a debt of gratitude to Nagarjuna. The Buddha in one of his discourses said one who serves a patient serves him. Nagarjuna followed this tenet, inscribing his prescriptions on stone slabs in Patna so that they were available to all. Nagarjuna’s preaching of religion was not orthodox, and was acceptable to all in the perspective of the land, time, and people, and that is why he has been called the "Bodhi tree". © "Housecalls" (November-December 2002) published by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited, 6-3-865,3rd Floor, My Home Jupally Complex, Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500 016. (Website: www.housecallsindia.com). Reprinted with permission.