उपवनविनोद (आचार्य शार्ङ्गधर - वृक्षायुर्वेद, भू-जल संधान एवं उद्यान-विज्ञान सटीक)

26 UPAVĀNA VINODĀ
109. "A rock exhibiting red and variegated speckles, being of a pale
yellow colour, or tinged like ashes, camel, ass, or like a bee, Aṅguṣṭhika
blossom (i. e. bluish red), or like the Sun or fire, is waterless."
110. "Of good promise are those rocks which show the hue of moon-light,
crystal, pearl, gold ; and those which appear like sapphire, vermilion, antimony,
and those which have the colour of the beams of the rising Sun and yellow
orpiment. Thus speaketh the sage in the next verse :"
111. "Indeed, these rocks are extremely hard, beneficial and always
frequented by Yakṣas and Nāgas. Never will drought threaten those kings
in whose dominions they are found."
112. "When a stone resists splitting, then kindle a fire with fuel from
Butea and Ebony. On being made red hot and sprinkled with milk and
water the stone will burst."
113. "Or, boil water with ashes from Mokṣaka (Maruvaka) ; when the
stone being heated is seven times sprinkled with this decoction mixed with
potash from reed grass, it will burst."
114. "Butter-milk, sour gruel, spirituous liquor, dolichos and jujube
fruits mixed together and left to ferment for a week, will, by being used in
sprinkling, surely make a stone burst, after it has been heated".
115. "Take leaves and barks of Nimba, stalks of Sesamum, Apāmārga and
Tinduka fruits with Guḍūchi. The potash of all these liquefied with the urine
of cows, when poured six times over a glowing stone, the stone will split."
116. "First of all one should compound together these three substances :
exudation of Ākanda, ashes of a lamb's horn, and the stools of pigeons and
mice. And should besmear therewith the sword (or cutting instruments) and
then temper with oil ; if a sword is thus prepared it will not break even when
one strikes a piece of granite with it."
117. "If one prepares a compound of ashes of plantain tree and whey,
keep it for a day and night, and besmears the sword next day therewith ; then
the sword becomes so hard that it will not break even when one strikes another
sword with it."¹
118. "Embankment (of a very big pond) extending in a direction from
east to west retains the water much longer than one running from north to
south, because the latter is more often exposed to rupture by the agency of
billows roused by the wind. Let him, who wishes to make such a pond, stem
the conflux of water by means of a strong timber, or make the dams on every
side from stones and the like, the soil being rendered hard by the trampling
of elephants, horses, etc."
1 "The far-famed Damascus blades were of Indian steel manufactured in India"—Jour.
Roy. Asia. Soc. Feb. 16, 1839.