15

The Ocean of Mercury: An Eleventh-Century

Alchemical Text

David GordonWhite

Alchemy, the "way of mercury" (rasayana), was essentially a Hindu enterprise in

India; there are no extant Buddhist texts devoted to the subject. Within the Hindu
sphere, the roughly eleventh-century Rasarnava or "Ocean of Mercury" is the most
important textuai source for what is known as tantric alchemy. In contrast to
earlier (third to tenth centuries c.t.) "gold-making" alchemy and later (fourteenth
to twentieth centuries) therapeutic uses of mercurial and minerai medicines, tan-
tric alchemy, which saw its heyday in the tenth to thirteenth centuries, was most
concemed with the alchemlcal production of an elixir of immortal life with which
to realize the supreme goals of bodily immortality Ql'anmuhtt), supernatural pow-
ers (siddhi) and a state of being identical to that of the supreme god Siva.
Tantric alchemy is so called because these goals were identlcal with those of
the broad-based medieval Indian body of religious practice and doctrine known
as tantra. What made tantric alchemy unique was its emphasis on the use of
mineral, mainly mercurial, preparations (but also botanicals, as well as a number
of animal substances) as the means toward its tantric end. The theory behind this
practice was the identification alchemists made between mercury (rasa), the fluid
metal, and the semen (also called rasa) of Siva, the great Hindu god whose mil-
lenarian icon has been a phallus (linga) Mercury was, for them, the seminal
essence of a god who (pro-)creates the universe sexually; indeed, the origin myth
of mercury tel1s us that quicksilver first arose when Srva spilled his seed at the
end of a long bout of lovemaking with his consort, the goddess Parvati. This seed,
once spilled, became polluted through its contact with the earth. The alchemist's
craft therefore consists of returning mercury, through a series of chemical reac-
tions of incredible complexity, to its original pristine state. Once he has perfected
it in the laboratory, the alchemist may then ingest this mercury, which then
transforms him into an immortal superman, a "second Siva."
Tantric alchemy was tantric in more than its goals: in addrtion to their emphasis
282 DAVID GORDON WHITE
on manipulating mercury and other mineral substances, its principal texts also
prescribed the use of geometric diagrams (yantras), powerful formulas (mqntras),
and forms of worship (pnja) proper to the broader tantric tradition. Ir was also
tantric in its worldview, which held that the manifest untverse (identified with
the Goddess under one of her many names) was the self-realization of an absolute,
unmanifest source (often identified with the god Siva), the dy'namics of this pro-
cess of self-realization often being portrayed as the sexual union of the two di-
vinities. Tantric alchemy also considered itseif Hindu, and as such located itself
within the broader Hindu tradition. It is in this context that chapter one of the
Rasdrnaya, translated here, must be read: it is an attempt to situate the way of
mercury or the mercurial science (rasattidya) within the broader contexts of tantric
and Hindu doctrine and practice. What makes the Rasarnavq special in the annals
of tantric literature (apart from its subject matter) is rts anon)'rnous author's rhe-
torical flair, which makes for livelier reading than the usual tantric fare.
The Rasaryava is, like most "revealed" tantric texts (ca11ed tantras), cast in the
form of a dialogue in which the Goddess (here called by the names Parvati, De\,1
or Bhairan) asks the questions and Siva (also called Bhairava here) answers them.
Verses 1-6 set the scene and introduce one of the main themes of the chapter,
the gaining of bodily liberation through aichemical practice. Bhairava begins his
answer by stressing the concrete nature of the alchemical path: in contradistinc-
tion to the teachings of more conventional Hinduism (the six schools of Indian
philosophy), which maintain that liberation occurs after the shedding of one's
mortal body, here it is thls body of flesh and blood that is transformed and
rendered immortal (verses B-9, I2-I7).
The author reserves his greatest scorn and rhetorical ammunition for the prac-
tices of other tantric sects which, he clearly feels, are on the wrong track. These
he condemns for their antinomian practices, which he groups under the common
heading of the five makaras, the "Five Ms": the consumption of flesh (mdmsa),
frsh (matsya), alcohol (madhu), and parched grarn (mudra), and the practice of
sexual intercourse (maithuina) as means to realizing tantric goals (verses l0-11,
24,29-30). He does, however, seek to defend himself vis-i-vis thetantnc sects
in an obscure verse (verse 27). in which he maintains that the Alchemical school
or order (sampradEa) is a "womb," because mercury is a "womb." Here, he is
referring to the tantric notlon that each sectarian order was a household (which
was part of a broader clan, that is, the confederation of tantric sects) into which
one is bom as a son or daughter of the Goddess, upon initiation. The biological
nature of the tantric hneage is emphasized in the old tantric initiation rituais, in
which the initiate ingests "lineage-nectar"-in the form of sexual fluids-which
originally arises from the Goddess's own womb. it is in this context that the
Rasatnava states that mercury itself is the Alchemical school's "womb."
In verse 26, the author appears to contradict himsell regarding his anti-makara
position of prior verses, when Bhairava praises the eating of "cow meat" and the
drinking of "liquor." This, however, is a mystic reference to a technique, known
as hhecan mudra ("the seal ol moving in the ether"), which was a commonplace
of the body of breathing techniques, bodily postures, and so on, grouped under
ALCHEMICAL TEXT 283

the heading of hatha yoga, the "yoga of violent exertion." The internal practice of
hatha yoga was in fact the necessary complement to alchemical practice: without
a body "primed" by yoga, the high-energy mercury ingested by the alchemist
would destroy him. Moreover, perfected mercury served as a catalyst for the
internal transformation ol the gross mortal body into a perfected and immortal
one (verses IB_22). Alchemrcal and yogic works alone were not sufficient, how-
ever; without the grace and teachings of a spiritual preceptor Quru), the alchemist
wouid fail in his quest for power, pleasure, and immortality (verses 54-57).
Much of this chapter is devoted to the greatness of mercury itself. It is the seed
of Siva (verse 36), or the product of the sexual union of Srva and the Goddess
(verse 34), whose own sexual emission takes the form of mica (mentioned in
verse 44) in the mrneral world: the goddess also can take the mineral forms ol
red arsenic or sulphur, both identified with her uterine blood. Itself possessed ol
wonderful powers, mercury affords the same powers to alchemists who eat it
(verses 22,27-28,3L,53,57). Because it gives (da) the highest end (para), it is
calledparada(paradais a synonym f.or rasa, mercury: verse 35).
Beyond being identified with Siva's semen, mercury is identrfied with Siva's
phallic emblem, the linga from which it arose ln the beginning. Therefore, the
construction and worship of mercurial phalluses (rasalingas) are cenlral to al-
chemicai practice, just as linga-worship is central to devotional cults of Siva, for
which such lingas as Kedarnath in the Himalayas ate important pilgrimage srtes
(verses 37-43). Abuse of or lack of larth in mercury is, in thrs context, a sacrilege,
the punrshments for which are detailed in verses 45 and 47 through 52 The
chapter ends (verse 59) with a reference to a ritual form of tantric worshlp called
nyasa, tn which mantras of the god and goddess of alchemy are superimposed
upon one's own body, as a preparation for self-divinization. The final verse (verse
60) opens the way to the remaining seventeen chapters of the Rasdrnqva, devoted
in the main to alchemical "recipes" and descnptions of the wondrous powers to
be gained through the use ol perfected mercury.

Chapter I of the Rasornava is found tnRasarnavaNdmaRqsatantra,2d ed., edrted

mth a Hindi commentary by Indradeo Tripathr, Haridas Sanskrit Granthamala,
no. 88 (Benares: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Series Offi"ce, 1978), pp. L-14.

The Ocean of Mercury: Chapter One

l. He in whom everything is, from whom everything will be, who is everything
and everywhere, who is all-encompassing and eternal, salutations to that uni-
versai soul!

2-3. While on KaiiAsa's delightful peak, a peak adorned with a multitude of

jewels and strewn with myriad trunks and vines, the goddess Parvati, bowing
284 DAvrD GoRDoN wHrrE
her head before the blue-throated, three-eyed God of gods who was comfort-
ably seated there, asked with circumspection:

4. "O God among gods, O great God, O incinerator of Time and Love, O
preceptor of the Kaula, Mahakaula, Siddhakaula, etc. lineages!

5-6. "By your grace, all of revelation has been made known to the world in its
entirety. If I am worthy of your favor, if I am your beloved, then tell me this:
there are things that have been told in all of the tantras; yet there are things
that have not been brought to light. O Lord! What is this liberation in the
body? You alone are capable of describing that."

7. "Well said, well spoken, O fortunate Goddessl Well spoken, O Daughter of

the Mountain! The question you have asked is a matter that concerns the
welfare of our devotees.

8-9. "Eternal youth, immortality of the body, and the attainment of an identity
of nature with Siva-that is, liberation in the body Qt'tanmuhti)-is difficult
even for the gods to attain. The liberation that occurs when one drops dead,
that liberation is worthless. For in that case, a donkey would also be liberated
when he dropped dead.
10. "If liberation is to be identified with the excitation of the female genitilia,
whom could donkeys not liberate? Indeed, what ram or bull would not be
liberating?

l1-13. "Therefore, one should safeguard one's body with mercury and mer-
curial elixirs. If liberation came from utilizing one's semen, urine, and excre-
ments, which of the races of dogs and swine would not be liberated? Liberation
is indeed viewed in the six schools as occurring when one drops dead, but that
kind of liberation is not directly perceivable, in the manner of a myrobalan
fruit in the hand. Ineffable reality, even that shall I tell you, O Goddess!
14-17. "In no wise can he who is merely without sin or who offqrs mantras
maintain his body. If the maintenance of the body is difficult even for the gods,
O great Goddess, then how much more difficult it must be for men living on
the face of this earthl When righteousness is destroyed, how can there be
righteousness? When righteousness is destroyed, how can there be practice?
When practice is destroyed, how can there be yoga? When yoga is destroyed,
how can there be a way to liberation? When the way is destroyed, how can
there be liberation? When liberation is destroyed, there is nothing at all. There-
fore, O fortunate Goddess, the body is to be vigorously preserved.

18. "The maintenance of the body is realized through the practice of yoga.
Mercury and breath control are known as the twofold practice of yoga.
19. "When swooning, mercury, like the breath, carries off disease; when killed,
it raises from the dead; when bound, it affords the power of flight.
ALCHEMICAL TEXT 285

20-22. "Liberation arises from insight, insight arises from the maintenance of
the vital breaths. Therefore, where there is stability, mercury is powerful and
the body is stable. Through the use of mercury one quickly obtains a body that
is unaging and immortal, with a mind absorbed in meditation. He who eats
calcirra"teJmercury truly obtains insight as well as worldly knowledge, and his
mantras succeed.

23. "So long as the Godd.ess does not descend, and so long as one's fetters to
this world remain uncut, there is no way that true discrimination can arise in
the use of calcinated mercury.

24. ,,For those people who have lost their powers of reason through indulgence
in liquor, flesh, sexual intercourse, and the male and female organs, the mer-
curial science is exceedingly difficult to realize.
25. .'Hewho is without instruction in the alchemical tradition and who does
not strive after the true religion, for him the mercurial science does not succeed'
He drinks the water of mirages.

26. '.He who eats cow meat and drinks the liquor of immortality, I consider
to be one of the lineage and a connoisseur in the science of melcury. Other
experts in the science of mercury are inferior'

27. "To those who say that this [alchemical] order (samptadEa) is not a
'womb': it is maintained that mercury is a 'womb.' lt is by means of it that the
siddhi is obtained. No siddhi without mercury.
28. ,,Until such time as one eats Siva's seed-that is, mercury, 1354-whs1g
shall he seek his liberation, where shall he seek the maintenance of his body?

29-30. ,,There are rhose ignorant ones who, wholly besotted with liquor and
flesh and deluded by siva's illusion, prattle that'we are liberated, we have gone
to the world of Siva.' Then there are those dim-witted ones who are dissatisfied
with the yogic preservation of the body. The universe, o Goddess, is ena-
moured with partial knowledge!

31. ,,Let him who has realized rhe power of flight and siva-hood in his own
body, and who has knowledge of mercury always practice the mercurial sci-
ence, my darling."

32. The Goddess said: "I wish to hear of the worldly descent and greatness of
mercury, o Lord of the gods! You can tell me that in its essentials."
33. Lord Bhairava said: "well asked, o fortunate Goddess! That which you
contemplate is highly esoteric, a mattel for the support and welfare of the
worlds.

34. "You, O Goddess,are the mother of all beings and I am their eternal father'
That which was generated from our great sexual union, that is rasa.
286 DAvID GoRDoN
35. "Because it arose of its own volition, that great one [mercury] is praised
as parada, and because the greatest of practitioners use it to the highest ends
it is also called parada.
36. Mercury is identical to me, O Goddess. It arises from my each and every
limb. It is my own vital fluid. It is for this reason that it is called rasa.
37-42. "From viewing, touching, eating, indeed merely recalling, worshiping,
and offering mercury, six t)?es of fruits are tealized. The merit one gains from
viewing all of the lingas in the world-of Kedarnath, and so on-as well as all
others that may exist is gained from the mere viewing of mercury. By wor-
shiping Siva in the form of calcinated mercury, with sandal, camphor, and
saffron, one attains the world of Siva. Eating mercury destroys the triad of sins
(in word, deed, and thought), afflictions, and morbid states. The highest sta-
tion, difficult even for fully realized brahmans to reach, is attained. By recalling
mercury in the center of the lotus in the space within one's heart, O Goddess,
one is immediately freed from the sins accumulated in past lives.

43. "The combined fruits that one might gain from worshiping one thousand
of Siva's self-generared (svayambhu) lingas, are reaped a hundred thousandfold
by worshiping Siva's mercurial linga.
44. "The 'doctrine of mica' is the lowest alchemical doctrine; the'doctrine of
mineral salt' is a middling doctrine; the 'doctrine of mantra' is highest; and the
'doctrine of mercury' is the very highest.
45. They who, possessed of a consummate knowledge of mantra and tantra,
put mercury to an evil use, annihilate their accumulated good acts, and go to
hell.

46. The mercurial science is a transcendent form of knowledge, difficult to

gain in the three worlds. It affords worldly enjoyment and liberation. For this
reason, it should be promulgated by persons eminent in the field.

47-+8. "Some say 'it exists', some say 'it does not exist.' H" t fto believes it
exists gains siddhis and realizes his goals on this earth. Those who, out of
unbelief, say, 'it is not, it does not exist,' their goals are not realized, my darling,
even in a billion rebirths.
49-52. "The sinner who, considering himself to be liberated through his
knowledge of the absolute, disparages mercury, loses my protection even for
a billion rebirths. He is born as a dog, O Goddess, for as many as a thousand
births; by offending mercury, he is born as a cat for 30 million births, a don-
key for a hundred thousand births, a crow for a hundred thousand births, a
worm for a hundred thousand births, a wild cock for a hundred thousand
births, and a vulture for a hundred thousand births. He who talks to or has
bodily contact with those who are reviiers of mercury, he too becomes afflicted
with sorrows for as many as a thousand rebirths.
ALCHEMICAL TEXT 287

53. "Mercury is, in its fluidity, potency, and fullness of development, the equiv-
alent of ambrosia (amrta). By virtue of this, mercury carries off death and
rebirth, disease and injury.
54. "First, one should, with a purified inner soul, propitiate one's guru. Once
the guru is satisfied, the rays of light emanating from his teachings bestow
upon one the secret doctrine.
55. "The slow-minded person who performs alchemical practice without tak-
ing a guru meets with no success. His acts are like the money one makes in
dreams.

56. ,,He who performs acts that have been taught by the guru meets with
success at every step. Therefore, my dear, one should put into practice the
alchemical doctrine imparted by a satisfied guru.

57-58. "This teaching that is a path to realization affords both enjoyment and
liberation. This gqeat tantra called the Ocean of Mercury, exceedingly difficult
of access and esbteiic, 4ay be accessed, for the realization of alchemical goals,
through the grace of the guru. Once one has gained access to the alchemical
practice, one should not then become egotistical.

5g. ,.Then, having received the mantra called the 'elephant goad of mercury,'
one should, with the guru's permission, superimpose the goddess Bhairavi
upon one's own body, and carry out the worship of the mercurial Bhairava.
60. "O Goddess! The origin and greatness of mercury has now been told. What
other matters you would like to hear me tell about?"