New Books in Indian Religions · Marshall Poe

Dagmar Wujastyk, "Indian Alchemy: Sources and Contexts" (Oxford UP, 2025)

·57 min·5 clips

Why Indian alchemy focuses on changing the human body, not making gold like in the West.

Dr. Raj Balkaran hosts Dr. Dagmar Wujastyk, an associate professor at the University of Alberta, to discuss her new edited volume "Indian Alchemy: Sources and Contexts." The episode explores the Sanskrit alchemical tradition known as *rasa śāstra*, or "the science of mercury," which developed on the Indian subcontinent from around the 10th century onward. Wujastyk explains the project began in 2018 with a team including scholars Patricia Sauthoff, Keith Cantú, and Ayurvedic practitioner Priyanka Soman. The volume features translations from foundational texts like the *Rasahṛdayatantra* and the *Rasaratnasamuccaya*, alongside a chapter from David Gordon White and a contribution from Jim Mallinson on yoga and alchemy. Wujastyk notes the literature splits between highly technical manuals detailing processes and apparatuses and more narrative sections featuring pilgrimage stories or mythological framings. A key insight is that Indian alchemy focused more on bodily transformation and spiritual insight compared to Western traditions' emphasis on gold-making. Wujastyk describes her own chapters, including a translation on elixir regimens that parallel Ayurvedic *rasāyana* therapies and a technical summary of mercurial operations. She shares surprising findings from attempting to reconstruct historical recipes with practitioner Andrew Mason, revealing the texts often omit practical details like timeframes, functioning more as ideological statements than strict manuals. The conversation highlights how narrative portions may have served to "Indianize" and sanctify imported materials like mercury and sulfur. The tone is conversational and educational, blending scholarly detail with accessible explanations of complex traditions. Listeners interested in the history of science, South Asian studies, or comparative alchemy will find this episode deeply engaging. Those seeking a purely narrative or non-academic exploration of esoteric topics might find the technical discussions less compelling.

As heard by us

A patient guide to Indian alchemy's texts, preparation rituals, and medical ideas.

The conversation treats Indian alchemy as both a literary tradition and a medical one, grounded in texts and close reading rather than novelty for its own sake.

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A careful tour of Indian alchemy's texts, rituals, and regimens.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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