Abstract
In the paper, I examine the concept of “cruelty” (kaṭumai) of physical substances in the Tamil siddha alchemical literature, by taking as the starting point an analysis of the selected texts ascribed to Siddhar Yākōpu alias Rāmatēvar (ca. 17th–18th c.), a prominent author of the Tamil siddha alchemical tradition. The alchemical works of Yākōpu repeatedly describe certain alchemical operations, the names of which allude to acts of violence, such as “binding” (kaṭṭutal) and “killing” (kollutal). Such operations, according to the texts, should be mastered and performed by alchemists on various material substances. In the paper, I analyze passages that shed light on the purpose and character of such operations in the alchemical tradition of the Siddhars. I also address the issue of the non-human material agency related to the perspective of material ecocriticism as presented in the Tamil siddha texts.
Publisher
Ksiegarnia Akademicka Sp. z.o.o.
Reference30 articles.
1. Angadi, R. 2014. A Textbook of Rasaśāstra (Iatro-chemistry and Āyurvedic Pharmaceutics). Varanasi: Chaukhamba Surbharati Prakashan.
2. Barad, K. 2007. Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Durham–London: Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv12101zq.
3. Bowker, J. 2003. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780192800947.001.0001/acref-9780192800947-e-5027?rskey=ddrXpf&result=1 (accessed on 18.06.2024).
4. Chandra Murthy, P. H. 2013. Rasaśāstra: The Mercurial System. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office.
5. Esposito, J. L. 2003. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580-e-1679?rskey=lzB9N1&result=