Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra

Ādi Śankara in his Kāśikāpañcakam while describing the beautiful city of Kāśī says the following:

यस्यामिदं कल्पितमिन्द्रजालं, चराचरं भाति मनोविलासम् |
सच्चित्सुखैका परमात्मरूपा, सा काशिकाऽहं निजबोधरूपा॥

Yasyāmidaṁ kalpitamindrajālaṁ carācaraṁ bhāti manoviläsaṁ |
saccitsukhaikā paramātmarūpā sā kāśikāhaṁ nijabodharüpä ||

Varanasi has not only been the seat of spiritual capital, it has also been the fountainhead of various other forms of knowledge that has illuminated the mind and intellect of one and all since ages. It was on the banks of the mighty Gangā that Mahaṛṣi Caraka and Suśruta have compiled the annons of traditional health science which we today recognize as Ayurveda. It was in this very city and her neighborhood that processing of metals and making perfumes flourished like never before. It is time to give a serious look at various aspects of Indian science and what better place to start with than this very city of knowledge?

Therefore, the Indian Knowledge Systems Division of Ministry of Education at AICTE in association with the Ministry of Culture seeks to create awareness about the sophisticated knowledge traditions that existed in this land by introducing citizens to the intellectual wealth of ancient Bhāratīyā-s in particularly in the field of Chemistry and material science. In this context, it is organizing a 2-day Conference cum cultural activities session on Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra under the aegis of “Dhara: An Ode to Indian Knowledge System” and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav on 13th-14th, February, 2023.

India has been leading the world GDP for more than a millennia and it was verily this material prosperity that attracted the waves of invasion in the last 1000 years. For any country to prosper, the knowledge of handling materials, producing newer materials and transforming the existing ones to make day to day life easy is an inevitable aspect and hence a mastery in such fields of knowledge is imperative. Our ancient ancestors exhibited such fine acumen and workmanship in this field which broadly comes under the category of chemistry and material science or Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra. Besides the various systematic manipulations of materials, preparing medicine to combat diseases and rejuvenate the body for longevity is also one of the main aspects of this field.

Objective of this Dhara event is to bring together important stakeholders in this field to deliberate on the nature and content of the Vision document 2047 for this subject so that it is thriving once again by the end of the Amrita kaal.

Partnering Organizations: Brhat, Prāchyam, Indica, Atharvforum, IGNCA Varanasi Chapter, Gnana Pravaha Varanasi, Vastu Vidya Gurukulam Kerala, South Zone Cultural Center, Thanjavur, AYUSH GoI, Sampurnananda University Varanasi.

This conference would be attended by renowned dignitaries, academicians, scholars, researchers, . This event will be covered across social media channels.

● Objectives of Conference:

● To create a document for the Amrit Kaal - Vision Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra 2047

● To cultivate an audience that will be interested in unraveling and advancing Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra

● To understand the transdisciplinary nature as well as the holistic aspects of Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra and its traditions

● To explore and promote ‘Green methods’ as espoused in the texts of Bhāratīya Rasāyanaśāstra for contemporary practices as well.