From the peaks of the Himalayas to the pages of founding texts, the imagination of civilizations associates the mountain with exceptional materials: pressed nectars , gushing waters , honeys and oils "from the rock". In Indian medical literature, śilājatu (shilajit) is rightly described as a substance exuded from rocks heated by the sun. This file brings together quotes and passages traceable from sacred texts (Veda, Avesta, Bible, Koran) and Sanskrit treatises (Caraka, Suśruta, nighaṇṭu), to culturally illuminate this minero-organic phytocomplex - up to the vision of a true "Gift of God" .
Important: This is a cultural and heritage article. We quote verbatim passages (links at the end of the article), without slipping into forced interpretations. In the West, shilajit is neither a medicine nor a cure for any ailments. It is not intended to prevent or cure diseases.
1) Vedic India — Soma “born of the mountains”
1.1 Rig-Veda: pressed, filtered, mixed with milk
"He pressed the Soma with stones; now purified, pass yourself through the fleece , mixed with juice and milk." Rig-Veda 9.107 (hymns to Soma Pavamāna). See a 19th century French translation on the BnF ( Gallica ) and an annotated English version ( Sacred-Texts ).
The ritual (pressing stones, fleece/filter, mixing with milk) structures the idea of a prepared and clarified nectar from the heights - a symbolic matrix of many materials "from the mountain".
1.2 Other hymns: Soma “child of the mountains”
"[Soma] dressed in a robe of water, drapes himself in milk and settles in the vats." Rig-Veda 9.107 (other verses). See online reading ( RigVeda-online ).
1.3 Atharva-Veda: plants of the Himavant
Vedic texts also invoke substances born from the mountains ( Himavant ), consolidating the background of mountain riches. For an intro in French: Encyclopædia Universalis .
2) Avestan Iran — Haoma of the High Ranges
“[At the Yasna]… the Haoma is exalted…” (liturgical cycle where the sacred plant is associated with the heights , the eastern pole). Avesta, Yasna 10 (trans. J. Darmesteter, Wikisource FR).
The Indo-Iranian doublet Soma/Haoma confirms a shared imagination: the mountain as a matrix of sacred materials.
3) Sanskrit medical texts — śilājatu, “rock resin”
3.1 Caraka-saṃhitā (Cikitsā 1, śilājatu-rasāyana)
“In the heat of the day, the minerals of the mountains heated by the sun exude … this is called śilājatu .” Caraka-saṃhitā, Cikitsāsthāna 1 (section śilājatu-rasāyana). Notice and passage on the academic portal: CarakaSamhitaOnline .
Caraka classifies varieties by metallic affinity (gold, silver, copper, iron) and places śilājatu in the rasāyana register (rejuvenation, “yogavāhī”/vector).
3.2 Suśruta-saṃhitā (Sūtrasthāna 38)
“The substances called Uśaka, Saindhava salt, śilājatu , two types of Kāsiśa, Hingu, Tutthaka constitute the Uśākādi-gaṇa group …” Suśruta, Sū. 38 — summary and English translation: WisdomLib .
3.3 Nighaṇṭu & rasāśāstra: definitions and synonyms
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Bhāvaprakāśa-nighaṇṭu (entry śilājatu): “the mountains exude like a resin; this is śilājatu ”, then the four types (gold/silver/copper/iron). e-Nighantu Edition (NIIMH/CCRAS) .
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Rasataraṅgiṇī : bitter-tasting śilājatu, pungent vipāka ; mūtrala (diuretic), yogavāhī , rasāyana . See scans: Internet Archive .
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Rāja-nighaṇṭu : synonyms śaileya , girija , adrija (“born of the mountain”).
Remember: in scholarly treatises, shilajit is named and located : a material exuded from rocks under the sun, classified among the major substances of classical pharmacopoeia.
4) Bible — “honey” and “oil” from the rock, “water” from the stone
“…he makes him ride on the high places of the earth…he makes him taste honey from the rock and oil from the rock .” Deuteronomy 32:13 (AELF) .
“I will feed him with the finest of wheat, and satisfy you with honey from the rock !” Psalm 80:17 (AELF liturgical numbering) — ≈ Ps 81:16–17 in other editions.
The motif of the nourishing rock (honey/oil/water) frames a symbolism of minero-vegetal abundance analogous to Indo-Iranian traditions.
5) Quran — Visible Mineralogy and Gifts of the Mountains
“…in the mountains , white and red furrows …and rocks of deep black .” Surah 35:27 (other versions: NobleQuran FR ).
“Strike the rock with your staff, and twelve springs will gush forth from it…” Surah 2:60 (Quran.com FR) .
Here again, the mountain is the matrix: mineral colors, gushing water, nourishing oil.
6) Himalayan tradition (Sowa-Rigpa) — brag-zhun , “rock substance”
In Himalayan medicine, the equivalent of shilajit is brag-zhun , sometimes classified according to metallic affinity (gold/silver/copper/iron), a striking continuity with classical India. See: lexical entry ( Rangjung Yeshe Wiki ) and regional works ( Bhutanese Brag-zun ).
7) Converging motifs — “riches of the mountains”
| Source |
Key motif |
Reference formulation |
Cultural reading |
| Rig-Veda |
Nectar of the summits |
Pressing, fleece/filter, milk mixing
|
Altitude substance, treated/clarified |
| Avesta |
Mountain Haoma |
Yasna Cycle
|
Sacred pole of the eastern chains |
| Caraka / nighaṇṭu |
Rock exudate |
“The rocks ooze… it is śilājatu ” |
Explicit medical definition |
| Bible |
Honey/oil/water from the rock |
Deut 32:13; Psa 80:17; Ex 17:6 |
Mineral and plant abundance |
| Koran |
Mineralogy & donations |
35:27; 2:60; 23:20 |
Mountain = matrix of goods |
| Sowa-Rigpa |
Brag-zhun
|
"Rock substance" |
Continuous Himalayan transmission |
FAQ — Shilajit & Sacred Texts
Because they exalt the gifts of the mountain (nectars, oils, waters, exudates). Shilajit naturally fits into this tale of the heights illuminated by Indian medical treatises.
Yes: Sowa-Rigpa designates a “rock substance” sometimes classified by metallic affinity — a direct echo of Indian classifications.
References (verifiable links)
Conclusion — Shilajit, “Gift of God”
From the Vedas to the Avesta , from the Bible to the Koran , the same evidence is clear: the mountain gives - water , honey , oil , nectars . In Sanskrit treatises, shilajit ( śilājatu ) is precisely this resin of the rocks emerging from the cliffs heated by the sun, classified among the great materials of the pharmacopoeia. Between symbols and knowledge, an intuition crosses the ages: certain substances of the summits embody the generosity of the world . This is how we like to present shilajit - a "Gift of God" , in the noble sense: a rare material , born of the mountains, to be honored by authenticity and respect for the places.
