Parad

Mercury, also called quicksilver, is a chemical element with the symbol Hg (Latinized Greek: hydrargyrum, meaning watery or liquid silver) and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure. Mercury is mostly obtained by reduction from the mineral Cinnabar.

Mercury was known to the ancient Chinese and Indians, and was found in Egyptian tombs that date from 1500 BC. In China, India, and Tibet mercury use was thought to prolong life, heal fractures, and maintain generally good health. The Indian word for alchemy is Rasavatam(which means "the way of mercury").Alchemists often thought of mercury as the First Matter from which all metals were formed. They believed that different metals could be produced by varying the quality and quantity of sulfur contained within the mercury. The purest of these was gold, and mercury was required for the transmutation of base metals into gold as was the goal of many alchemists.

Some of the common words used to symbolize Parad are...

Rasa (essence), Rasendra (because it is the most important of metals), Suta (because of its ability to transmute gold), Capala (on account of its volatility), Rasa-Raja (ruler of metals) etc. Most of these words are synomynous with Lord Shiva. One of the most common synonyms refers to Parad as the semen of Shiva.