A History of Sanskrit Literature c9.56

c9.56

The Indians of the *Rigveda* were acquainted with at least two kinds of spirituous liquor. Soma was the principal one. Its use was, however, restricted to occasions of a religious character, such as sacrifices and festivals. The genuine soma plant from which it was made also became increasingly difficult to obtain as the Aryans moved farther away from the mountains. The spirit in ordinary use was called *surā*. The knowledge of it goes back to a remote period, for its name, like that of soma, is found in the *Avesta* in the form of *hura*. It was doubtless prepared from some kind of grain, like the liquor made from rice at the present day in India. Indulgence in *surā* went hand in hand with gambling. One poet mentions anger, dice, and *surā* as the causes of various sins; while another speaks of men made arrogant with *surā* reviling the gods. Its use must have been common, for by the time of the *Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā*, the occupation of a “maker of surā” (*surākāra*) or distiller had become a profession.