History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c40.120
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c40.120
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In the Ṛgveda a distinction is made between *soma* and *surā* (liquor), the former being an intoxicating drink, but reserved for being offered (as a sacred beverage) to gods and to be drunk by the priests, while the latter seems to have been meant as a beverage for common men and not usually offered to gods. In Ṛg. VII. 86. 6 the sage¹⁸⁸⁹ Vasiṣṭha implores Varuṇa to recognize that a man does not commit sin by his own urge or power, but that it is due to destiny or *surā*, anger, dice (gambling) or heedlessness. In Ṛg. VIII. 2. 12 the sage exclaims that draughts of soma when quaffed by Indra create in his heart such tumult as those who are heavily intoxicated engage in when *surā* is drunk. Ṛg. I. 116. 7 mentions among the deeds of Aśvins this that they filled a hundred jars of surā from the hoof of their powerful horse which (hoof) was like *kārotara* (a strainer or leather-bag?). Ṛg. I. 191. 10 refers to the leather-bag (of wine) in the house of a vintner. In belauding *bhojas* (liberal men) Ṛg. X. 107. 9 says that they won the inner draught of surā (from their foes). In Ṛg. X. 131. ¹⁸⁹⁰ 4 and 5 the Aśvins are praised for having drunk surāmā (surā mixed with soma) and helped Indra in his fight with the Asura Namuci. In the Atharvaveda IV. 34. 6 the reward for the performer of sacrifices is said to be heaven in which there are lakes full of ghee and honey, and wherein liquor flows like water. In Atharvaveda 14. 1. 35-36 and 15. 9. 2-3 surā is referred to. The Vāj. S. 19.
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7 distinguished between surā and soma 'thou art the powerful surā and this is soma; don't destroy me when thou enterest thy place'. In the Tai.¹⁸⁹¹ S. II. 5. 1 ff, the Śat. Br. I. 6. 3 and V. 5. 4 there is a legend of Viśvarūpa, the son of Tvaṣṭṛ, which narrates how he had three heads, one of which was soma-drinking, one wine-drinking and a third for eating food, how Indra cut off the heads of Viśvarūpa, how Tvaṣṭṛ being furious at the slaughter of his son performed a soma sacrifice from which he excluded Indra, how Indra, though not invited, consumed all the soma that was in the tub, how the drinking of too much soma injured Indra and how the gods healed him by the *iṣṭi* called Sautrāmaṇī (for Sutrāman, 'the good protector', Indra). This Sautrāmaṇī sacrifice was performed for a priest who drank too much soma and therefore either began to vomit or had severe purging. Vide Kātyāyana śr. 19. 1. 4. It was also performed by him who had an enemy (Śat. Br. XII. 7. 3. 4). In this sacrifice a brāhmaṇa had to be hired for drinking the dregs of surā offered in it and if one was not found willing to do it the dregs were to be poured on an ant-hill.¹⁸⁹² How surā (liquor) was prepared is described in the Śat. Br. XII. 7. 3. 5 and in Kātyāyana śr. 19. 1. 20-27 (vide S. B. E. vol. 44, p. 223 n. 2 which summarises the com. on Kātyāyana). In Jaimini III. 5. 14-15 there is a discussion about the Sautrāmaṇī sacrifice and Śabara quotes the passage of the Tai. Br. I. 8.
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6 about hiring a brāhmaṇa for drinking the dregs of the surā offered in the sacrifice. The Śat. Br. contrasts soma and of surā by saying 'soma is truth, prosperity, light and surā is untruth, misery, darkness' (V. 1. 5. 28). The Śat. Br. V. 5. 4. 21 expresses dread¹⁸⁹³ of mixing up the libations of soma and of surā together. The Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā XII. 12 contains the following interesting remark. "Therefore an elderly person or a youngster, the daughter-in-law and father-in-law drink liquor and remain babbling together; foolishness (or thoughtlessness) is indeed sin; therefore a brāhmaṇa does not drink surā with the thought 'otherwise (if I drink it) I may be affected by sin'; therefore this is for kṣatriya; one should say to a brāhmaṇa that surā, if drunk by a kṣatriya, does not harm the latter."¹⁸⁹⁴ This passage makes it clear that at the time of the Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā public opinion had come to this stage that brāhmaṇas had generally given up drinking surā. This passage read with the Tai. Br. quoted above establishes that it had become difficult to find a brāhmaṇa willing to drink even the remnants of surā left after being offered in a sacred Vedic rite like the Sautrāmaṇī. The above passage from the Kāṭhaka is quoted by the Tantravārtika on Jaimini I. 3. 7 (p. 210) and explained by it as referring to *sīdhu* (rum) and liquor prepared from honey. Śaṁkarācārya in his bhāṣya on the Vedāntasūtra III. 4. 31 quotes¹⁸⁹⁵ this passage expressly from the Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā. In the Ait. Br.
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(37. 4) it is stated that when a king has undergone a solemn coronation ceremony the *purohita* places in his hand a vessel of surā. Aśvapati, king of Kekaya, proudly declares in the Chāndogya Up. V. 11. 5 to the learned brāhmaṇas that came to him for the lore about Vaiśvānara 'in my country there is no thief, no miser, no *madyapa* (drinker of intoxicants), none who has not kept the sacred fires, none who is not learned, no man of loose character; whence can there be a woman of loose character in my country?' In Chāndogya V. 10. 9 one who drinks surā is enumerated among the five grave sinners.