History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c51.157

v3.c51.157

Ingenious theories have been advanced by European scholars about the origin of the soma sacrifices. Considerations of space forbid the discussion of this topic here. Those who are interested in these speculations may consult Prof. Eggeling's Introduction to S. B. E. vol. 26 pp. XI-XXIII (where several European works are cited and questions about soma are discussed), L' Agniṣṭoma (pp. 481-490), Prof. Keith's 'Religion and philosophy of the Veda &c.' pp. 331-332 and the works cited there. With the greatest respect for all these learned and industrious European *savants* it must be said that none of the theories has any great plausibility or carries conviction. The cult of the soma is at least Indo-Iranian and no sure traces are left in the ancient Indian religious books of the origin of that cult. We have simply the institution of the sacrifice before us and all else is imagination and speculation. One important question is the relation of the plant soma to the moon (also called soma as in Ṛg. X. 85. 1 and 2). The moon is generally called 'mās' or 'candramas' in the Ṛg. (Ṛg. V. 51. 15, X. 85. 19, VIII. 94. 2, X. 12. 7, X. 68. 10). In Ṛg. VIII. 82. 8 occurs the very striking simile²⁶³³ 'Soma that is seen among the (soma) vessels as the moon in waters' and the Atharvaveda (XI. 6. 7) states that the god whom people call Candramas is soma. In several places soma is addressed as *indu* (which certainly means the moon in later literature). Vide Ṛg. IX. 86. 24, 26, 37, VIII. 48. 2, 4, 5, 12, 13. It is said that soma grew on Mūjavat (Ṛg. X. 34. 1) and in the Ārjīkīya country (Ṛg. VIII. 64. 11) on the river Suṣomā. Even in the Ṛgveda soma appears to have become mythical. In Ṛg. IX. 86. 24 soma is said to have been brought from heaven by Suparṇa (eagle or bird?) and in I. 93. 6 by a Śyena (hawk). Another matter to be noted is that the soma plant had certainly become rare,²⁶³⁴ if not unobtainable, in the times of the Brāhmaṇas. The Śat. Br. IV. 5. 10 mentions several substitutes for soma, among which are Phālguna plants having brown flowers, Dūb plant and greenish kuśas. The Tāṇḍya Br. says ‘If one does not secure soma, one may extract juice from pūtikas’.²⁶³⁵ Jai. (III. 6. 40 and VI. 3. 13–17) states that this passage restricts a sacrificer when no soma is available to pūtīkas and prevents the employment of other substances similar to soma and in VI. 3. 31 he declares that pūtīkas are the proper *pratinidhi* (substitute) for soma and not any other substance even if it may be more similar to soma than pūtīkas, but that if both pūtīka and soma are unavailable then another substance similar to soma may be employed. Aśv. (VI. 8. 5–6) states that if soma stalks be not available then pūtīka stalks and Phālguna plant should be used or other plants mixed with pūtīkas may be employed (and the com. adds that those others are dūrvā, kuśa and the like). In the Deccan the plant that is taken to represent soma when soma sacrifices are rarely performed is called ‘rāñśera’ (in Marathi) which grows in the hills of the Deccan.