History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.4.1

v3.c53.4.1

In this rite the victims are a reddish-white goat for the Aśvins, an ewe for Sarasvatī, and a bull for Indra Sutrāman (Śāṅ. XV. 15. 1-4, Āśv. III. 9. 2). A brief description of the method in which wine was prepared in the Sautrāmaṇī is given below from the Śat. Br. V. 5. 4, XII. 7. 2, Kāt. XV. 9. 28-30, XIX. 1-2 (and com. thereon). Rice-grains²⁶⁶¹ (or malted rice grains and malted barley or śyāmāka) germinated and ungerminated covered in linen cloth are purchased from an eunuch in exchange for lead, wool and fried grain for thread. This purchase takes place on the southern one of the vedis specially prepared for this rite near the peg called antaḥpātya on a hide. The rice grains are cooked in plenty of water and the malted barley grains are powdered and boiled. The water and scum are strained through woollen cloth. The hair of the lion, the wolf and the tiger are thrown into the mixture (this is symbolic of the characteristics of prowess, impetuosity and fury found in those wild beasts). Certain vegetable substances such as myrobalans, ginger, nutmeg (which serve as yeast and are mentioned in the note below), are powdered and boiled in plenty of water. The hot watery scum from the two pots of boiled rice and powdered barley is taken into two vessels and the extract of vegetables is poured in both of them, the mixture being called *māsara*.