History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.71

v5.c71.s1.71

*Surāpāna* (drinking of *surā*) has been held to be a mahāpātaka The word *surā* occurs several times in the Ṛgveda (e g. Ṛg I 116 7, I 191.10, VII. 86 6, VIII. 2 12, X 107 9) Ṛg. VII. 86 6 quoted above (in note 17) clearly indicates that *surā* was looked upon by the Ṛgvedic singers as a cause of sin just as much as gambling Ṛg. I 116 7 (śataṁ kumbhān asiñcataṁ surāyāḥ) read with Ṛg I 117.6 (śataṁ madhūnām) implies that madhu (honey or some sweet substance) might have been used in preparing *surā* Soma was a beverage to be offered to the gods and to be drunk by the brāhmaṇa priests and was sharply distinguished from *surā* (e g in Tai S II 5 1 1, Vāj S. 19 7, Śat Br. V. 1 5 28). The last furnishes the striking antithesis '*soma* is truth, prosperity, light, and *surā* is untruth, misery, darkness'. It appears that long before the Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā brāhmaṇas had come to regard the drinking of *surā* as very sinful [XII 12 'therefore the brāhmaṇa does not drink *surā* (with the idea) that (by drinking it) he may become affected by sin'].⁴⁶ The Chāndogya Up. (V. 10.9) speaks of the drinker of *surā* as a *patita*, while in V. 11 5 king⁴⁷ Aśvapati Kaikeya makes the boast before the five learned brāhmaṇas that had come to him for the knowledge of *Ātman Vaiśvānara* that in his kingdom there was no thief and no drinker of *madya*. Though Manu XI 54 enumerates the drinking of *surā* among the five mahāpātakas, Yāj. III. 227 speaks of the *madyapa* (drinker of *madya*) as one of the five great sinners. Therefore we must explain what is meant by *surā* and when *surāpāna* becomes a mahāpātaka. By Manu XI 93 surā is said to be the refuse of food and Manu XI. 94 states that *surā* is of three kinds, viz that prepared from molasses, that from flour and that from madhūka flowers (or from honey). There is a great deal of discussion about *surā* in many of the digests and the propositions established by most of them are⁴⁸: (1) that all the three higher varṇas are forbidden to drink the surā prepared from flour and drinking it is a grave sin (mahāpātaka) in the case of anyone belonging to the three first varṇas, (2) All intoxicants (*madya*) are forbidden to brāhmaṇas at all stages of life (Gaut. II. 25 'madyam nityam brāhmaṇaḥ' and Āp. Dh. S. I 5. 17-21); but a brāhmaṇa drinking surā of the gauḍī or mādhvī kind would not be guilty of mahāpātaka but of anupātaka (acc to Viṣṇu); (3) that intoxicants other than surā prepared from flour are not condemned for kṣatriyas and vaiśyas; (4) the śūdra was not forbidden to drink any kind of intoxicant (including surā made from flour); (5) brahmacārins of all varṇas studying the Veda had to abstain from intoxicants of all kinds. The Viṣṇu Dh. S. (22 83-84) specifies ten kinds of madya (intoxicants) prepared from dates, jack fruit, cocoanuts, sugarcane &c and Pulastya quoted by the Mit on Yāj. III. 253, by the Prāyaścittaprakaraṇa of Bhavadeva (p 40), the Prāyaścittaviveka of Śūlapāṇi (p. 90), Pr. Prakāśa (folio 69 b) refers to eleven kinds of madyas apart from *surā* (dvādaśaṁ to surāmadyam sarveṣāṁ adhamam smṛtam). Vide H of Dh. vol. III pp 964-966 for further discussion on intoxicating drinks.