DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0206
194 Saktism, or Goddess-worship.
a Brahman only when he has knowledge of Brahma. The
ambrosia of the gods is their Brahma, and on earth it is
arrack (or liquor distilled from rice); and because one attains
through it the condition of a god (suratva), therefore is that
liquor called sura.'
It is not surprising, therefore, that in Bengal some respect-
able mothers of families, who believe the above passage
to be a direct revelation from Siva and who would not dream
of drinking spirits for their own gratification, never say their
prayers without touching their tongues with a pointed instru-
ment dipped in arrack, and never offer flowers to their god
without sprinkling them with a few drops of that liquor.
In short, the drinking of spirituous liquor is as much an
essential part of the Sakta ceremonial as the drinking of Soma
juice was of the Vedic sacrifices, and the drinking of arrack
(sura) was of the Sautramani and Vajapeya and other
sacrificial rites. Indeed these ancient rites are appealed to in
the Tantras as a justification for the Sakta practice.
Nor can there be any doubt that at one time the drinking
of wine and spirituous liquors was universal all over India *.
1 This is well shown by Rajendralala Mitra in one of his Essays on
the Indo-Aryans. The reason given for the cessation of the custom
of wine-drinking among the Hindus is that wine and spirituous liquors
were on two particular occasions cursed by the gods Sukra and Krishna.
The cause of Sukra's curse is related in the First Book of the Maha-
bharata (ch. 76). It appears that Kaca, son of Vrihaspati, had become
a pupil of Sukra Acarya with a view to learn from him the charm
(mantra) for restoring dead men to life, which none else knew. The
Asuras came to know of this, and, dreading lest the pupil should obtain,
and afterwards impart, the great secret to the Devas, assassinated him,
and mixed his ashes with the wine drunk by his tutor, thus transferring
him to the bowels of Sukra Acarya. It happened, however, that during
his pupilage Kaca had won the affection of Devayam, the youthful and
charming daughter of Sukra Acarya, and that lady insisted upon her
father's restoring the youth to her, threatening to commit suicide if the
request was not granted. Sukra, unable to deny any favour to his
daughter, repeated the charm, and forthwith, to his surprise, found the
youth speaking from his own stomach. The difficulty now was to bring
the youth out, for this could not be accomplished without ripping open
a Brahman only when he has knowledge of Brahma. The
ambrosia of the gods is their Brahma, and on earth it is
arrack (or liquor distilled from rice); and because one attains
through it the condition of a god (suratva), therefore is that
liquor called sura.'
It is not surprising, therefore, that in Bengal some respect-
able mothers of families, who believe the above passage
to be a direct revelation from Siva and who would not dream
of drinking spirits for their own gratification, never say their
prayers without touching their tongues with a pointed instru-
ment dipped in arrack, and never offer flowers to their god
without sprinkling them with a few drops of that liquor.
In short, the drinking of spirituous liquor is as much an
essential part of the Sakta ceremonial as the drinking of Soma
juice was of the Vedic sacrifices, and the drinking of arrack
(sura) was of the Sautramani and Vajapeya and other
sacrificial rites. Indeed these ancient rites are appealed to in
the Tantras as a justification for the Sakta practice.
Nor can there be any doubt that at one time the drinking
of wine and spirituous liquors was universal all over India *.
1 This is well shown by Rajendralala Mitra in one of his Essays on
the Indo-Aryans. The reason given for the cessation of the custom
of wine-drinking among the Hindus is that wine and spirituous liquors
were on two particular occasions cursed by the gods Sukra and Krishna.
The cause of Sukra's curse is related in the First Book of the Maha-
bharata (ch. 76). It appears that Kaca, son of Vrihaspati, had become
a pupil of Sukra Acarya with a view to learn from him the charm
(mantra) for restoring dead men to life, which none else knew. The
Asuras came to know of this, and, dreading lest the pupil should obtain,
and afterwards impart, the great secret to the Devas, assassinated him,
and mixed his ashes with the wine drunk by his tutor, thus transferring
him to the bowels of Sukra Acarya. It happened, however, that during
his pupilage Kaca had won the affection of Devayam, the youthful and
charming daughter of Sukra Acarya, and that lady insisted upon her
father's restoring the youth to her, threatening to commit suicide if the
request was not granted. Sukra, unable to deny any favour to his
daughter, repeated the charm, and forthwith, to his surprise, found the
youth speaking from his own stomach. The difficulty now was to bring
the youth out, for this could not be accomplished without ripping open