Sura:The Liquor and the Vedic Sacrifice-Madhavi Bhaskar Kolhatkar-DKPD-9788124601143
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Associated with
wrath, gambling and, at the symbolic level, with darkness and misery, sura
has been strongly condemned in Vedic literature. Yet, paradoxically, it has
not just found its way into a Vedic sacrifice itself: called sautramani, but
has even been sanctified in the rajasuya and punarabhisheka rituals as well.
However, it is sautramani’s sacrificial fire alone to take in liquor as an
oblation material. Dr. Madhavi Kolhatkar here offers an indepth study of this
sura-related Vedic ritual: of both its caraka and kaukili forms, together
with all their attendant details. The book explores the possible origin and
nature of sautramani sacrifice, addressing itself to a range of the
hitherto-unanswered questions, for instance; How did sura come to have its
acceptance in a shrauta ritual (like sautramani), despite its outright
disapproval in the Vedic texts? Why is the sautramani performed after
rajasuya? Is there any linkage between sautramani and punarabhisheka — which
both happen to involve the sura-ritual? How is, then, sautramani related to
the agnicayana? And, what is the underlying importance of the myths that tell
about the primeval performance of the sautramani? In spelling out the social,
medicinal and ritualistic significance of sautramani, the author also shows
how the Brahmanas often compare it with a soma sacrifice, and how sautramani
itself has evolved over the time. In the context of this Vedic ritual, she
also highlights the hierarchic contentions between the brahmanas and the
kshatriyas in the ancient Indian society. It is a piece of valuable research
for Indologists, especially the scholars of Sanskrit, Vedic studies and
ancient Indian history and culture. |
Book |
ISBN |
9788124601143
|
PUBLISHER |
DKPD |
Binding |
HARDCOVER |
Edition |
1999 |
Language |
ENGLISH |
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Sura:The Liquor and the Vedic Sacrifice-Madhavi Bhaskar Kolhatkar-DKPD-9788124601143