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[190]
The wife of the story-teller, Revati, having found a favorable opportunity, killed six of her twelve co-wives by the use of weapons and six by the use of poison. Thus, having killed her co-wives, she acquired one Gokul each from her paternal home and lived with the great assembly of ascetics, enjoying abundant pleasures.
Revati's fondness for meat and liquor
[240] The wife of the story-teller, Revati, was fond of meat, intoxicated by meat, a vulture, a glutton, and she enjoyed various kinds of meat, both roasted on iron bars, fried in ghee, and roasted on fire, as well as liquor, honey, meraka, madya, sidhu, and prasanna, enjoying, savoring, and consuming them.
Discussion
This sutra mentions liquor, honey, meraka, madya, sidhu, and prasanna, which Revati used. Ayurvedic texts describe asavas and arishta, as well as madya. While asavas and arishta also contain some amount of alcohol, they are not included in intoxicating substances or madya. Madya has a different status. It contains a high amount of intoxicating substance, which causes the drinker to become insane, lose his judgment, and become degenerate.
The main reason for including madya with asava and arishta in Ayurveda is the similarity in their method of preparation. Herbs, fruits, roots, essence, flowers, stems, leaves, bark, etc. are ground and mixed with water to prepare a solution, which is then sealed in a jar or other container with cloth and mud and buried in the ground or kept in the sun. While the prescribed time is one month, the solution ferments within a few days, producing a unique smell, taste, and effect. It takes the form of asava. A decoction of herbs, etc. with water is prepared and when one-fourth of the water remains, it is stored in a container and buried in the ground or kept in the sun. After due processing, it becomes arishta. The liquid buried in the ground or kept in the sun