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Prohibition and Indian Culture
Nirukta : VI-27 mentions drinking sura as one of the great sins such as the killing of a Brāhmin. There were some Brahmins who seeing the evil effects of the Surā, were avoiding the drink (Kathaka Sam. XIII, 2). And in Chāv dogya.up. (V. 2.5) we find that the King Aśvapati declares that there was no drunkard in his kingdom. Here we must distinguish between a drunkard and a person who drinks Sura.
Even Panini and Gịhyasūtra testify to the fact that intoxicating drinks were common amongst the people. Even the women were served with the wine on the occasion of entry of the bride in the home for the first time. At the time of marriage the women who danced were served with Surā. But bere it should be noted that Dharinasūtra though acquainted with evil of the sura and other intoxicating drinks prohibited them for Brahmins and students only. The rest were allowed to have the particular type of intoxicating drinks,7 But Bodhāyana mentions that the Brahmins in the North had a peculiar custom of drinking liquore,
Though the evil effects such as loss of wealth, insanity, absence of consciousness, loss of knowldege, life, wealth and friends etc. were well known to the Vedic Aryans, we have evidence to show that for a long time they were not able to eradicate the evil even from the religious ceremonles. Kautilya mentions the existence of shops of liquor having many rooms and provided with beds and seats and other comforts such as scents and garlands. .. Manufacture of wine was the monopoly of the state but on festive occasions right of private manufacture of bear for four days was recognised on payment of licence fees It is surprising that only for a Brahmin woman it is said that if she drinks sura she will not have a company of her husband in the next world 20
The Veda and the Vedic literature --Brabinanas, Gịhya - and Dharmasutras and Smrtis, in all of them there are the traces of probibition but one is astonished to find that there is, as regards the prohlbition, a distiction between the various types of intoxicating drioks; as for example, Soma is not prohibited but a particular type of Surā is prohibited, and that also not always. Further, while prohibiting Sura a distinction is also made between the four Varnas, Sudra is allowed to drink sura but not the Dvijas-i,e, the first three Varnas. Even in Sraddhas the grandfathers are not given the Sura but the grandmothers are offered. In Abhiseka the Sura was compulsory item in concluding ritual. Manu has two conflicting statements about Madya-the intoxicating drinks.
7. Ibid, P, 43-44. 8. Ibid, p. 57 9. Ibid, p. 95. 10. Ibid, p. 96. Sambodhi 2.2
