Ritual drink in the Iranian and Indian traditions

by Nawaz R. Guard | 1992 | 95,037 words

Buy relevant books

Summary: This essay studies the ritual drink in the Iranian and Indian traditions from Avestan and Sanskrit sources. More specifically, this study explores the historical significance of ritual drinks in ceremonial rituals and sacrifices among Vedic Aryans and Perso Aryans. It further presents a comparative analysis of these drinks, highlighting their role in rituals, medicine, and purification of ancient Indian and Iranian traditions, such as Hinduism (Brahmanism) and Zoroastrianism.

Copyright:
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Ritual drink in the Iranian and Indian traditions in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

Warning! This document has not been proofread. However, for each page you can (and should) verify the text with the original source PDF file.

+ Chapter 1 - Introduction

. 1. The old Iranian and Indian religious tradition

. 2. Evolution of concept of Ritual Drink from Totem

+ Chapter 2 - Ritual Drinks in Samskaras

. 1. Introduction to Ritual Drinks in Samskaras

. 2. Description of the Caturthikarma rite

. 3. Description of the Garbhadhana, Nisheka and Ritu-sangamana rites

. 4. Description of the Garbharakshana or Anavalobhana rite

. 5. The rite of Pumsavana (quickening a male child)

. 6. Description of the Simantonnayana rite

. 7. Description of the Visnhubali rite

. 8. Birth-rites or Natal rites

+ Chapter 3 - Ritual Drinks in the Vedic sacrificial ceremonies

. 1. Introduction to Ritual Drinks in the Vedic sacrificial ceremonies

. 2. Milk—The ritual drink at Vrata, Upasads and Pravargya

. 3. Milk—The ritual drink of the Agnihotra

. 4. Soma—The ritual drink of the Soma sacrifice

. 5. Ritual Drinks of squeezed extract of specific Trees

. 6. Sura—The chief ritual drink of the Sautramani

. 7. Food (vaja) and Drink (peya) bestowing rite

. 8. Mantha and the Madhuvidya

. Conclusion of Chapter 3

+ Chapter 4 - Ritual Drinks in the Iranian ritual ceremonies

. 1.1. The Yazishna ceremony—Haoma ceremony

. 1.2. Straining of the Haoma Juice

. 1.3. Yasna Proper ritual (conducted by the Zaotar priest)

. 1.4. Haug—On the Preparation of Haoma and Soma juice

. 2.1. Nirang or Nirangdin ceremony

. 2.2. Nirangdin Ceremony for Consecrating Urine

. 3.1. Gahambars—The Iranian festival of food and drink

Chapter 5 - Madya (wine)—The Ritual Drink in the Tantra tradition

+ Chapter 6 - Drinks under Medicine and Magic

. 1. Introduction to Medicinal and Magic drinks

. 2. Drink of water as a cure

. 3. Drink of barley with water as universal remedy

. 4. Drink of Soma as a cure for sins against moral order

. 5. Drink of juice and gruel of Abayu plant as a cure for eye-diseases

. 6. Use of mustard plant as a cure

. 7. Avaka plant as a cure for fire-burnt and curse-burnt

. 8. Drink of prepared waters as cure against catarrh (shleshman)

. 9. Guggulu (bdellium) for curing diseases

. 10. Clay and water from ant-hills and Soma as cure for general poison

. 11. Drink of mixture of plants or Boiled Milk and Ghee to cure wounds

. 12. Sipping of charmed water as a cure for Ksetriya (hereditary disease)

. 13. Drink of water mixed with Hair of Red Bull

. 14. Drink of Rain-waters with the essence of Plants

. 15. Drink of barley and water Mantha as a cure for thirst

. 16. Gruel of Lajas as cure for Takman

. 17. Charmed water and stirred drink of barley as cure for Kasa (cough)

. 18. Purely Magical rites involving a Drink (Introduction)

. 19. Drink of Garbhakarana for successful conception at Caturthikakarma

. 20. Drink of potion or nose-drops to beget a male child at Pumsavana

. 21. Licking of powdered plants placed over gold in Jatakarma

. 22. Sipping of honey, curds and water on Namakarana

. 23. Charmed mixture of rice, barley with water for Annaprasana

. 24. Drink of water mixed with clay from the field

. 25. Drink of charmed Priyangu grains to cure convulsions and suckle milk

. 26. Drink of miksa as a cure for jealousy

. 27. Charmed water and wine as a cure for barrenness

. 28. Drink prepared by digging up the Ut-shushma and Parivyadha plants

. 29. Drink of wine and water duly charmed

. 30. Drink of cooked rice or water mixed with barley

. 31. Drink of charmed milk of cow for securing prosperity of cows

. 32. Chewing the sweet plant, or mixture of leaves of Khaluparni

. 33. Drink of Soma dish in a remedial rite

. 34. Drink of charmed Milk (or Milk of Cow and Calf of same colour)

. 35. Drink of wine to secure superiority and prosperity

. 36. Drink of curds and milk by a priest to secure a rich patron

. 37. Eating honey and curds for securing eminence

. 38. Sipping of pacificatory waters for overcoming bad dreams

. 39. Charmed drinks to attain supremacy over the enemies

. 40. Medicine and Magic in the Iranian tradition

+ Chapter 7 - Drinks under Prayashcittas and ordeals

. 1. Introduction to the concept of Sin and Expiation

. 2. Absolution of sin in the Indian Tradition

. 3. The Iranian Concept of Sin

. 4. The concept of Prayashcitta

. 5. Drinks used as penance for Surapana (drinking of spirituous liquor)

. 6. Drink used in purification from Upapatakas

. 7. Penances for Govadha

. 8. Drinks used in Penances for destroying trees

. 9. Drinks used in Penance for Purification

. 10. Purificatory Drink of Water (acamana) and Bath

. 11. Use of Milk in Penance for brahmana on receiving gifts

. 12. Subsistence on barley-gruel as Penances for miscellaneous lapses

. 13. Specifically named prayascittas involving Drink

. 14. Prasrita-Yavaka or Prasritiya-Yavaka

. 15. The Mahasantapana drink

. 16. The Yatisantapana drink

. 17. The Atisantapana drink

. 17. The drink associated with Govrata

. 18. The Pancagavya drink

. 19. The drink associated with Vajra

. 20. The drink associated with various Kricchras

. 21. The drink associated with various Kurcas

. 22. The drinks associated with Ordeals (Introduction)

. 23. Drinks under Ordeals among Zoroastrians

. 24. Ordeal of Agni (Fire)

. 25. Swearing or Oath-taking is forbidden (among the the Zoroastrian)

+ Chapter 8 - Miscellaneous

. 1. Introduction

. 2. Haoma in the Zoroastrian literature

. 3. Identification of Haoma and its uses

. 4. Properties of Haoma in ritual texts

. 5. The use of wine in the Zoroastrian rituals

. 6. The relevance of water in Zoroastrianism

. 7. Purification or consecration of the Zaothra water

. 8. The significance of water in Indian Tradition

. 9. Medicinal Drink—A living tradition amongst Zoroastrians

. 10. Ritual Drinks responsible in procuring Supranatural Births

. 11. Drinks consumed in the sacrificial context to procure Progeny

. 12. Licking of anointed mixture of curds (honey) and salt for conception

. 13. Drink of Semen with or without water resulting in progeny

. 14. Fruit and its juice resulting in progeny

. 15. Drink of the Saubhagya fluid for procreation

Chapter 9 - Conclusion

Appendix 1 - Ancient Iranian technical terms (as seen from the Avestan source)

Appendix 2 - Bibliography

Comments:

Comment functionality currently not enabled

Last Updated: 10 September, 2024

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website:

Donate on Patreon

Buy me a Coffee

|

Why? | More options...