Method of Drinking Wine in Ashtanga Hridyam of Vaghbhatt
Method of Drinking Wine in
Ashtanga Hridyam of Vaghbhatt
rather a practice guided by moderation and mindful consumption.
Method of Drinking Wine
After taking bath, offering obeisance's the gods, brahmana and preceptors, after attending to his professional work and others required of him, the person should enter the drinking chamber, which has been sprinkled with scented water and which is near to the dining hall; lean leisurely on a beautiful cot, surrounded by friends, attendants and good looking women, groups of storytellers, and travellers praising his successes through stories and eulogies; playful women exhibiting their charms with their gay walk, songs, dances, playing of musical instruments, attractive dress, sound of moving anklets, reverberated by the notes of the game birds, surrounded by women wearing ornaments of gems and gold of different designs, who are capable of distracting the minds of even the sages, who are endowed with even unsteady eyes resembling of a deer; moving slowly due to the weight of the breasts and buttocks and moving hesitatingly by the fear of the master, captivating with their youthful mind, intoxicated by the wine of youth and joyous activities; and who are thin, moving hither and thither (and serving wine). Wine cooled by the air of tender leaves of tala and petals of nalini (made as fan) and by adding very cold things (candana, usira etc.) which by its very sight captivates the mind and exciting lust when consumed, mixed with the juice of cuta, indu (karpura) and mriga (kasturi) scented by placing well bloomed flowers of mallika in it, filled into vessels (tumbler) made of rock crystal or shells, and waves developing (in the drinking tumbler); such a delicious wine exhilarates the body just as the god of love. Before drinking, the person should consume either talisadi curna (chapter 5 of Chikitsasthana) eladi curna or vayasthapana (recipes which retard aging), offer wine who ask for it, sprinkle the ground with wine mixed with water and then drink. The disciplined, perremaining courageous person forming these activities neither inadequately nor in excess, ensuring all suitables comforts should indulge in wine, keeping all necessary things ready at hand. Wine which has been enriched in its qualities by the look of the beloved wife, who has eyes resembling the petals of the white lotus flower well bloomed, emitting sweet smell just like the mouth of the wife, and attracting flocks of the bees should be consumed. 75-85.
After drinking, two casaka (wine cups) he should bid farewell to his friends, etc. granting gifts to them, go to the dining hall, take meals in the presence of good physicians, with more of meat, apupa (sweet cake), ghee, ardraka and other greens (vegetables) and sauvarcala (salt). At night, wine should be consumed twice or thrice, in little quantities just to please the woman (wife). 86.
The person, who sitting in a secret place, keeping his wife on his lap, getting excited by squeezing her between the shoulders, making her to sweat and shake her breasts, if he does not drink wine at least once, what else does he enjoy in this troublesome life of a householder. 87
Wine made more fragrant by the smell of the mouth of the wife and appearing like the fluid, formed by the melting of ruby and other precious stones, and obtaining the form of asava (fermented wine) produces intoxication in persons who are exhausted by sexual intercourse, though consumed in small quantity and causes decrease of ojas (essence of the dhatus), so the person should go to sleep only after avoiding such decrease (by drinking milk, use of rasayanas etc.). 88.
He who drinks in this manner, does not get deceived by the three pursuits (dharma, artha, kama); derives the greatest happiness from this lustreless life, this is the enjoyment of wealth and is enviable even by the gods; on the contrary, the wealth becomes the fuel for (cause of) misery later on (for him who does not follow the regimen of drinking) the person is laughed at as one “deprived of enjoyment”, “created as a bad master” or “as a protector of wealth only”. Hence drinking wine should be done in a disciplined manner always and that only is good, by winning control over the sense organs always engaged in their objects. This regimen is for the rich and those who are going to become rich should make changes suitable to them; it is good for them to drink wine in the modest quantity. 89-93.
The disciplined person should stop drinking wine always before his vision gets altered and the mind gets disorganised. 94.
The person with the predominance of vata (in his constitution) should drink wine, indulging in oil-bath, massage, bath, dress, fumigation, anointing perfumes and food, processed with/endowed with unctousness and heat. 95.
The person with the predominance of pitta drinking wine, indulge in cold services, (comforts) of different kinds, food processed with sweet, unctous and cold things, does not suffer. 96.
The person with the predominance of slesma (kapha) should drink wine, indulging in comforts which are not cold, partaking yava and godhuma, meat of animals of desert-like regions processed with marica. 97.
For person of vata predominance wine such as paistika (prepared from flour) and gaudika (perpared with jaggery/ molasses) are generally suitable, for those of pitta predominance wine mixed with water and honey; for persons of kapha predominance, wines such as mardvika (prepared from grapes) arista (fermented decoctions) and madhava (prepared from honey) are suitable. 98.
Person of kapha predominance should drink wine before (midday) meals, of pitta predominance after (midday) meals, of vata predominance in between (the midday meal and night meal) and he who has the dosas in equal proportion at any time he desires. 99.
Thus ends the treatment of alcoholism. Treatment of intoxication and fainting by other causes. For intoxication and fainting the treatment desired are for the mitiagation of vata and pitta, generally; in all of them predominance of pitta only, should be taken care of especially. 100.
Poultices producing cold, wearing precious stones, pouring warm liquids on the body, fanning, (cold) breeze, sugar, juice of draksa, iksu, kharjura and kasmarya, milk and meat soup processed with drugs of sweet taste, soups mixed with juice of dadima, sastika, raktasali, yava, medicated ghee such as ghrita prepared from drugs of jivaniya gana (chapter 15 of Sutrasthana), kalyanaka ghrita (chapter 6 of Uttarasthana), mahatikta ghrita (chapter 19 of Chikitsasthana) satpala ghrita (chapter 5 of Chikitsasthana) or milk processed with agnika (citraka) either pippali, or silahva (silajatu); or triphala used in mixed with ghee, honey and sugar and used in the rasayana method-all these are to administered. 101-104a.
It is beneficial during the bout (of intoxication of fainting cial to cause obstruction of the mouth and nose, lick human milk (breast milk) and instilling it into the paste of either of mrinala, bisa or krisna with honey or of abhaya, duralabha, or musta with honey; consume the (paste of) maricha, marrow of kola, usira and ahikesara (nagkesara) with cold water; drink ghee prepared with juice of dhatriphala or decoction of pathya. 104b-107a.
Treatments appropriate to the aggravated dosa as required by the strength of the dosas should be done; it is also desirable to administer the pancakarma (the five purifactory therapies) and blood letting. Upholding the satva (mind), proper knowledge and avoiding desire in the objects (of the sense organs) are also needed. 107b-108.
When intoxication and fainting are very severe it is necessary to do treatments prescribed for sannyasa such as tiksna nasya (strong nasal medication etc.) and in those (intoxication and fainting) due to poison, antipoisonous therapies should be done. 109.
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