He has interpolated — clearly indicated by the parentheses — 
‘like the spokes on the wheels. Where did Renou get these 
words or the idea that they contain? Obviously he did not 
invent this gloss. Dr. O’ Flaherty has sought the source in the 
obvious places and has not found it. Perhaps it occurs in the 
other Vedas or the Brahmanas. It might prove of vital interest, 
for the gills of a mushroom make one think of the spokes of a 
wheel: attached to the stipe as to the navel. 
I will end this esssay on a lighter note. 
One aspect of our SOMA that was utterly repugnant even to 
my friends and supporters in Europe and America was my 
discussion of Soma-urine. Without exception they were hor- 
rified by the thought of drinking urine, and filled with disbelief. 
This surprised me as I had thought we in this generation had 
overcome our parochial squeamishness. In my Rejoinder to 
Brough I handled this topic with special care, citing contem- 
porary evidence to indicate that urine drinking goes on to this 
day in India and I think in most of the world’s population. Early 
Man, probably everywhere, recognized that in urine he pos- 
sessed an aseptic fluid useful for wounds, serving also in reli- 
gious observances, and perhaps wholesome for ingestion. 
In the fall of 1977 Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India, 
made known to the world that he drinks his own urine every 
day, for his health’s sake. Little did the Prime Minister know 
how this innocent announcement would affect the post and the 
telephone calls of Gordon Wasson in Danbury, Connecticut. 
All sorts of people, friends and even strangers, got in touch 
with me to congratulate me. One Sanskrit scholar, a friend, 
said that now the last barrier to my Soma theory was demo- 
lished! Another man, engaged in the public relations business, 
a stranger who scarcely knew me, asked me how I had con- 
trived such an interview. What a coup! Did I have a personal 
contact with the Prime Minister, or know someone who knew 
him? Alas, I could claim no credit. 
Pps 
