1873.] Kajendr'alala Mitra -—Spirituous Drinks in Ancient India. 13 
throw in his way, provided he faithfully observes one condition, and that is, 
never to drink without neutralising the curse of S'ukracharya and purifying 
the drink. This is done by drawing a triangular figure on the ground with 
the right index finger dipped in liquor, placing the flagon thereon, and repeating 
over it three mantras which say—(1) “ Om ! The great Brahma is one alone ; 
verily, he is both material and immaterial. Through him I destroy the 
sin of Brahmanicide which has originated in (the murder of) Kaclia (son of 
Vrihaspati. (2) Om ! 0 goddess, dweller in the orb of the sun, born in the 
abode of waters, and consisting of the sacred mantra of Ama, remove the 
curse of S'ukracharya. (3) Om ! If the Pranava be the source of the Yedas, 
and essentially and solely the felicity of Brahma, by it, the truth, O goddess, 
cast away the sin of killing Brahmans.*” After repeating the mantras, the 
word vans'a is to be muttered several times, and then repeating his own 
especially vijamantra , the votary should meditate on the form of Iris favourite 
divinity, which is generally a manifestation of Kali, and then on that of S'iva 
who is described as “ blood red in complexion, four-handed, three-eyed, 
benign, beneficent, bearing a mass of matted hair on his head, a necklace of 
snakes round his neck, a diminutive tomtom, a skull, a club, and a noose in 
his hands, and arrayed in a tiger skin.”f Ten repetitions of the gayatri after 
this and of the words hum and phat effect the complete purification of the 
grog, and the neutralization of the curse. At the formal mystic circle, 
several other mantras are repeated, and some formulae gone through ; but 
they are not absolutely necessary for the ordinary every day ritual, or for 
the purification of the drink. In practice the ritual above set forth, or a 
modification of it, including of course the three important mantras, does not 
take much time, and I have seen it completed in two or three minutes. But 
whether an epitome is adopted, or the whole ritual be gone through, some 
ceremony is imperatively necessary, for the Kaula who drinks wine without 
purifying it, becomes a criminal of the worst class. According to the 
efrEfT^-rr # ■5T TOTTEN' II 
^ ^r*rf spntr I 
fit# ii 
