[Advaita-l] Is उक्ष्ण a vedic reference to meat of oxen?

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste Raghav ji.

The SAyaNa bhAshya is as under:

अथेन्द्रो ब्रवीति। मे मदर्थं पञ्चदश पञ्चदशसङ्ख्याकान् विंशतिं
विंशतिसङ्ख्याकांश्च *उक्ष्णः वृषभान्* साकं सह मम भार्ययेन्द्राण्या प्रेरिता
यष्टारः पचन्ति। उत अपि च अहमद्मि तान् भक्षयामि। जग्ध्वा चाहं पीव इत् स्थूल
एव भवामीति शेषः। किञ्च मे मम उभा उभौ कुक्षी पृणन्ति सोमेन पूरयन्ति यष्टारः।
सोऽहम् इन्द्रः सर्वस्मात् उत्तरः।

The translation in Hindi as per Dr Bhishmadatta Sharma ji's book, which I
follow, is as under:

तदुपरान्त इन्द्र कहते हैं कि मेरी पत्नी इन्द्राणी के द्वारा भेजे हुए
याज्ञिक पंद्रह और बीस वृषभों को साथ पकाते हैं और मैं उन्हें खाता हूँ तथा
उन्हें खाकर मोटा ही होता हूँ। मेरी दोनों कोखों को याज्ञिक सोम से भरते हैं।
वही मैं इन्द्र समस्त जगत् से श्रेष्ठ हूँ।

Translation of SAyANa BhAshya, as per me, is as under:

Now Indra is saying (to IndrANI): YAjnikAs, who have been sent by my wife
IndrANI, cook fifteen and twenty vrishabha together for me. I eat them.
After eating them, I become sthUla. The yAjnikAs fill both my belly with
soma. That Indra, which I am, am superior to everyone.

My comments:

The translations are obvious. However, I would like to draw the attention
to mantra 10.87.16 also which refers to cow as अघ्न्या. That means one
which should not be/cannot be killed. The mantra is as under:

यः पौरुषेयेण क्रविषा समङ्क्ते यो अश्व्येन पशुना यातुधानः |
*यो अघ्न्याया भरति क्षीरमग्ने* तेषां शीर्षाणि हरसापि वृश्च||

The mantra is talking about *milk of अघ्न्या*. SAyaNa bhAshya explains
अघ्न्या as cow.

So, the difference made between cow and ox is obvious even from a literal
reading of mantra and bhAshya.

This is all from a very superficial reading. The deep meaning of these
mantrAs are not at all accessible. A scholar well versed in MImAmsA should
help us understand the mantra.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.