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

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

On Mon, 14 Oct, 2024, 8:55 am Raghav Kumar Dwivedula, <
raghavkumar00 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thank you Sudhanshu ji for the sAyana bhAShya reference.
>
> As is evident, older vedic culture was not opposed to use of certain other
> animals in sacrifice. Later on, these practices fell in to disuse or
> vikalpas were used. And use of oxen need not constitute a contradiction to
> the injunction against cow slaughter, cows being अघ्न्याः .
>
> Apart from that, the symbolic meaning given by other expounders, that the
> 15 oxen are referring not to the oxen per se,  but to the pancha mahAbhUtas
> and Pranas which lead to Indra expanding and becoming gross, sthUla, (
> जग्ध्वा ... स्थूल: ...  भवामि  ) also makes sense.
>
>  But, whatever that may  be, I would, as you wrote , defer to the mImAmsA
> scholarship on the exact details.
>
>
> Om
> Raghav
>
>
>
> On Mon, 14 Oct, 2024, 7:59 am Sudhanshu Shekhar, <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>