Thread by @vedaechoesji

Whatever I'm going to write further, Use it in the case of this mantra only. Don't try to use it everywhere..

This verse exist in the famous Indra- Indrani samvad suktam or Vrishakapi suktam. People show the commentary of Sripad Damodar Satavlekar (available on govt website)

https://twitter.com/NilAmbedkar/status/1407210575730417667

At first how can someone take the Injuction such as "Killing a cow" from the words "they cook bulls". Are they same animals? no. Do they have same value for us? no, cow is definitely supreme..

No logic,no proof, no context".

Acharya sayana has used the word "वृषभ" in his commentary, because it's a sanskrit term we can find interpretations with valid meaning. But Satavlekar ji has directly used "बैल" in his commentary.

This Savan occurs in Ashvalayana shraut sutra 8.3 ,there is no mention of bull killing in the whole प्रकरण

We will try to explain it from all the POVs.
🌺First three explanations वृषभ=bull
🌺E xplanation 4 वृषभ= सोम and other things
🌺5th:- Figurative meaning

1:+ Mantras don't have the application power alone(mimansa 2.1.31) There must be suitable validation of concerned brahman part also. Secondly आख्यायिका's are not possibly history they are just there as विधिशेष or संवाद..

Hence the mantra itself can't suggest to kill the bull and the conversation happening bw Indra and Indrani is just a आख्यायिका which has its purpose in something else.

(2) acc to purva mimansa "श्रुति - लिङ्ग - वाक्य - प्रकरण स्थान समाख्यानां समवाये पारदौल्यमर्थविप्रकर्षात् (3/3/14)
The लिङ्ग gets rejected by श्रुति, the वाक्य and प्रकरण too get rejected by लिंग

Means Direct assertion is more powerful than the "indicative power" similarly

At first this mantra does not hold any indicative power saying "Kill a bull". So your assumption that bulls are killed becomes neglected by indicative power only,we have not even talked about remaining 5 things.

(3) according to #बृहद्देवता chapter 1:+ while giving the example of various modes of mantras mahrshi shaunak gives example of a mantra in this वृषाकापि सूक्त and says "This mantra has आत्मश्लाघा"(Self praise).

This is clear from the ending part of many mantras they have the statements of Indra such as :- "विश्वस्मादिन्द्र उत्तरः"(13,14) which means "Indra is the best among all".

The second chapter of #बृहद्देवता describes the वृषाकपि as वृषभ shaped.

So for the self praise and to tease वृषाकपि because he called Indrani as "अवीरा" in verse 9, these mantras can have the तात्पर्य in self praise

Now lets come to the other meaning of वृषभ
The roots of वृषभ and उक्षण have same meanings that's why sayana used it as synonym.
वृष सेचने(DP 1/803), उक्ष सेचने{DP 1.745)

Acharya sayana has used the both terms in his bhashya "वृषभ" and "उक्ष". In many places of his bhashya

In these references the words उक्ष, उक्षण are used for "soma" or as an adjective or verb related to "soma":-
उक्षणः सोमरसस्य सेक्तारो देवाः(RV 3.7.)
सः "उक्षा जलस्य सेक्ता(RV 9.83.4)
उक्षाणं फलस्य सेक्तारं "(RV 1.164.43)
अस्मदीयं सोमलक्षणम् "अन्नं “समुक्षितं (RV8.4.12)

In rigveda 2/16/6 sayanacharya has wrote "वृषभस्य वर्षकेण सोमस्य"" "वृषपाणानि वृष्णः सेचनसमर्थस्य सोमस्य पानानि"(1.51.11) Here वृषभ is used for सोम too.

Vachaspatyam too states it as "ऋषभादि औषधयो".
Apte and Monier Williams also describe it as a synonym of "सोम".

In Shushruta-Samhita{ Sutra Sthana/38)
जीवकर्षभको ज्ञेयो हिमाद्रिशिखरोद्भवौ !
रसोतकन्दवत् कन्दौ निःसारौ सूक्ष्मपत्रको ।।
' ऋषभो वृषशृङ्वत् । It is called ऋषभ because it looks like the horns of bull
ऋषभो वृषभो वीरो ।
वृषभ is the name of the medicine.
*Similar In BhavPrakash

The beginning of this आख्ययिका of rigveda 10.86 starts with ""सोमेन प्रवृद्धेषु यागेषु "अर्यः स्वामी “वृषाकपिः मम पुत्रः मत्सखा मम सखिभूतः सन् “अमदत् सोमपानेन हृष्टोऽभूत् "
Here the main thing which comes out is this is "The yajna consisting of somras"

In second mantra
अन्यत्र "सोमपीतये सोमपानाय “नो "अह नैव च “प्र “विन्दसि प्रगच्छसीत्यर्थः " O indra, you don't go anywhere else for somras

In verse 13 sayanacharya translated उक्षण just as "उक्षणः सेचनसमर्थान्" . In verse 15 "ते तुभ्यं "यं सोमं “भावयुः भावमिच्छन्तीन्द्राणी “"++

The squeezing of somras by इंद्राणी"(15th verse)
So anyone can see the connection in verse 13 they are saying " हे इन्द्राणि "ते तवायम् "इन्द्रः "उक्षणः सेचनसमर्थान् “आदु अनन्तरमेव " the उक्षण of indrani
verse 15 "May The सोम of indrani bls you"" so in verse 14 it also means सोम

So you can take it as औषधि, सोम whatever you like.
This वृषाकपि सूक्त can have very well आध्यात्मिक and वैज्ञानिक interpretations also, because you see how the word वृषाकपि is derived:-

तद्यत् कम्पायमानो रेतो वर्षति , तस्माद वृषाकपिः , तद वृषाकपेः वृषाकपित्वम् । ( गोपथ ब्राह्मण , उत्तर , ६/१२ )
आत्मा वै वृषाकपिः ( ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण , ६ / २ ९ , गोपथ ब्राह्मण , उत्तर , ६/१२ )

Niruktam 12/29 holds a very well explanation of this,please go and check.

Question:- Why does 15-20 somas are said to be eaten by Indra?
Answer:- There are different different चमसपात्र s
Soma can be cooked in many vessels.
In उक्थ vessels we do ahuti of soma after the pronunciation of each word related to ahuti. So the ahuti may be done 15-20 times.

Completed 🙏

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