SomainIndianReligion

Etheogens as Religious Sacrament

By Richard J. Williams

Theuseofsacramentalsubstancesinritualorreligiousobservancesisapractice thatisabundantlyattestedintheshamanicworldaswellasamongsomeIndian religionssuchastheAvestaandtheVedas.

Williams2 SomainIndianReligion RichardJ.Williams MajorWorldReligions Dr.RichardSchoenig April2,2009

Introduction InIndianmythologytheSanskritword'mela'meansa'festival'and 'Kumbh'meansa'pot';aKumbhamelaor'openairspiritualfair'.Accordingto theVedicliterature,atthebeginningoftime,theGodsgottogetherandchurned theoceantoextractasubstancewhichwouldconferimmortality.TheGods agreedtosharethismightyelixir,butoneofthemapparentlyabscondedwith thewholepotofHolyAmbrosia.Fleeingwiththe'NectaroftheGods',overthe courseoftwelvedays,thedecoctionAmritawasspiltontofourauspicious places,namely,Prayag,Hardwar,Ujjain,andNasik.1 ThemostpopularversionoftheIndianmyth'ChurningthemilkOcean'is foundintheEighthCantooftheBhagavataPurana.2InBuddhistmythology, Amrita3isthedrinkofthegods,whichgrantsthemimmortality.TheRigVedais

AKumbhMelaisamassHindupilgrimagewhichoccursfourtimeseverytwelveyearsand rotatesamongfourlocations:Allahabad(Prayag)attheconfluenceofGangaandYamunaand mythicalSaraswatiriver,HardwaralongGangariver,UjjainalongtheKshiprariverandNashik alongtheGodavaririver,soaKumbhMelaispracticallyheldeverythreeyearsacrossthefour locations.TIME,Feb08,1960. 2 TheBhagavataPuranaisalsoknownastheS'rimadBhagavatam,orastheBhagavatam,one ofthePuranictextsofHinduliterature.BhagwatamisSanskritfor"TheBookofGod".Srimad BhagavatamCanto8,BhaktivedantaVedaBaseNetwork. 3 AmritaorAmritisaSanskritwordoftenreferredtoinVedictextsasnectarcorrespondingto ambrosia.IthasdifferentsignificancesindifferentIndianreligions.SeetheDictionaryofHindu LoreandLegend,compiledbyA.Dallapiccola.
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knownastheSomaMandala.4AccordingtoTerrenceMcKennainhisbookThe FoodofGods,thepsilocybincontainingStrophariacubensismushroomisalikely Somacandidate.Psilocybin5,theactivepsychoactivecomponentinStropharia Cubensishasastronghallucinogenicnature.Soma(Sanskrit),orHaoma (Avestan)6wasaritualdrinkofimportanceamongtheearlyIndoIranians,and thelaterVedicandIraniancultures.ItisfrequentlymentionedintheRigVeda, whichcontainsmanyhymnspraisingitsenergizingorintoxicatingqualities. AccordingtoLewisM.HopfeandMarkR.Woodward: "Anotherliquidapparentlyusedasalibationwasthejuiceofthe sacredsomaplant.Theexactidentificationofthesomaplantis losttothemodernworld.Theancienttextsdescribeitassacred plantsenttoearthbythegodIndra.Itsjuicewasdescribedas deliciousandinvigoratingtotheworshiperwhodrankitand sharedwiththegods..."(75). McKenna describes Amanita as an alkaloid, of the mushroom species. Its commonnameis"flyagaric"andithasbeendescribedasPileusSize:(5)725 (40)cmbroad;Shape:convex,becomingplanetoslightlywavyordepressedin

Theidentityoftheoriginalplantisdisputed.Somecandidateshavebeen,adecoctionmade fromcannabis,orephedraorevenhoney.GordonWassonbelievedthatsomawascomposedof themushroomAmanitamuscaria. 5 Psilocybinisanentheogenusedinvariouspracticesfortranscendence,suchasmeditation,and psychedelicpsychotherapy.Psilocybinisapsychedelicindoleofthetryptaminefamily,foundin psilocybinmushrooms.SeeWikipedia,Psilocybin. 6 HaomaistheAvestanlanguagenameofaplantanditsdivinity,bothofwhichplayarolein ZoroastriandoctrineandinlaterPersiancultureandmythology.SeeZoroastrians:TheirReligious BeliefsandPractices.

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age; Color: bloodred, or various shades of bright, scarlet, or orangered; becominglightertowardmargin;Surface:smooth,coveredwithwhitewartsor small patches (remains of the universal veil); sometimes washing off in age; tacky,stickyorviscidwhenmoist;Margin:striate;atfirstappendiculate;Flesh: firm when young and becoming soft in age, white (yellowish beneath cuticle); thick;Odor:faint;Taste:pleasant(179) AlkaloidsandPatanjaliYoga Theuseofsubstancesinritualorreligiousobservancesisapracticethat isabundantlyattestedintheshamanicworldaswellasamongsomeyogins,and amongtherishisintheVedas.WeknowthatPatanjali,7himselfputssimples (ausadhi),togetherwithSamadhi,amongthemeansofobtainingthesiddhis.8 MirceaEliade9statesinhisclassicbookYoga:ImmortalityorFreedom: "Inthesphereofshamanism,strictlyspeaking,"...intoxicationby drugs(hemp,mushrooms,tobacco,etc.)seemsnottohave formedpartoftheoriginalpractice.For,ontheonehand, shamanicmythsandfolklorerecordadecadenceamongthe shamansofthepresentday,whohavebecomeunabletoobtain ecstasyinthefashionofthe"greatshamansoflongago";onthe

PatajaliisthecompileroftheYogaSutras,animportantcollectionofaphorismsonYoga practice.SeeWikipedia. 8 SiddhiisaSanskritwordthatliterallymeans"perfection","accomplishment","attainment",or "success".SeeWikipedia,Siddhi. 9 MirceaEliadewasafamousRomanianhistorianofreligion,afictionwriter,aphilosopher,and professorattheUniversityofChicago.EliadeistheauthorofShamanismandAHistoryof ReligiousIdeas,TheSacredandTheProfane,etc.

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other,ithasbeenobservedthatwhereshamanismisin decompositionandthetranceissimulated,thereisalso overindulgenceinintoxicantsanddrugs"(338). EliadewrotethatonlytherudimentsofclassicYogaaretobefoundin theVedas,andwhileShamanism10andothertechniquesofecstasyare documentedamongotherIndoEuropeanpeople,Yoga11istobefoundonlyin IndiaandinculturesinfluencedbyIndianspirituality(102).Eliadenotesthat "Possession"byspirits,althoughdocumentedinagreatmanyshamanisms,does notseemtohavebeenaprimaryandessentialelement.Rather,itsuggestsa phenomenonofdegeneration;forthesupremegoaloftheshamanisto abandonhisbodyandrisetoheavenordescendintohell,nottolethimselfbe "possessed"byhisassistingspirits,bydemonsorthesoulsofthedead;the shaman'sidealistomasterthesespirits,nottolethimselfbe"occupied"by them"(320). PatanjalihasthistosayaboutecstaticsimplesinYogaSutraIV,1: "Psychicandspiritualpowers(siddhi)maybeinborn,ortheymaybe gainedbytheuseofsimples,orbymantra,orbystriving,orbyMeditation12".

Shamanismisabroadrangeoftraditionalbeliefsandpracticesconcernedwithcommunication withthespiritworld.Shamanscanflyuptothenetherworldandcommunicatewiththespirits. 11 ThetermYogareferstotraditionalphysicalandmentaldisciplinesoriginatinginIndiaandis associatedwithmeditativepracticesinbothBuddhismandHinduism.SeeWikipedia, Shamanism. 12 Meditationmeanstothinkthingsover,amentaldisciplinebywhichoneattemptstogo beyondortranscendthediscursiveandreflexive,thinkingmindintoadeeperstateofrelaxation ortotalawareness.Meditationofteninvolvesturningattentiontoasinglepointofreference

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"Simples"meanecstasyinducingherbs,fromwhichtheelixiroflongevity wasextracted.Inanycases,simplesproduceecstasyandnottheyogic Samadhi13.Eliadebelievesthatthese"mysticalmeans"properlybelongtothe phenomenologyofecstasyandtheywereonlyreluctantlyadmittedintothe sphereofclassicYoga.AccordingtoEliade: "YetthefactthatPatanjalihimselfreferstothemagicoecstatic virtuesofsimplesisbothsignificantandpregnantwith consequences;itprovesthepressureexercisedbytheecstatics, theirwilltosubstitutetheirmethodsforthedisciplinesofclassic Yoga"(Eliade338339). TheAryanUrreligion IntheRigVeda,thesacramentalbasisoftheVedicreligionwasthe preparationandconsumptionofadecoctionobtainedbymixingthejuiceofthe variousplantswithotheringredients,oneofwhichmayhavebeenhemp,ora beveragepreparedbyextractingthejuicefromtheAmanitaMuscariafungus. ThisurreligiondoesnotbeginwiththecompositionoftheVedas,whenthe AryansarrivedinIndia,butmuchfurtherbackintime,inthelateIceAgein Siberia.14Duringthiscoldage,whenpeoplehadtolivemostofthetimedeep

suchasamantraorimage.SeeWilliams,SeeTMStudyCambridgeHandbookofConsciousness (8.587KBdownload).http://www.rwilliams.us/archives/Meditation.pdf 13 SamadhiisaHinduandBuddhisttechnicaltermthatusuallydenoteshigherlevelsof concentratedmeditationorameditationthatistranscendental.SeeWikipedia. 14 SubhashKakisnotableforpublicationsfromanIndiacentric"IndigenousAryans"ideologyas wellasapaperthattheorizesaSiberianoriginforthesomaplant.SeeDavidFrawley,Gods, Kings,andSages

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insidecavesorotherdwellings,aninwarddirectionwasgiventotheirspiritual endeavors. Withtheaidofcertainmagicalherbsandplants,manmayhavefirst inventedreligion.WhentheAryanscamedownfromSiberiatheybroughtwith themtheirurreligionandanurgariticlanguagewhichbecametheVedicand PersianreligiousexpressionandlatertheIndoEuropeanlanguage15,which includesSanskritandPersian,andthedialectsofGreek,Finnish,German,Hindi, andUrdu.16 NectaroftheGods TheAryans,17awordwhichoriginallymeant'nobletilleroftheearth',i.e. anagriculturist,'diggingstickinhand',camefromSiberia,notbyinvasion,and notin1500BCE,butbyaprocessofdiffusion,asdescribedbythefamous archaeologistColinRenfrew,18around7000BCE.ThefirstAryanssettledinwhat iscalledtheSaraswatiValley.However,thereisevidencethatsuccessivewaves ofAryanimmigrantscametoIndiainlateryearsperhapsuptoasrecentlyas 1500BCE. Theevidenceforthisiscenteredonthreemainhypotheses:

TheIndoEuropeanlanguagesareafamilyofseveralhundredrelatedlanguagesanddialects, includingmostmajorlanguagesofEurope,theIranianplateau,CentralAsiaandtheIndian subcontinent. 16 ProfessorR.L.Brougham,Ph.D.,estimatesthatfiftypercentoftheworldslanguagesmay haveoriginatedwiththeIndoEuropeans.Personalcommunication. 17 CalvertWatkinsintheAmericanHeritageDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage,saysthatthe word"Aryan",isaloanword.ThetermAryandescribesthepeopleswhoinhabitedpartsofwhat arenowIran,Afghanistan,andIndia. 18 ColinRenfrewisanEnglisharchaeologist,notedforhisworkontheprehistoryoflanguages. SeeArchaeologyandLanguage:ThePuzzleofIndoEuropeanOrigins.
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1.ThereisadirectaffinitybetweenSanskrit19andLatin.TheAryan speakerswhocomposedtheVedaswereakintothesameAryanspeakerswho movedtowhatisnowIran,thelatterhavingcomposedtheAvesta,bothof whichscripturescenteronthecultofthemagicalsubstance,Soma.Accordingto WendyDonigerO'Flaherty20,aRigVedicscholar,"thesomasacrificewasthe focalpointoftheVedicreligion"(95147). 2.Thecultofthemagicmushroomhasbeentracedbymycologiststo Siberia.ThishasbeencitedbynotonlyWassonbutalsoothereminentbotanists suchasS.HajicekDobberstein,theauthorofthebookSomaSiddhasand AlchemicalEnlightenment:PsychedelicMushroomsinBuddhistTradition, publishedintheJournalofEthnopharmacology.Thesubstancemayhavebeen theAmanitaMuscaria21whichisalludedtontheRigVeda,andhasitsoriginin thenorthernareaaroundFinlandandSiberia,wherethefungusstillgrowsand canbeseeneachyear. 3.ThereisnoevidencethattheAmanitaMuscaria,thatis,theVedic Soma,growsintheHimalayasorinthedesertwhichcomprisedtheLandofthe

SanskritisamemberoftheIndoIraniansubfamilyoftheIndoEuropeanfamilyoflanguages. ItsclosestancientrelativesaretheIranianlanguagesOldPersianandAvestan,theBaltic languagesandwithGreekandLatin. 20 SeeWasson,Soma:TheDivineMushroomofImmortalityWendyDonigerisanAmerican scholarofthehistoryofreligions.Muchofherworkhasfocusedontranslating,interpretingand comparingnarrativesandmythsofHinduism.DonigeristheMirceaEliadeDistinguishedService ProfessoroftheHistoryofReligionsintheDivinitySchool,theDepartmentofSouthAsian LanguagesandCivilizations,attheUniversityofChicago. 21 Amanitamuscaria,commonlyknownastheflyagaricisapsychoactivefungus,oneofgenus Amanita.ThefungusisnativethroughoutthetemperateandborealregionsoftheNorthern Hemisphere.ApparentlytheAmanitamuscariahasbeenintroducedtomanycountriesinthe SouthernHemisphere.
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FiveRivers,thatis,AryaBharata22.Therefore,theAmanitamayhavebeen importedintotheMiddleEastandSouthAsiabyimmigrantagriculturalists. Basedontheseconsiderations,itisclearthattheAryanscamefrom outsideIndia;broughtwiththemalanguageverysimilartoSanskrit;apeople whohadanintimateknowledgeofthe'flyagaric'23whichgrowsinSiberia,but doesnotgrowinIndia;andcomposedtheVedaswhileundertheinfluenceofa psychedelicsubstance.Thisseemstohaveoccurredaftertheyarrivedinmodern Pakistan,afterpartingcompanywiththeirPersiancousins,whostayedinIran.24 FromthesepeoplewegotourlanguagewhichspreadovertheMiddle East,India,andEurope.And,fromthesepeoplewegottheVedicReligion,a religionwhichcenteredonthesomacult. Asfurtherevidence,notethattheTibetanwordforcannabisis 'So.Ma.Ra.Dza',thatis,somaraja,kingofsoma',and'bDud.rTsi,whichin TibetanmeansdrinkjuiceastranslatedfromtheSanskritandtakentoTibetby twoofthesocalledEightyfourMahasiddhas25ofVajrayanaBuddhisminthe tenthcenturyofourera.ThemysterioussubstancereferredtoinBuddhist

IndiaandBharatareequallyofficialshortnamesfortheRepublicofIndia. EnglishmycologistJohnRamsbottomreportedthat"flyagaric"orAmanitamuscariawasused forgettingridofbugsinEnglandandSweden. 24 ThewordAryanisanadaptationoftheLatinArianus,whichreferstoIran.Theterm'Aryan' haslongbeeninEnglishlanguageuse.TheAryansandtheIraniansarespeakersoftheIndo Europeanlanguages. 25 TheMahasiddhasareacknowledgedasthefoundersofmanyIndianandBuddhisttraditions andlineages.SeeEssentialTibetanBuddhismbyRobertThurman,JeTsongKhapaProfessorof IndoTibetanBuddhistStudiesatColumbiaUniversity.

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texts,variouslydescribedas'Amrita'maybeasimilardecoctioncontaininga similaralkaloidascontainedinthesomafungus. SomainVedicRitual Apparently,theproperperformanceofsacrificialritualwasoftheutmost importanceintheVedicAryanreligion.26Bymeansofthesacrificeitwas believedthatcertainindividualscouldwinthefavorofthegods.Evenbeforethe AryansenteredIndia,thesacrificehadbecomeacomplexandelaborateaffair. Thesacrificeinvolvedtheslaughterofdozensandsometimeshundredsof animalscattle,sheep,goats,andhorsesaspriestsutteredthesacredformulae andthemysteriouschantsoftheVedichymns. Accordingtohistorians,J.BentlyandH.Ziegler,Vedicworshippers partookofSoma,asortofelixirofthegods,ahallucinogenicdecoctionthat produced"adivinesenseofpowerandinspiration"(103).Thehymnsare recordedintheRigVeda,whereinisdescribedthesacredeventasthegods themselvesjoinedtheparticipantsandpartookintheritualeatingand drinking.27Bypleasingthegodswithsacrifice,song,drinkandfoodtheVedic Aryanshopedtogainthesupportofnature,(andmuchmilitarysuccess),large families,longlifeandabundantherdsofcattle.Thesesacrificesrequiredthe

IntheVedas,Somaisportrayedasadeva,theplantandthegodbeingoneandthesame. Somaisdescribedasapreparationdecoctedbyextractingjuicefromthestalksofacertain plants.ThedrinkseemstobecommontoboththeVedicandZoroastriantradition. 27 SeeMushroomsandMankind:TheImpactofMushroomsonHumanConsciousnessand ReligionbyJamesArthur.

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constantattentionofaspecialclassofpriestswhowererequiredtoperformno lessthanfiveritualsperdayfortheaveragecommonhousehold. AccordingtoGordonWasson28,"Thereislittledoubtthatthesubstance calledSomaintheRigVedahasbeenidentifiedasthefungusAmanita Muscaria."TheideathatSomawasanetheogen29,specificallytheredcapped AmanitaMuscariamushroom,asdescribedinMandalaIXandXofRigVeda,30 wasfirstpresentedbytheethnomycologistWasson.TheAmanitagrowsina closerelationshipwithanumberofdifferenttrees,specificallythepines,firs, andaboveall,thebirches,fromwhichthemushroommustfeed.Anexampleof thereadingsfromtheNinthMandalaofRigVeda: FlowSoma,inamostsweetandexhilaratingstream,effusedforIndrato drink.Theallbeholdingdestroyerofrakshasas31hassteppeduponhisgold smittenbirthplace,unitedwiththewoodencask.Bethelavishgiverofwealth, mostbounteous,thedestroyerofenemies;bestowonustherichesofthe affluent.Comewithfoodtothesacrificeofthemightygods,andbringus strengthandsustenance.Totheewecome,Odropping(Soma);fortheeonlyis

Robertwasanauthorandamateurresearcherwho,inthecourseofindependentresearch madecontributionstothefieldofethnobotany,botanyandanthropology. 29 Entheogenisawordthatmeansto"creategodwithin"fromen"in,within,"theo"god, divine"andgen"createsorgenerates".Anentheogenisapsychoactivesubstanceusedina religiousorshamanicpractice. 30 TheVedasareorganizedin10books,knownasMandalas,ofvaryingageandlength. 31 ArakshasainHindumythologyisademonorunrighteousspiritinHinduandBuddhist mythology.IntheRamayanarakshasasareapopulousraceofsupernaturalhumanoidswhotend towardevil,inparticular,thedemonRavna,thekingofLanka.

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thisourworshipdaybyday,ourprayersaretothee,noneother (Radhakrishnan295). Conclusion TerranceMcKenna32,thinksthattheSomadecoctionwasinfact,a combinationofwater,cannabisindica,andthepsilocybinmushroom.McKenna basesthistheoryonthefactthattheAmanitaiswidelyknowntobeapoisonous funguswhichdoesnotgrowinSouthAsiaandthatfurther,Amanitahasnot beendemonstratedtoproduceapsychedelicexperience.33TimothyLeary34and RichardAlpertrantheHarvardPsilocybinProject,carryingoutanumberof experimentsconcerningtheuseofpsilocybininthetreatmentofpersonality disordersandotherusesinpsychologicalcounseling.35Psilocybinisaknown hallucinogenicsubstancewhichproducesthesameeffectsasdescribedinthe Vedas. InthePlantMedicineSutra36,theBodhisattva37said:"ThushaveIheard. Thatnightthebodhisattvaawokeandfoundherselfsurroundedbyvines,

TerenceMcKennawasawriter,philosopher,andethnobotanist,notedforhisknowledgeof theuseofpsychedelic,plantbasedentheogens,andsubjectsrangingfromshamanism,tothe theoreticaloriginsofhumanconsciousness. 33 ThegenusAmanitacontainsmanytypesofediblemushrooms,butmostmycologistsgenerally discourageamateurmushroomhuntersfromselectingtheseforhumanconsumption.In contrast,thethePsilocybinfungushasbeenusedinMexicoandNorthAmericabythenative inhabitnatsforreligiouspurposes.SeeWikipedia,NativeAmericanChurch. 34 TimothyLearywasanAmericanwriter,psychologist,futurist,andadvocateofpsychedelicdrug research.LearyismostfamousasaproponentofthetherapeuticandspiritualbenefitsofLSD. 35 AlbertHofmanndiscoveredandexperimentedwithLSD,wasthefirsttorecognizethe importanceandchemicalstructureofthepurecompoundspsilocybin. 36 SeeZigZagZen.BuddhismandPsychedelics,StephenBatchelor,editor.
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branches,flowers,roots,sap,essenceoftheplantworld,andthewildnessof nature,allsupplicatingherforateachingthatwouldilluminetheirminds."38 ThesacramentalbasisoftheVedicReligion39wasthepreparationand consumptionofadecoctionobtainedbymixingthejuicesofvarious psychoactiveingredients,oneofwhichmayhavebeenCannabisIndica,aspecies ofweed,orabeveragepreparedbyextractingthejuicefromtheAmanita Muscaria,amagicfungus,orfromPsilocybin,whichtogetherproducedthe substanceSomamentionedonnumerousoccasionsinSouthAsian40sacred scripture.BelowaresomeofthemanyRigVediccitationscitedbyWassonfrom theRigVeda: MandalaIV:119;39;1813;321;266;577; MandalaX:434;459;5147;852.

ThetermBodhisattvawasusedbytheBuddhainthePaliCanontorefertohimselfbothinhis previouslivesandasayoungmaninhiscurrentlife,priortohisenlightenment. 38 ThePlantMedicineSutra.PostedbyRyan.Tribe.AccessedonApril2,2009. http://tinyurl.com/d64b8n 39 TheVedicreligionisalsoknownasVedismorVedicBrahmanismor,inacontextofIndian antiquity,simplyBrahmanism.Thereligiouspracticescenteredonaclergyadministeringrites thatofteninvolvedsacrificesperformedbypriests. 40 SouthAsia,alsoknownasSouthernAsia,isthesouthernregionoftheAsiancontinent,which comprisesthesubHimalayancountries.SeeWikipedia.

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Bibliography Arthur,James.MushroomsandMankind.TheImpactofMushroomson Humans".SanDiego:BookTree,2003. Batchelor,Stephen.ZigZagZen.BuddhismandPsychedelics.Chronicle Books.SanFrancisco:2002. Bentley,Jerry.H.andZiegler,HerbertF.Traditions&Encounters.Religion intheVedicAge.McGrawHillHigherEducation.NewYork:2003. Dowman,Keith.BuddhistMastersofEnchantment.TheLivesand LegendsoftheMahasiddhas.InnerTraditions.Rochester:1998 Eliade,Mircea.Yoga:ImmortalityandFreedom.PrincetonUniversity Press.Princeton:1958. Hopfe,LewisM.andWoodward,MarkR.ReligionsoftheWorld.10th Edition.NewJersey:PrenticeHall.2007. McKenna,Terrence.FoodoftheGods.Thesearchfortheoriginaltreeof knowledge,aradicalhistoryofplants,drugs,andhumanevolution.NewYork: Bantam,1992. O'Flaherty,WendyDoniger.Soma:TheDivineMushroomof Immortality.HarcourtBraceJovanovich.Orlando:1968. Radhakrishnan,SarvepalliandMoore,CharlesA.,eds.ASourcebookin IndianPhilosophy.PrincetonUniversityPress.Princeton:1957. Smith,Huston.CleansingtheDoorsofPerceptionTheReligious SignificanceofEntheogenicPlantsandChemicalsTarcher/Putnam:NewYork: 2000. Wasson,R.Gordon.Soma:TheDivineMushroomofImmortality. HarcourtBraceJovanovich.Orlando:1968. Wikipedia,theFreeEncyclopedia.AccessedonApril2,2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page