(“liquor-drinking”) In the dharma literature, one of the
Four Great Crimes, the act of which rendered one a social outcast.
Although the name sura is often used to refer to "wine,"
it was formerly thought to refer to a specific sort of spirituous liquor
derived from rice flour.
The most prevalent mandated penance (prayashchitta) for
routinely drinking sura for members of the three highest social groups—brahmins, kshatriyas, and vaishyas—was to drink the same beverage boiling hot till
one died.
Surprisingly, the shudras, the lowest socioeconomic stratum,
are exempt from this punishment.
This distinction indicated their inferior social status, since they were not held to the same high standards as the "twice-born."
Despite the high punishment for drinking sura,
kshatriyas and vaishyas were allowed to consume other intoxicants without
consequence, albeit brahmins who did so were required to do minor penances.
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