Mudra is fermented or parched grain .
Fermented grain is the fourth of the "Five Forbidden
Things" (panchamakara) in the secret ritual-based religious practice known
as tantra.
In "left hand" (vamachara) tantric ritual, they
are used in their actual forms, whereas in "right hand"
(dakshinachara) tantric ritual, they are represented by symbolic substitutes.
Although fermented grain has toxicating properties, it is
also said to be an aphrodisiac.
The use of intoxicants and/or sexual license is fiercely
condemned in "respectable" Hindu culture.
As a result, the tantric usage of this chemical must be seen
in context.
The ultimate oneness of everything that exists is one of the
most widespread tantric conceptions.
To proclaim that the whole cosmos is one principle from a
tantric viewpoint implies that the adept must reject all dualistic conceptions.
The "Five Forbidden Things" serve as a ritual for
dismantling dualism.
In this ritual, the adept defies society norms by consuming
intoxicants, eating nonvegetarian cuisine, and engaging in unlawful sexual
activity in an attempt to sacralize what is generally banned.
Tantric adepts point to the ceremonial usage of banned
objects as evidence that their practice entails a higher level of exclusivity
(adhikara) and is therefore superior to ordinary practice.
See Arthur Avalon's (Sir John Woodroffe's) Shakti and Shakta,
1978; Swami Agehananda Bharati's The Tantric Tradition, 1977; and Douglas Renfrew
Brooks' The Secret of the Three Cities, 1990, for further details.
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