Hinduism - What Is Panchamakara?

 


 "The Five Forbidden Things," or "the five m's," is a phrase that literally means "the five forbidden things": Tantra is a hidden, ritual-based religious system that uses a collection of five objects for devotion.

Madya (wine), Matsya (fish), Mamsa (meat), Mudra (fermented or parched grain), and Maithuna (fermented or parched grain) are the five names that begin with the letter "m." (copulation).

They are utilized in "left hand" (vamachara) tantra in their natural form, and in "right hand" (dakshi nachara) tantra through substitution.

All five are frowned upon by "respectable" Hindu culture (the final because it is considered adulterous), therefore their usage in tantric ritual must be seen in context.

The ultimate oneness of everything that exists is one of the most widespread tantric conceptions.

From a tantric viewpoint, affirming that the whole cosmos is one principle—often understood as the activity of a certain deity—requires the adept to abandon all dualistic ideas.

The "Five Banned Things" give a ceremonial manner of breaking down dualism, since the adept breaks society norms prohibiting intoxication, non-vegetarian eating, and illegal intercourse in a purposeful endeavor to sanctify what is not mally forbidden.

Tantric adepts argue that such ceremonial usage of banned objects demonstrates that their practice entails a higher level of exclusivity (adhikara) and is therefore superior to general 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.

~Kiran Atma


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