Panchamakara or Panchatattva, also known as the Five Ms, is the
Tantric term for the five transgressive substances used in a Tantric practice. These are (
alcohol), (
meat), (
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
), (pound grain), and (
sexual intercourse).
Taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
-breaking elements are only practiced literally by "left-hand path" tantrics (''
vāmācārin''s), whereas "right-hand path" tantrics (''
dakṣiṇācārin''s) oppose these.
Interpretations of the Panchamakaras
Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe)
In the introduction of his translation of the ''Mahanirvana Tantra'',
Sir John Woodroffe
Sir John George Woodroffe (15 December 1865 – 16 January 1936), also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon, was a British Orientalist whose extensive and complex published works on the Tantras, and other Hindu traditions, stimulated a wide-r ...
, under the pseudonym ''Arthur Avalon'', describes the Panchamakara thus:
Vamachara and dakshinachara
In the right-handed path, the
Dakshinachara (), as described for example by the spiritual leader
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar,
[ and ] the five M's have dual meanings, one crude (left-handed,
Vamachara
''Vāmācāra'' ( sa, वामाचार, ) is a tantric term meaning "left-hand path" and is synonymous with the Sanskrit term ''vāmamārga''. It is used to describe a particular mode of worship or '' sadhana'' (spiritual practice) that is ...
) and one subtle (right-handed,
Dakshinachara).
According to Sarkar, the purpose of the Five M's is dual: for people to practice yoga sadhana (meditation) while in the "midst of crude enjoyments" and then gradually reduce the consumption of wine, meat, fish, etc. and not to overindulge in sexual activities; and after learning to resist the allure of these activities, to engage in the subtle practices of Tantra meditation.
See also
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Ganachakra
A ganacakra ( sa, गणचक्र ' "gathering circle"; ) is also known as tsok, ganapuja, cakrapuja or ganacakrapuja. It is a generic term for various tantric assemblies or feasts, in which practitioners meet to chant mantra, enact mudra, ...
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Yogini#Panchamakara
References
Cited sources
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{{Worship in Hinduism
Tantric practices