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
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
), (
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
), (
fish
Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...
), (pound grain), and (
sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal pene ...
).
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, 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
*
Ganachakra
*
Yogini#Panchamakara
References
Cited sources
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{{Worship in Hinduism
Tantric practices