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The Mystery of the “five M”.

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The Mystery of the "five M".

(extract from the article)

 

One of the most essential components of doctrine and practice of Kaula-tantrism

is

panchatattva or the mystery of the "five M" (panchamakara). In the context of

sadhana

(religious practice) panchatattva is the main ritual, the sacrifice of Kula and

the mystical

communion with the Goddess. Doctrinally it reveals itself as a gnosiological

matrix upon

which the Body of the Godhead, macro- and microcosm are classified.

According to the doctrine of Tantras, the method to reach full perfection is

enjoyment of

the world in love towards the Goddess. Yoni-tantra 6.25 says: "Happiness is

achieved

through enjoyment, through enjoyment liberation is achieved. Thus one has to

devote

himself completely to enjoyment". But alongside it is stressed that love is the

most

essential on this way. For instance, Meru-tantra 10.67 says: "Only that one

whose love is

strong succeeds on this way of the Left"; same is stated by Kularnava-tantra,

Parananda-

sutra and other Tantras. Why enjoyment is so important? Because enjoyment is the

means

to reveal that spiritual bliss which is said to be the form of the Absolute

manifested in

body (Kularnava-tantra 5.80). And as Devi-rahasya puts it, "the Supreme Lady is

satisfied

through the worship of the taste of bliss" (Uttarakhanda 58.11). However this

path of

enjoyment is opened not for everyone; Tantras underline that only "hero", vira,

is capable

of following it. Such vira possesses complete faith in himself and God, right

knowledge

and logic (saljnana and sattarka), devotion to Shakti (Goddess and beloved

woman) and

appropriate initiation into Kula lineage. Then there is only one prescription

which he has

to follow - svechchhachara, "following one's own [true] will" (Kali-tantra

8.19). Thus

Kaula-tantrism gives the same Law of Thelema as Liber AL does.

The doctrine of "five M" has to be set in this context. Panchamakara is the

essence of

kula-yoga. It is stated in Jnanarnava-tantra 22.68 that "the union of male and

female is

the true yoga". Through the union in love one enters the transcendent abode,

paramapada. As Shiva says in Maheshvara-tantra, "being in love is [being] above

the

world".

Five essences of Kula, panchatattva, are five aspects of amorous union with

Shakti.

Mahanirvana-tantra 5.22 insists that panchatattva is necessary in the worship of

Her. The

"five M" are that much important so Kularatnavali states that without 5M the

Goddess is

never pleased.

Five kula-tattvas are signifying the totality of the Goddess' presence. It can

be put that the

tantric communion exists in five forms: wine, meat, fish, mudra and maithuna. In

sanskrit

all these words start from letter "m", thus the title panchamakara. Out of these

five two

last are left without translation; the reason is that their meanings are

several. Mudra

commonly stands for fried grain (which symbolise that seeds of karmas are burned

in the

fire of knowledge), but original sense must have been "sexual partner". This

reading is

supported not only by buddhist tradition but also by the tantric etymology of

the term:

"that which brings joy is called mudra". Final makara, maithuna, is a sexual

communion

and its result, emission of secretions.

>From one side the ritual usage of 5M was the act of antinomianism, transgression

of

socio-religious law of Smriti. Like that Niruttara-tantra suggests to reject

vedic

prescriptions. However this is merely surface of this ritual; its essence is

much deeper.

Symbolically five tattvas represent five aspects of the Goddess, five parts of

Her Body. In

their succession 5M constitute the method of tantric yoga. Wine (madya)

symbolises the

mystical intoxication of love-feeling, prema-rasa, which occurs as a result of

awakening of

the heart under the impact of divine grace (anugraha-shakti). Wine corresponds

to Shakti,

feminine side of the Divinity. Meat on the other side stands for Its masculine

side, Shiva. It

symbolises awareness, inner silence, contemplation (dhyana). Wine and meat are

Shakti

and Shiva (see Kularnava-tantra 5.78), they are Nuit and Hadit. The verse of

Kularnava

further reads: "The one who enjoys [their union] is himself Bhairava, and the

bliss

springing up from their union is Liberation". Bhairava or Hor of Liber AL is

symbolised by

a fish (matsya or mina), dragon or serpent. This dragon is arising, it is a

personification of

arohana-shakti, energy of uplifting. As Shiva-sutra says: "Bhairava is raising".

This is also

sankshobha, sexual arousing of the Goddess (see Niruttara-tantra 5.19). Then,

the bliss of

union is mudra, "that which brings joy". Mudra is Maat and Babalon, Scarlet

Woman and

the lower Shekhinah of Kabbalah.

The four elements described are corresponding to the four letters of the Holy

Name of

God, four sphiroth, four aeons of Liber AL and four directions. They are the

four aspects of

fifth tattva, which is above all. Maithuna represents the return to the primal

Unity, which is

the state of the Godhead. It is the perfect union of man and woman in

love-taste,

mahasukha of buddhist Tantras. While wine and meat correspond to the descent of

Shakti,

graceful power of the Divine, and fish and mudra - to the consequent accent of

lower

kundalini, maithuna is samarasya, "merging in one taste". It is in maithuna,

sexual union

with shakti, that the highest bliss, paramananda, is realised. As Tantras say,

"happiness

that manifests in the union has the quality of bliss supreme" (samyoge jAyate

saukhyaM

paramAnandalakShaNam).

According to the teaching of Kula, the ritual of 5M ought to be performed only

when one

has an authority (adhikara) given by the Goddess and guru and when he has love

towards

his shakti, woman. Tantras underline that woman has to be viewed as an

incarnation of

the Goddess (for instance, see Mahakala-samhita Guhyakali-khanda 10.1663).

Moreover,

Annadakalpa-tantra 15.46 goes as far as to say that "one can reject his mother

and father,

one can reject Shiva and Vishnu, one can even reject the Goddess - but never his

beloved

woman".

"That Supreme Lady Shakti, who is glorified as [the Giver] of Liberation, She is

manifested

in the form of a woman" (Bhutashuddhi-tantra 7.17).

 

Love is the law, love under will.

 

Arjuna Anandanatha (arjunanandanatha)

08.06.05 e.v.

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