Are there any substitutes for Panchamakara?

Question

"Panchamakara" refers to the five taboo substances used in Tantra. These substances are:

• madya (wine)

• māṃsa (meat)

• matsya (fish)

• mudrā (parched grain)

• maithuna (sexual intercourse)

My question is:

Are there any substitutes for any of these substances (like possibly garlic instead of meat and honey instead of alcohol), especially for maithuna?

Answer 1

Anukalpa or substitutes are given in some Tantras. Can be found in KulArnava Tantram or in texts like ShAktAnanda Tarangini, Brihat TantrasAra etc.

I am quoting from Nityotsava:

Samskhep ArchA Vidhi:

Takram dadhi vA gura mishram, sasaindhavam payah, kshaudram gavyam sarpih kshiram vA tAmrapAtragatam, tilAh sarkarA vA salila mishrAh, tailam ArAnAlam kAmsya pAtrastham taptam vA narikela udakam cha || (1)

Atha dvitiyasya mulakam || (2)

Tritiyasya tu lavanAdrakapinyAkanAgaragodhumavikAramAshalashunAni || (3)

Chaturtham tu mukhyameva || (4)

PanchamasyA parAjitApushpam karavira kusumam veti || (5)

DAmare:

MAmsAnukalpohapupah syAn matsyasya cha kadalApi | (6)

Madya's anukalpa - Takra or curd mixed with jaggery; water mixed with rock-salt; honey, Ghee; milk in copper pot; water mixed with sesame seeds or sugar; KAnji (?) mixed with oil; coconut water in bell-metal utensil or hot coconut water. (1)

MAmsa's anukalpa:

Raddish.(2)

Matsya's anukalpa:

salt, ginger, pinyAk suntha (?), wheat based products, mAshakalAi (black gram?), garlic.(3)

MudrA's substitute:

Nothing. The actual thing is to be used.(4)

Maithuna's anukalpa:

AparAjitA and Karabi flowers. The two flowers when mixed, also forms the the substitute for the 5th element (but this is not found in ParasurAma Kalpa Sutra).(5)

According to Damara quoted, meat's substitute is Pishtak (rice, jaggery made dumplings); fish's substitute is banana. (6)

Nityotsava - 3rd UllAsaha (Shri Krama).

KulArnava Tantram says instead of meat one can use ginger etc.

MAmsAbhAve tu lashunam sArdrakam nAgarantu vA |
AdAya pujayeddevim anyathA nishphalam bhavet ||

In the absence of meat, one can use ginger alongwith garlic or Shuntha (don't know what this means) in the Puja; or else the Puja will be a failure.

(Chapter 5; Verse 53)

Answer 2

Anukalpas are advised when the Mukhya Tattvas are not available in the Paramananda-Tantra-vachana:

mukhya-alaabhe cha anukalpah

The Anukalpa-s are

1. For Madya

(a) In Mahanirvana-Tantra (8/170-71))

three types of sweets mixed together are advised as anukalpa of madya for the householders in the fiery age of kali: milk, sugar and honey.

(b) According to the Kula-Chudamoni-Tantra,

For brahmins the anukalpa of madya is ginger and guda, or honey and milk in a cpper-pot or coconut-water in 'kangsya' pot. For ksatriyas, the anukalpa is ghee foduced from cow milk or a mixture of ghee and honey. For vaishya, the anukalpa is 'maksika' honey and for sudras, honey of fowers.(Vrihat-Tantrasaar, 10th ed, page 629)

(c) According to the Paramaananda-Tantra,

coconut water in 'kangsya' pot or milk in copper-pot or whey ('ghola') mixed with 'guda' or water mixed with guda or sandal mixed with water is the anukalpa of madya.

2. For 'Mansa'

(a) According to Samaya-Achara-Tantra:

salt, ginger, 'piNyaka' (jaafraan), 'tila', wheat, 'masha-kalaai' and garlic are anulalpa of mannsa .(Vrihattantrasaara, 10th ed., page 630).

(b) According to the Kaulaavali-Nirnaya:

garlic, ginger,'naagara', 'ola', fried paste of 'maasha-kalaai' and 'mula' (Uttara, 5) are anukalpa of mansa.

(c) According to the Daamara-Tantra:

'Apoopa' (pishtaka) is anukalpa of mansa.

3. For 'Matsya'

(a) According to the Rahasya-Arnava:

Sambit (siddhi) and 'chanaka' should be grinded together and mixed as anukalpa of matsya. 'Mula' is also a Anukalpa.

(b) According to the Kaulaavali-Nirnaya:

buffalo-milk, goat-milk and fruits slightly burnt are anukalpa of matsya.(Uttara,5)

(c) According to the Daamara-Tantra:

banana is anukalpa of matsya.

4. For 'Maithuna'

(a) According to Yogini-Tantra,

Rakta-karavi flower dipped in sandal-paste and krishna-aparaajita dipped in kunkuma are substitutes of maithuna.

(b) According to the Mahanirvana-Tantra

meditating on the lotus feet of Devi and japa of the Ishta-mantra are anukalpa of maithuna.

5. For 'Mudra'

No anukala is advised as it is always available, like puffed rice (laaja) and fried peas and maskalaai etc.

Divya-pancha-tattva

These are meant for the yogis. Madya is the nector of sahasraara, winning over the ripus is mansa, kumbhaka is matsya, removal of the eight things like Aasha, trishnaa, jugupsa, bhaya, ghrina, maana, lajja and anusanga is mudra.

(Reference :Sastramulak Bharatiya Shaktisadhana, Upendrakumar Das, RMIC,vol 2,chapter 13 and Tantrik-Guru by Paramahansa Nigamananda, Sarasvata Math).