DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0204
192 Saklism, or Goddess-worship.
have already helped to do away with SatI, female infanticide,
human sacrifices, and other monstrous evils. Still it is well
known that even in the present day, on particular occasions,
the adherents of the sect go through the whole ceremonial in
all its revolting entirety. When such occasions occur, a circle
is formed composed of men and women seated side by side
without respect of caste or relationship *. Males and females
are held for the particular occasion to be forms of Siva and
his wife respectively, in conformity with the doctrine pro-
pounded in one of the Tantras, where Siva addressing his wife
says, 'All men have my form and all women thy form;
any one who recognizes any distinction of caste in the mystic
circle (Cakra) has a foolish soul.'
The actual performance of the ceremonial then follows. It
consists of five separate actions :—1. The drinking of wine and
liquors of various kinds (madya); 2. the eating of meat
(mansa); 3. the eating of fish (matsya); 4. the eating of
parched or fried grain (mudra); 5. sexual union (maithuna) 2.
With regard to the first four of these acts the Tantras
prescribe twelve sorts of liquors, three sorts of wine, and three
sorts of meat. Pulastya, one of the ancient sages who are the
supposed authors of certain law-books, also enumerates twelve
kinds of liquors, as follow:—1. liquor extracted from the
bread-fruit (panasa), called Jack-liquor; 2. from grapes
(draksha); 3. from date-palm (kharjuri) ; 4. from common
palm (tall), or toddy; 5. from cocoa-nut (narikela); 6. from
1 The verse cited as the authority for the temporary suppression of
caste at these meetings is as follows :—Prapte hi Bhairave cakre sarve
varna dvijatayah Nivritte Bhairave cakre sarve varna.li prithak prithak.
' On entering the circle of Bhairava, all castes are on an equality with
the best of the twice-born ; on leaving it, they are again separated
into castes.'
2 The five acts are called the five Ma-karas, because the letter M
begins each Sanskrit word. ' The assemblage of five things beginning
with the letter M,' says one of the Tantras, ' satisfies the gods.'
The term Mudra, which here means fried grain, is also used to denote
mystical intertwinings of the fingers.
have already helped to do away with SatI, female infanticide,
human sacrifices, and other monstrous evils. Still it is well
known that even in the present day, on particular occasions,
the adherents of the sect go through the whole ceremonial in
all its revolting entirety. When such occasions occur, a circle
is formed composed of men and women seated side by side
without respect of caste or relationship *. Males and females
are held for the particular occasion to be forms of Siva and
his wife respectively, in conformity with the doctrine pro-
pounded in one of the Tantras, where Siva addressing his wife
says, 'All men have my form and all women thy form;
any one who recognizes any distinction of caste in the mystic
circle (Cakra) has a foolish soul.'
The actual performance of the ceremonial then follows. It
consists of five separate actions :—1. The drinking of wine and
liquors of various kinds (madya); 2. the eating of meat
(mansa); 3. the eating of fish (matsya); 4. the eating of
parched or fried grain (mudra); 5. sexual union (maithuna) 2.
With regard to the first four of these acts the Tantras
prescribe twelve sorts of liquors, three sorts of wine, and three
sorts of meat. Pulastya, one of the ancient sages who are the
supposed authors of certain law-books, also enumerates twelve
kinds of liquors, as follow:—1. liquor extracted from the
bread-fruit (panasa), called Jack-liquor; 2. from grapes
(draksha); 3. from date-palm (kharjuri) ; 4. from common
palm (tall), or toddy; 5. from cocoa-nut (narikela); 6. from
1 The verse cited as the authority for the temporary suppression of
caste at these meetings is as follows :—Prapte hi Bhairave cakre sarve
varna dvijatayah Nivritte Bhairave cakre sarve varna.li prithak prithak.
' On entering the circle of Bhairava, all castes are on an equality with
the best of the twice-born ; on leaving it, they are again separated
into castes.'
2 The five acts are called the five Ma-karas, because the letter M
begins each Sanskrit word. ' The assemblage of five things beginning
with the letter M,' says one of the Tantras, ' satisfies the gods.'
The term Mudra, which here means fried grain, is also used to denote
mystical intertwinings of the fingers.