Panchamakara 5 M'S Real Meaning

Panchamakara 5 M'S Real Meaning



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 nsequent 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. "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, is mani


in short u can define


Madya as - wine, but in the subtler sense the divine nectar amrita.


Mamsa as - meat, but in a subtler sense control of speech.


Matsya as fish, but also refers to the ida and pingala nadi( Through which the


Kundalini must rise), which are being controlled through pranayama.


Mudra as - has no crude meaning, but in a subtler sense it directs the student to keep spiritual company, satsang, and avoid negative company.


Maithuna -as the most misunderstood concept.Simply said maithuna means sexual union. In the crude sense it means sexual intercourse, but in the spiritual sense it means union of the unit mind with the cosmic mind, i.e. samadhi.In Shaiva and Shakti texts it is the union of Jiva and Shiva...and achievement of the state of Sadashiva