z:\ ambedkar\vol 04\vol4 04.indd MK SJ YS 23 9 2013/YS 8 11 2013 113
RIDDLE NO. 14
FROM AHIMSA BACK TO HIMSA
“From Himsa to Ahimsa” is only a part of the story of Ahimsa. There is another part of the story which can only be described, under the heading “From Ahimsa back to Himsa”. The second part of the story will be clear if only one were to note the religious practices of the Tantras and Tantraism to which a reference has already been made.
The essentials of Tantrik worship are the five Makars. These five Makars consists of:
The drinking of wine and liquors of various kinds ... (Madya);
The eating of meat …………………………………....... (Mansa);
The eating of fish …………………………......……….. (Matsya);
The eating of parched or fried grain ……….………. (Mudra);
The sexual union ……………………………...…….. (Maithuna).
It is unnecessary to say at this stage anything about Maithuna or Sexual intercourse having been made an element of religious worship.
It is sufficient to take note of Madya and Mansa.
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 is the supposed author of certain law-books, also enumerates twelve kinds of liquors, as follows:
“1. Liquor extracted from the bread fruit (panasa), called Jack-liquor;
From grapes (draksha);
From date-palm (kharjuri);
From common palm (tali), or toddy:
From coconut (narikela);
From sugarcane (ikshu);
From Madhavika plant;
The chapter seems to be a continuation of the previous chapter on ‘Ahimsa’. There are six typed pages with few corrections and having the title written by the author himself- Ed.