History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.52.2

v7.c92.52.2

wine, flesh, fish, mudrā (hand and finger poses or the woman helper of a yogin) and sexual intercourse, that are acts that become the means for the attainment of the position of a *vīra* and that the mantra of Śakti does not confer perfection unless one follows the practices of Kula; therefore a person should be devoted to the Kula practices whereby he would attain to the sādhanā of Śakti; wine, flesh, fish, mudrā and sexual intercourse—these are declared to be the five tattvas in the procedure of the worship of Śakti. In another place the Mahānirvāṇa¹⁶⁹⁶ says that the individual soul, *prakṛti*, space, time, ākāśa, earth, water, fire and Vāyu—these are called 'Kula' and that way of life whereby one looks upon all these as brahma without distinction is called Kulācāra, that confers the four goals viz. dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. The Śaktisaṅgamatantra states that Kula means the upāsakas (worshippers)¹⁶⁹⁷ of Kālī. The Kulārṇava states 'Kula means gotra and that springs from Śakti and Śiva; that man is called Kaulika who knows that mokṣa is secured from that (i. e. Śakti and Śiva). Śiva is called 'Akula' and Śakti is called 'Kula', those who contemplate on Kula and Akula are the wise kaulikas." Various other definitions are given in Guhyasamāja (Ist paṭala p. 6), in the Preface p. VIII of the Śaktisaṅgama tantra, Tārākhaṇḍa But the same Tantra clinches the matter by declaring that "Śakti is known as *Kula*; her worship and the like are described;