History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.52.6

v7.c92.52.6

With all this sublime philosophy as the background the Pārānandasūtra frankly provides that the guru, after completing the worship up to the offering of a handful of flowers and having offered into fire some food, should make a collection of *makāras*, should again come to the place for worshipping the Deity and offer food into fire, should hand over to the neophyte a bowl for drinking wine, mudrā, materials for dinner with condiments and a courtezan and should instruct the neophyte, that has accepted the three *makāras* (madya, mudrā and maithuna), as regards the kaula practices.¹⁷⁰³ Then the Pārānanda-sūtra devotes two pages (16-17) to the kauladharmas taught to the neophyte, from which a few striking passages may be cited. "A young¹⁷⁰⁴ courtezan is Śakti incarnate, is *brahma*; women are gods and the very life-breath and are ornaments (of the world); they should not be censured nor angered"; 'after worshipping the gods and gurus in the way laid down by the Veda and the Tantras a man does not incur sin if he drinks wine while remembering god or has sexual intercourse with a courtezan. He who partakes of wine and the rest merely for pleasing himself falls into a terrible hell. He who giving up the ordinances of śāstra acts as he pleases does not attain *siddhi* in this world, nor heaven nor the Highest goal (*mokṣa*). A worshipper should drink wine only up till his eyes do not begin to roll and up till his mind does not become unsteady;