Pratinidhi

(“substitute”) In the context of tantra, a
secret, ritually based religious practice,
anything that can correctly be used as a
substitute. Certain tantric rites make ritual use of substances or actions that are
normally forbidden; the most famous of
these rites, the Five Forbidden Things
(panchamakara), incorporates violating
the social taboos on drinking wine, consuming nonvegetarian food, and engaging in illicit sex. The ritual use of such
normally forbidden things must be seen
in the larger context of tantric practice.
One of the most pervasive tantric
assumptions is the ultimate unity
of everything that exists. From this
perspective, adepts affirm that
the entire universe is one principle—
often, conceived as the activity of a
particular deity—and therefore reject
all concepts based on dualistic thinking.
The “Five Forbidden Things,” therefore,
provides a ritual means for breaking
the duality of sacred and forbidden,
by sacralizing several things that are
ordinarily forbidden.
These five things are used in their
actual form in “left hand” (vamachara)
tantra, and by substitution in “right hand”
(dakshinachara) tantra. Substitution
allows the adept to perform the ritual
and at the same time to avoid the disapproval that would result from breaking
certain social rules. Although tantric
texts allow for substitution in this rite,
they are usually quite specific about
what sorts of things are acceptable
substitutes, a signature quality of strictly
defined ritual systems. For further information see Swami Agehananda Bharati,
The Tantric Tradition, 1975; and Douglas
Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of the Three
Cities, 1990.