Vira

(“hero”) In the context of tantra, a
secret, ritually based religious practice,
the vira is one of the modes of ritual
expression. The tantric “hero” is said to
be one who not only partakes of the Five
Forbidden Things (panchamakara)—
wine, fish, meat, parched grain, and sexual intercourse—in their elemental
forms, but also uses this inversion of
normal moral rules as a way to affirm
the ultimate unity of all things in the
universe. Aspirants adopting a heroic
mode will often worship a powerful but
dangerous deity, in which the ultimate
affirmation of this unity is to affirm one’s
identity with that deity. If one can do
this successfully, it is believed to confer
various powers, but if one fails it is said
to lead to illness, insanity, or death. This
is not a path without hazards, but
through it the heroes quickly attain their
desired goals.