Antinomianism
This word has its origins in the convic-
tions of an early Christian sect, whose
members believed that the only thing
needed for salvation was faith, and
not obedience to moral rules. In an
extended sense, this term describes
an attitude in which people ignore
accepted social rules.
In Indian society (as in all societies)
most people uphold the accepted
behavioral norms, but certain groups—
particularly renunciant ascetics and
practitioners of tantra, a secret ritual
tradition—emphasize the breaking of
society’s normally held rules. For the
ascetics, such intentional disregard was
(and is) a symbol of their separateness
from conventional society; they believe
that such rules no longer apply to them.
As a class, ascetics are well-known for
their unpredictable and sometimes
uncontrolled behavior.
The process is more controlled for
practitioners of tantra and most often
takes place in a formal ritual setting.
The stereotypical pattern is to partake
of the “five forbidden things”
(panchamakara), thus consciously
breaking societal norms by consuming
intoxicantsand nonvegetarian foods, as
well as practicing illicit sexuality.
Although tantric antinomianism
deliberately breaks social taboos, in
theory it is an attempt to make sacred
what is normally forbidden. By doing this,
tantric practitioners destroy embedded
dualistic ideas that are exemplified by
notions such as pure and impure.
From a tantric perspective, the entire
universe is one principle—often the
activity of a particular deity—which
means that one must reject all concepts
based on dualistic thinking. Such
practices are also seen as proof that
tantra is superior to other sorts of
religious activities, since it uses things
that are normally forbidden. For
further information see Arthur Avalon
(Sir John Woodroffe), Shakti and Shakta,
1978; Swami Agehananda Bharati,
The Tantric Tradition, 1977; and
Douglas Renfrew Brooks, The Secret
of the Three Cities, 1990.Antyeshthi (“last rites”) Samskara
The sixteenth and last of the traditional
life-cycle ceremonies (samskaras),
comprising what can be described asAntyeshthi (“last rites”) SamskaraA woman prepares a deceased man for cremation.
This ritual is one stage of the antyeshthi samskara, the traditional Hindu funerary rites.