The influence of environment on the human mind is boundless. But the environment is not made up only of the five rudimental factors [ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid and solid]. The environment is not made up only of earth, water, air, rivers and vegetation. The environment must include also citta [the objective mind], ahaḿtattva [the ego], mahattattva [the “I exist” feeling] and átmá [the soul].

The mental trend of Ráŕh developed in a special environment, and that environment in turn had been formed in such a way that it became easy and natural for the mind to vibrate the átmá [spirit] in a special manner. Initially, there was no dharma [spirituality, spiritual path] in Ráŕh. Though the Rgveda was composed in the distant past – about fifteen thousand years ago – the Vedas were not dharma. The collection of the Vedas composed by different rśis [sages] is nothing but the Árśa Mataváda [Doctrine of the Rśis]. Many rśis gained deep inspiration from their internal culture], and shaped that inspiration into words in the Vedic verses (shruti). The árśa doctrine that thus developed gave rise to the Árśa Dharma [Religion of the Rśis]. Lord Sadáshiva’s advent occurred about 7500 years ago. The people of Ráŕh turned the liberal Shaeva Dharma [Shaivism] which that great entity had propounded for the welfare of humanity, into their vital treasure in all respects.

The Aryans began to proceed towards Ráŕh from the north-western part [of India] at that time. But the liberal Shaeva Dharma was being practised in Ráŕh long before the influx of the Aryans [into Ráŕh]. The influence of the Paoráńika Dharma [Puranic cult or religion] propounded by Shankaracharya was felt only 1300 years ago. This Paoráńika Dharma of Shankaracharya’s should not be called Hindu Dharma [Hindu religion, Hinduism]. Shankaracharya’s religion mainly aimed at driving out the Baoddha Dharma [Buddhism] widely practised at that time. What was the essence of Paoráńika Dharma? It was mainly just obedience to cows, Brahmans, Vedas and kings. And obedience to a king did not mean just any kind of obedience. It meant regarding the king as an incarnation of Viśńu. Thus the narrow Paoráńika Dharma prevailed in Ráŕh, displacing the liberal Shaeva Dharma.

Prior to Shankaracharya, there were caste divisions in Ráŕh, but caste discrimination [i.e., the practical sense that one caste was superior to another] was unknown there. The caste divisions came through the Aryans from the north-west. And the caste discrimination system came only 1300 years ago, after Shankaracharya preached his Paoráńika Dharma. Intimidated by the followers of Paoráńika Dharma, the Buddhists of that age were unable to worship Buddha directly, and took to the worship of Dharmat́hákur [the converted form of Buddha in the name of Shiva]. The Buddhists set up Dharmat́hákur in remodelled temples in the Paoráńika Age, and such can be found spread all over Ráŕh even today. The priestly functions in these temples of Birbhum and Gopabhum were performed by members of the Sadgope community who use Devangshi as their surname.

Having come under the influence of Paoráńika Dharma, the priests of these temples sometimes used sacred threads made of copper. The priests in these temples of Dharmarája⁽¹⁾ in the Bankura area belonged to the Jalik Kaivarta community or the Dom community.⁽²⁾ The mantras they used, and still use, to worship the gods and goddesses, were in the Bengali language. All these priests used Pandit as their surname. The Doms still use Pandit as their surname. Ramai Pandit, for example, composed the Shunyápuráńa.

The Kurmi Mahatos of western Ráŕh also performed priestly functions in many such temples. They were deprived first of their religious rights, then of their social rights, and now of their human rights. Yet they are one of the six indigenous communities which constitute the Bengalee race. They are original people of the Bengalee races and as such certainly deserve respect. They are not outsiders, they are the children of the soil of Ráŕh. Thus those who were once venerated are now no longer so. This disrespect for them should be considered as disrespect for Bengalees as a whole. This state of affairs calls for immediate rectification.

Thus we see that before becoming tightly fettered with the caste system, the indigenous communities of Ráŕh had the full right to priesthood. The monopoly of the Brahmans on priestly rights became established only during the Paoráńika Age, not before that.

In Ráŕh, the Shaeva [Shaivite] marriage custom is still popular among the people of the so-called low castes. The bride and the bridegroom exchange garlands, the bridegroom offers some unhusked rice (paddy) to the bride. The rice-offering indicates, “I take responsibility of maintaining this girl throughout life.” He then applies some vermilion on her forehead and says, Ájiivanaḿ bhátkápad́aḿ sváhá [“As long as you live I will provide you clothes and food”]. Thus in a simple, unostentatious way the marriage is solemnized within a few minutes. There is no need to call in a Brahman priest. This is an example of the liberal Shaevism.

There is no proof as to whether Shiva upheld idol worship. But it was after His passing away that a special kind of worship known as phallus worship came into being. In this phallus worship there was a nice combination of spirituality and earthly need. At that time the different groups remained locked in continual fighting with one another. All the groups wanted to increase their own populations. So they first introduced phallus worship to symbolize the increase of their numerical strength. Later this phallus worship became subtilized by infusing it with spiritual ideations. As the thoughts and ideas of the people of that age were very simple and at the same time somewhat crude, they started to practise the phallus worship with the idea of the relationship between Puruśa [Consciousness] and Prakrti [Operative Principle] (Shivashaktyátmakaḿ Brahma⁽³⁾). This very phallus worship [the earlier kind] was the most ancient system of worship in the world. Sociologists identify it as humanity’s first step on the path of dharma [religious belief, spirituality]. This type of phallus worship was prevalent in the Mayan civilization of Mexico in Central America. Numerous Shiva lingas of this kind are scattered in many places in Ráŕh. Many of the Shiva temples that are found virtually everywhere in Ráŕh – in almost each and every village – date back to 2500 to 7000 years ago.

Footnotes

(1) Dharmarája means the same as Dharmat́hákur, and is not to be confused with the Dharmarája of Hinduism, meaning Yudhisthira of the Mahábhárata. –Trans.

(2) Dom is a community, or caste, who tend cremation pyres. –Trans.

(3) Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Ánanda Sútram. –Trans.