CAŃD́II PÚJÁ

In those days of matrlineal order, people introduced the system of mother-worship, and from that emerged the custom of cańd́ii pújá, the worship of cańd́iká shakti, the power of the group mother. In those days the leader of a clan would invariably be a woman, a clan mother.

Yá devii sarvabhúteśu Mátrrúpeńa saḿsthitá
Namastasyae namastasyae namastasyae namo namah.
Yá devii saravbhúteśu Shaktirúpeńa saḿsthitá
Namastasyae namastasyae namastasyae namo namah.

[I offer my deepest salutations to that goddess who is in all created beings in the form of the Universal Mother. I offer my deepest salutations to the goddess who is immanent in all created beings in the form of the Supreme Force.]

Thus the people, being inspired by the idea, developed the system of mother worship in the early stages of the Puranic Shákta Cult, in the last phase of Post-Shiva Tantra. Alongside this developed the custom of kumárii pújá [virgin-worship], just to please the future clan mothers. So the custom of cańd́ii pújá gave rise to the custom of virgin-worship. One who is a maiden today will be a clan mother in due course; so it was wise to please these clan mothers-to-be by offering them something.

Thus we see that cańd́ii pújá or kumárii pújá was essentially a social affair, but in Post-Shiva Tantra and in the first phase of the Puranic Shákta Cult, a religious tinge was added to it. This is how the worship of virgins originated. Now this system has almost disappeared.

The situation changed a great deal in subsequent periods. The matrilineal order was stopped, and the supremacy of gotramátá came to an end. Then came the age of the patriarchal system, and along with it the leadership of the clan vested in the gotrapitá.

The same tradition perpetuated itself even in the patriarchal system; that is, the head of the clan had to be kept in good humour with gifts and offerings. He enjoyed unlimited power, as the clan mother did in the heyday of the matrilineal order.

Cańd́ika shakti is the cańd́a shakti, the great power exercised by the clan mother. This cańd́ii shakti or cańd́a shakti reached its climax during the days of Post-Shiva Tantra and the Puranic Shakta Cult. We shall say more about Puranic Shakta later. So you understand how the concept of cańd́ii originated.

Now, unless related to Shiva, no one will be given any recognition or status; so there was no other way than to declare Cańd́ii to be the wife of Shiva, although the idea of Cańd́ii represents the social history of collective living of prehistoric human beings. The prehistoric age has also its own history – of course, unwritten history. Many things happen which remain unrecorded; often people suffer from agonies which remain unexpressed. The sufferers have to endure silently, suppressing their inner pains. Similarly, the prehistoric age carries its unrecorded history silently.

In the case of Cańd́ii, an attempt was made to find some relationship between Cańd́ii and Shiva, and it was given a religious and social colour. During the days of the supremacy of the clan mothers, they were approached with folded hands and flattered in all respects, and they were requested for everything – food, clothes, etc. The subservient people would pray to them, Rúpam dehi, jayam dehi, yasho dehi, dviso jahi. “Give me beauty, give me victory, give me fame and kill my enemies.” Without the express approval of the clan mother, the other members of the clan would not fight for victory. Hence the prayer, “Kill my enemies.”

The days of cańd́ika shakti in this world passed, and the males became the heads of clans: the patriarchal system came into being. Now both the patrilineal order of society and the patriarchal system are found everywhere in the world.