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Many of you have surely witnessed the Gájana of Shiva. [The word gájana came from the Sanskrit root word gárjana. Gárjana means “shouting” or “roaring”.] The Gárjana, Caŕaka and Bolán festivals of Ráŕh are very ancient. Shiva’s influence in Bengal and India even today is immense, although Shiva left his mortal frame long, long ago. Shiva is gone, no doubt, but his effulgent personality continues to influence people’s minds even today. Caŕaka, Gárjana and Bolán are a few of the vestiges of Shaeva Tantra [Shiva Tantra] which are still to be found in Bengali society. The greatest influence of Shaeva Tantra is found in Kuŕmun Village in Burdwan District, centring around the temple of Iisháneshvara. In certain areas of Meghálaya the influence of Shaeva Tantra can still be easily traced. About two hundred years ago there was widespread influence of Shaeva Tantra in the Hájauṋga community of northern Maymansingh District. This Shaeva Tantra permeated every bit of the Bengali mind. A clear proof of this all-pervasive influence is that even today in all the Shiva-oriented festivals in Ráŕh, only the line of native Bengalees participate. The so-called high-caste Bengalees, particularly the Brahmans, Káyasthas and Vaedyas, keep their distance from these festivals.(1) When asked the reason for their aloofness, they say, “We are not supposed to participate in these people’s festivals.” If they are still pressed as to why, they flounder for a satisfactory reply. The reason is that the so-called high-caste people have tried to mould the Shaeva religion which was inseparably rooted in the Bengal soil into the shape of the Vedic religion. But they could not altogether obliterate the influence of Shiva.
Since the days of the Yajurveda, the Aryans as well as non-Aryans have accepted and recognized Shiva. In the Vedas the word “Shiva” has been used in many places. Shiva could not be downgraded or underrated in any way by anyone.
Footnotes
(1) Editor’s note: The family lines of some members of these castes originated in northern India. But though many of the Brahman, Káyastha and Vaedya families (perhaps the great majority) are in fact indigenous, some of them affect to have originated outside in order to give themselves a false distinction.