Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/287

 IV.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 251 But the Aryans could not help adopting this creed in their religious worship after they had settied in the country for some time, because it had such a wide-spread influence and also because by its great tenderness, this faith is, religiously ex- Gakta cult tremely attractive. When the Sakta-cult thus came ee to be recognised by the Indo-Aryans, they raised it cognised. into a highly refined and spiritual faith, Sanskritized its vocabulary and Aryanized its modes of worship. But this worship took centuries to reach such a
 * ; : S f

which still remind us of the primitive faith of the people, before they came in contact with Aryan civilization. The worship of the snake-goddess and of Chandi once prevailed in all parts of the ancient world and recent discoveries made in Crete by Dr. Evans attest that it existed there as early as 3000 B. C. But though Cakti-worship was recognised early, The local he local divinities in all parts of Indi ay —-the local divinities in all parts of India could ere not . ০ | এ recognised not receive similar ছি and homage from 5 the Indo-Aryan settlers without a great struggle— struggie. especially as the worship of these deities had much in itthat was crude and unfit for admission by Hindus into their organised cults. The Caivaism which was the earlier of the two to become an organized creed, had great fight with the creed of the people believing in various forms of the mother worship. Bengall Literature begins, so to speak, with this account of a fight between the Gaivas and the worshippers of those local deities who claimed to be Cakti, but
 * state—Delai Chandi, Lakhai Chandi, Vaculi, Tha- the non-
 * kurani—are some of the non-sanskritic names of S@9skritic
 * : Sai: ian names of
 * the mother as worshipped in different localities — the
 * mother.