The Roots, the Seeds of Vaishnava Tantric Bauls of Birbhum Bengal go back thousands of years. These roots were preserved by the Vaishnava Tantric Bauls of Birbhum West Bengal which is this pioneering one and Lineage of Vaishnava Baul.
Sri Nityananda of Ekachakra Birbhum was an Avadhut Vaishnava Baul and a ancestor of this lineage going back 11 generations. This is the Vaishnava Baul path of his ancestors thousands of years before any Gaudiya Math.
The path of the Avadhuta, Nitai was an Avadhuta a oral Sanskrit tradition, yes they read Sanskrit oral manuscripts.
They are Bhakti Tantric which makes them different from the orthodox Vaishnava, they are Sahaja aka yes Vaishnava Sahajaya that many scholars write about but they have never made the connection that they actually are the Bauls from Bengal India. One path went Gaudiya Vaishnavism and the side of Nityananda went Tantric (Krishna Sahajaya) as in Vaishnavism.
They were the original Hare Krishna Kirtan singers and dancers but add Tantric that is why they were rejected by the orthodox and it should be noted they are not temple builders or people collectors, they are interested only in Love of the Divine and serving people.
It was the elder Nityananda (Nitai) of Ekachakra who taught Sri Chaitanya the Hare Krishna Hare Ram. Shri Chaitanya was a very powerful scholar who was good at lectures lectures, however he wanted to start a movement and lecturing does not usually attract the villagers, thus Nityanand taught him the Baul way of singing and dancing.
You could say Nityananda was more indigenous in his approach.
Don't analyze it just appreciate the roots and sing sweet songs of Love of Bhakti from your own heart.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.
The Vaishnava Bauls do not build temples, distribute books or collect devotee's they were known to adopt and help people from all religions giving them all a place, they accepted all rejected people and allowed them to be who they are.
Bauls peacemakers unity makers the Ektara or Gopi Yantra as in Tantra, Mantra Gopi Yantra.
The Gopi Yantra has been a symbol of this unity for thousands of years, recently popularized again by Nabani Das Khyapa Baul whose style was always Ektara Baya around the waste with ankle bells called Nupoor.
His style was copied by the unscrupulous who copied and made up a new lineage that never existed. It is Ok to use but you must give credit, otherwise you are a cheater and know nothing about Baul.
Sweet Love of all, no caste, no creed, Radha and Krishna / Kali and Shiva live in the hearts of all. The new age reformers have taken Krishna in a monotheistic sense may ask, why Kali and Shiva? Because all exists in conjunction and relation to all. The trinity Brahma/Saraswati, Krishna/Laxshmi, Shiva/Paravati and all the family.
Bauls are beyond the British orthodox fundamental concepts of God just being One way. They do not like fundamentalism or degrading rules and regulation, they believe in the human, the body is the temple, we live on earth respect and love all.
All worship is divine not just my school, or my God, Bauls talk about everybody, every Deva and Devata.
Bauls are beyond fundamentalists who put down others to build themselves up as superior or are selling something.
Vaishnava Baul say, Love everybody, God is in everybody and everything see God in the hearts of all !!
Forgive all, bless all, they are the true meaning of what Vaishnava is in every sense and that includes a polytheistic sense.
Calling th Vaishnava Bauls or (Gosai ) degraded only comes from fake Vaishnavaism, because the only lineage of Baul is Gosai.
Calling names the role of fundamentalists and new Age Vaishnava who are British Colonized Bengali's and it should be denounced by any true Vaishanava who should be humbler than a blade of grass?
The term Demi-Gods has no place in Vedic, Purnanic, or Sanatan Dharma, the correct term is Devi and Devata and all are respected and worshiped.
Vaishnava Bauls are the original lineage of Kirtan and Bhakti Yoga from Birbhum Bengal India they are the original Hare Krishna singers and dancer, the original Das and Dasi of Sri Nityananda of Ekkchakra Birbhum India and from thousands of years before Sri Nitai.
Nitai is the Exhalted Avadhuta (Baul) from this oral living lineage who introduced Sri Chaitanya to the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.
These roots have been cut out of the modern day Vaishnava reformers and when the roots are cut the feminine is also cut out.
British Colonalized Vaishnava in favour of building temples and fame and gain. Nityanada of Ekkchakra (1500AD) is an ancestor of this lineage the stories all untold are held within the songs of this lineage. We have no purpose to bring these stories forth other than to preserve this lineage. Om Shanti.
The Bauls never needed to express these things and they were very closely guarded secrets because they knew that if they gave out information in Kali Yuga it would be used.
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