Baul does not means 'afflicted by the wind'. Most Scholars say, Bauls are illiterate, this is not true either, the people who come to Baul, the people who follow Baul may be illiterate, but a Baul is never illiterate.
Oral Sanskrit is way beyond any English Scholarly translations. Bauls could speak Sanskrit by 'hearing and remembering' along with reading manuscripts, Nabani Das Khyapa Baul had many manusripts.
Baul is a Sampradaya (only one Sampradaya) of a very small group of Tantric Vaishnava Yogi's from Birbhum Bengal.
Just because random people say they are Bauls does not mean they are Baul.
The trend is to make up lineages. There is only 'one' lineage of Baul. All Bauls who are making up lineages are just that making up lineages. However, they only follow this lineage, singing this lineages Baul songs, dressing as them and following them around the world.
No one in this world would know about Baul without all the pioneering work this family has done and especially Babu Kishan (Krishnendu Das).
It is important to understand the two root words that mean Baul are Sanskrit words, (Vayu and Tula) these are the roots of Baul. In the Bengali language B (Bayu) and in the rest of India V (Vayu) = VayuTula = Vatula in Bengali Batula and over time Baula and now Baul.
The name Baul comes from 'Sanskrit' and their tradition is an 'Oral Sanskrit Tradition' Bauls are 'wind catchers'. Vayu Dharma is the Baul term for Pranayama.
A Baul is a title such as 'Acharya, Guru, or Adept' it is not a radom title for all, there was a way of life. Baul is an adept in Pranayama, Vaishnava and Tantra, a true Baul has spend a lifetime learning all shastra and doing sadhana. Without sadhana there is no Baul, but just because a person does sadhana (practice) does not make them a Baul either.
A Baul is a title such as 'Acharya, Guru, or Adept' it is not a radom title for all, there was a way of life. Baul is an adept in Pranayama, Vaishnava and Tantra, a true Baul has spend a lifetime learning all shastra and doing sadhana. Without sadhana there is no Baul, but just because a person does sadhana (practice) does not make them a Baul either.
It is not so simple to simple say I am a Baul, or I was initiated by a Baul because many people say they are Baul and are not. You could say it is rather complicated. A westerner or someone out side of the Sampradaya can never distinguish who is a Baul and who is not, but if you watch over time and study enough, you can see what is real and what is not, thus as an outsider you first have to know what Baul means and why do people even know about Baul.
Baul to balance the vital Vayu (airs) to keep a balance (Tula) of Vayu, the vital Prana in the human body.
For instance Nabani Das Khyapa Baul could meditate under water for 12 hours or more, he could be buried under the earth for 12 hours or more. Perhaps this will help you understand why Baul is extinct, Nabani was the last authentic Baul who carried the Essence of Baul.
For instance Nabani Das Khyapa Baul could meditate under water for 12 hours or more, he could be buried under the earth for 12 hours or more. Perhaps this will help you understand why Baul is extinct, Nabani was the last authentic Baul who carried the Essence of Baul.
The Essence of Baul as great Tantric Yogi's or in the case of Baul - Avadhuta- has flown away and Vaishnava. It is great that new Baul singers/actors are keeping the name Baul alive but do not be confused of what it means to be a Baul.
Singing is important but only a drop in the ocean of Baul.
All Baul copy Nabani's style (Ekatara, Baya, Nupoor) they do not have the Essence of Baul.
This is a misconception and misinterpretation of Baul. Afflicted by the wind, is copied and pasted because a scholar said it and now has become the standard for what Baul means, it is wrong and is not what Baul means.
If one says, Baul means 'afflicted by the wind' they do not understand, they have copied and pasted it from Edward Dimock who was an American early Bengali scholar, in his Book "The Places of the Hidden Moon" he did a great job describing Sahajiya Vaishnavism which by the way is Baul.
Then in his chapter on Baul he completely got it wrong and could not figure out who they are, it is laced with confused speculations?
Please understand how the whole trajectory or narrative of a tradition can be changed by even subtle misinterpretations and then copy and paste as if true over and over in book after book by mostly scholars, this leads to people who want to follow Baul as being confused?
Every other day someone writes their speculations on Baul, on academia.org there are hundreds, the last one I read is that Quawwali singing is Baul, the man who wrote it even used a picture of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul to prove his messed up theory. I showed Babu kishan who composed many Quawwali's for the top Quawwali singer in India and he said NO WAY.
If anybody would know he would know. Baul has nothing to do with Islam, Muslim or Fakir, they are muslim, Baul is Hindu.
This is how the whole narrative can be changed by an outsider looking in? This is my point and not to be taken lightly!
Baul is NOT Afflicted by the wind, and people use 'Edward Dimock' as the bench mark on what Baul is? He did the best he could at the time but the repeated scholarly copy and paste of this is an insult to the real authentic Baul. To the Bau who has archived his lineage over decades and who is from this lineage, an expert Sanskritist oral and classical at the highest levels.
Most of the PHD's from over the world used to come to Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das to learn both Sanskrit, Bengali and yes of course about Baul because his house in Calcutta was a Cultural Hub.
Carol Solomon always came to Babu Kishan over decades as a resource to get Bengali and Baul information. Carol always consulted Babu about Bengali and they became friends. This story will be told in his book because it is of major significance in the Cultural Appropriation and twisting of Baul History. Babu Kishan met or knew them all the scholars and has much to say.
Babu Kishan, asked Lila Roy, (the best ever Bengali translator) and the most (under recorded) American Bengali Translator for Rabindranath Tagore. When Babu asked her if this person or that person was very good at doing Bengali to English translations, she just shrugged her shoulders in none agreement way. However, Lila Roy would never say anything bad about anybody. All scholars pat each other on the back but do they ever talk about Lila Roy, I am pretty sure they all met her!
*Note*, The Vaishnava Bauls were Sanskritists as Babu Kishan was born into. None speak Sanskrit anymore and have twisted the story to suit their narrative.
It is now necessary to get the narrative straight because Baul is extinct and it seems many are saying anything and changing the narrative.
The Bauls sang their songs in Bengali, just as Tulsi Das composed the Hanuman Chalisa in the vernacular language of the villagers, so did the Bauls because their job was to educate the villagers, they were the Guru's.
Bauls are known as the 'Wind Catchers'. Babu Kishan is the first person to explain this, just saying because now you will see others change their story and attribute it to their fake lineages.
More will be written about this in his new book. Baul = Vayu Dharma = the Wind Catchers, yes the Honey catchers and there is a long explanation because they are the Pied Pipers of Vaishnava (a term I used long ago) the Vaishnava Bauls are "The Rasa Lila Mystics" another term coming from Babu Kishan.
If they are this how can they be Fakir, Aul, Sai, Dervish and Shah those of Muslim Sufi if you want to categorize Baul one could say they are 'Hindu Sufi' Sufi as a term to describe the original people of planet earth the people of music, dance and love, who accepted all.
Bauls are Hindu (Sanatan Dharma) they are from before Muslim and they are from 'Bharata Mata' not Persia, Uzbekistan or Saudia Arabia. They accepted Sufi Muslim into their group but they did not become them.
Bauls are from the soil and soul of Birbhum Bengal India. The people (Bauls who say) that Bauls are from the above places are confused, they are 'riding on the coat tails of this lineage' and at the same destroying the legacy that Babu Kishan and his family created around the world. We know who they are, you copy everything and follow this lineage around the world. Strangely enough the term, 'riding on the coat tails' was coined in Calcutta, this is nothing new.
Bauls are from the soil and soul of Birbhum Bengal India. The people (Bauls who say) that Bauls are from the above places are confused, they are 'riding on the coat tails of this lineage' and at the same destroying the legacy that Babu Kishan and his family created around the world. We know who they are, you copy everything and follow this lineage around the world. Strangely enough the term, 'riding on the coat tails' was coined in Calcutta, this is nothing new.
All Bauls and other follow this lineage of Baul, Baul and this lineage does not follow others, they accept others. Another misconception Baul is Buddhist, no they are not Buddhists are Baul like and Baul includes not just one part of Hinduism as the Buddhist do, they include all parts.
You can say Buddhism came out of Baul not the other way around. Part of Baul is the Maha Vidya, Hindu Tara Ma one of the Shakti Piths (places) of Tara Pith in Bengal came way before Buddhist Tara, this too can be calculated from the ancient scriptures that originate way before Buddhism. Please understand the Sahaja of Baul does not come from Buddhism and if I tell you where it comes from, it will be copied and stolen.
Baul is different it is based on 'Indian Tantric Yoga' Das Baul and Dasi are not and never were Fakir, Sai, Dervish or Shah, this are Muslim and Baul accepts them but they are not the same.
I have recently seen a Baul Women giving a talk at Berkley and she is saying there are 4 types of Baul, she is completely wrong, I do not want to use names but she does not know what she is talking about, the video was up for a long time on Archive.org but recently was taken down, I wonder why? Probably they read my blog, each time this person opens their mouth and I have all recorded, it is not even close, just something she heard, and she is going to preserve Baul. Baul has already been preserved decades ago by Babu Kishan.
This is the problem, this cause reductionism and the destruction while watering down the whole tradition, people posing and teaching, do not even know who Bauls are?
Fundraising that they are going to 'archive Baul' when Baul is already archived and has been archived decades ago by Babu Kishan. Baul has been archived, it has been done, it is done.
In the past many different groups were wandering around Bengal and they were lumped together under 'Baul', they were not Baul. The British had a huge disdain for all wandering people, they were treated badly and they all lumped together and called Baul and this Aul Baul Sai Dervish comes from Bhaktivinode Thakur who has a huge distain for indigenous Bengali's, he was not even born a Vaishnava or Sanskritist, he was a meat eater. This is where this came from??
In the past many different groups were wandering around Bengal and they were lumped together under 'Baul', they were not Baul. The British had a huge disdain for all wandering people, they were treated badly and they all lumped together and called Baul and this Aul Baul Sai Dervish comes from Bhaktivinode Thakur who has a huge distain for indigenous Bengali's, he was not even born a Vaishnava or Sanskritist, he was a meat eater. This is where this came from??
At the time even the British educated Bengalis did not understand, they were too busy trying to please the British and gain some sort of respectful life.
Fakir, Sai, Aula, Dervesh and Shah are not Baul but were lumped together with the Baul for terminology sake and pure ignorance. Bauls are a unique a distinct sect, the oldest and only lineage being this lineage of 'Vaishnava Bauls', Sanskrit speaking people, Brahmins but rejected Brahmanical rules and regulations.
Gosai aka (Goswami) Gosain and many other ways of spelling this lineage. Bhaktivinode denigrated this group too, of which is the title of the Baul lineage.
Baul is educated in the oral tradition and this Oral tradition is Sanskrit not just random Bangladeshi Bengali, there is a difference from 'Birbhum Bengali' and Bangladeshi Bengali, Babu will often tell me where people are from just based on how they sound.
Baul is educated in the oral tradition and this Oral tradition is Sanskrit not just random Bangladeshi Bengali, there is a difference from 'Birbhum Bengali' and Bangladeshi Bengali, Babu will often tell me where people are from just based on how they sound.
BhaktiVinode Thakur (1838 -1914) born Kendranath Datta (not a Baul name) was one of the first people in modern times to pretend he was a Baul with sarcastic poetry which is untrue and has caused great harm to some 13 sects that he denigrated without ever having met a true Vaishnava Baul. Westerner's do not have a clue, if the Guru tells them to hate they do thinking it is Ok?
He identified thirteen 'apa-sampradayas' that split away from the Brahma-Madhva- Gaudiya Sampradaya after Lord Caitanya's disappearance:
"Aula, Baula, Kartabhaja, Neda, Daravesa, Sani, Sahajiya, Sakhibheki, Smarta, Jata-gosani, Ativadi, Cudadhari and Gauranga-nagari, Gosai aka Goswami, Gosain, Ghosia', he wrote some English poetry to describe why he was a Baul, he denigrated Bauls and many other sects, he put himself on a pedestal, although I read he had a difficult time because many did not like him either and some even used black magic against him.
Bhaktivinode Thakur wrote, "These apa-sampradayas (apa means "deviated") are like parasitical growths upon the great tree of the sankirtan movement. Because they exhibit all the defects of material conditioning, they are spiritually useless. Their missionary activities are condemned as cheating."
No spiritual Vaishnava person ever writes like this, he was not from Vaishnava and was not born a Sanskrit speaker, he learned it later in life, not realizing the damage he did to indigenous peoples of Bengal. He was a Christian English educated meat eating Bengali who converted to Vaishnavism and wrote nasty about the indigenous peoples of Bengal. In today's world it does not take a rocket scientist to understand who and what he was and the time was different.
I didn't say or write this, a Vaishnava never talked with such hate and malice? For presenting this I have literally had death threats, yet it is Ok for these Vaishnava to talk garbage about others? Death threats are the only apa-sampradaya.
Bhaktivinode was a man of his time, he was a converted Vaishnava orthodox reformer, a British English educated man who learned Sanskrit later in his life. He did a great job but there are some things that one needs to know, he used strong negative language against other sects including the Bauls, it is NOT ok, it has lead to a Cultural Genocide of parrots who do damage to indigenous Sanskrit and oral vernacular Birbhum Bengali's.
Baul Samarat Purna Das Baul - Padma Sri, Many times President Awarded over 8 decades, always was a special guest, recognized by all Gaudiya Vaishnavism in India as a direct lineage of Sri Nityananda of Ekachakra Birbhum Bengal. Nitai was a Baul Avadhuta and of this lineage.
Before him Sri Nabani Das Khyapa Baul his father who was the Baul who initiated and inspired Rabindranath Tagore into Baul. Before him all Baul Gosai, Bauls were the path of the Avadhuta.
All will be said, in the new book, including famed Baul Women. Purna Das Baul like his family before him has fundraised huge sums of money for Gaudiya Vaishnava and always they were very special guest.
I really think the people who are spreading this dark negative un-Vaishnava behaviour towards the Bauls do not understand Karma or the real nature of what it is to be pure Vaishnava?
You can find all sorts of Un- or Apa- Vaishnava language full of hatred, when in actual fact Vaishnava accepted all peoples, they would never talk like this. I will add more logic to this in the book.
Bhaktivinde Thakur met someone but he did not meet a Baul. Gosai is added to Bhaktivinode's list too, this lineage is Gosai, he never liked Gosai is aka Gosain, Goswami.
This is parroted and printed all over the internet under apa-sampradaya if only Bhaktivinode had foreseen the future of the branches of what he tried to preserved including the child molesting, murderous Western Branch of Vaishnavism from Bengal, who are they to point a finger at anybody, seriously.
When one mentions Baul, the orthodox and Western fundamental Vaishnava come out in hate of Bauls displaying a type of apa-sampradaya that is far from what Vaishnava was meant, far from what the real Vaishnava who are about and being, 'humbler than a blade of grass'.
When one mentions Baul, the orthodox and Western fundamental Vaishnava come out in hate of Bauls displaying a type of apa-sampradaya that is far from what Vaishnava was meant, far from what the real Vaishnava who are about and being, 'humbler than a blade of grass'.
For any Baul to parrot there are 4 types of Baul 'Fakir, Aul, Sai, Dervish' they do not know what they are talking about, they do not even know where that originates and these Bauls now says they are going to archive Baul, how is this possible? How is that possible when Baul has already been archived decades ago by Babu Kishan? How can you archive Baul and go around the world teaching there are 4 types of Baul? One must first know what Baul is?
Same old thing over and over and all inaccurate. Follow your path but do not call it Baul, follow Baul but at least know what you are copy and pasting. It should be noted, this lineage has been recognized by Gaudiya Vaishnavism, forever, and they have done extensive fundraising for Gaudiya Vaishnavism in Bengal and around the world and not one person ever told them they were apt-sampradaya?
A little respect please, this One and Only lineage are the ancestor of Sri Nityananda of Ekachakra. Vaishnava Baul the path of the Avadhuta going back for thousands of years before Sri Nityananda.
It is said, the Pandava's were exiled in 'Ekachakra' in the Mahabharata War , which can be calculated using Jyotish the eyes of the Veda's.
A little respect please, this One and Only lineage are the ancestor of Sri Nityananda of Ekachakra. Vaishnava Baul the path of the Avadhuta going back for thousands of years before Sri Nityananda.
It is said, the Pandava's were exiled in 'Ekachakra' in the Mahabharata War , which can be calculated using Jyotish the eyes of the Veda's.
This lineage is from Nityananda of Ekachakra. Again, more will be qualified in the new Book. It has to be, I could care less about all this but it needs to be understood otherwise all these false writings will remain as truth on the internet and the real authentic origins of Baul will be deleted and screw up by outsiders or mere followers of Baul, who never knew but wanted to 'ride on the coat tails' of this family and lineage mix and matching, mumble jumble, watering down, reducing what in fact is lineage.
For what, for a job, for survival and this can be understood too, everybody has to feed their family, but it they had the real story, they would have a story to tell and they could really educate and preserve this Lineage of Vaishnava Baul correctly for future generations. It will be them that carry on Baul why not to it right, it is for others not for ourselves.
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