Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das is the first person to speak of any 'Lineage or Sampradaya' regarding Baul and he has done so since the 1960's. He was taught this by Nabani Das Khyapa Baul his Grandfather and Diksha Guru. The Vaishnava Sahajiya Tantric Bauls (Chand Gosia Das Baul and Dasi) is based on ancestry and they are indigenous to Ekachakra Birbhum West Bengal. No one in this world would know anything about Baul if not for this one and only lineage, others came along and followed them, they were not even initiated into Baul, they just sang their songs, dressed as them, and then followed everything they did and followed them around the world. The pretendian Bauls made up fake lineages?
Previous to this blog was Babu Kishan's first Baul website ever in the 1990's millions of people viewed this website and copied whatever they could whether it was accurate or not. Since that time and since 2009 which is when this blog (lineage baul) started there has been a whole group of new pretendians who started to say they belong to a lineage. 100% they do not and are lying. Why? Many reasons they all want to be famous as Purna Das Baul the famed Baul singer, then that wasn't enough they made up foundations to fundraise and some even traveled the world bragging that they sang on the biggest stages in the world, advertising themselves as legendary which was only reserved for Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Purna Das Baul? These legendary singers were busy stealing the songs off Babu Kishan's youtube channel and many of the over 80% of the songs that Babu Kishan had recorded for his father decades before, they were thinking no one will know, these fake pretendian Bauls became territorial, they never were Baul or from Baul and the Baul Guru's they list Babu Kishan knew them all and not one was a Baul. Because we named this blog Lineage Baul a whole industry of Baul lineages have popped up out of no where?
Now that Baul is on the verge of extinction, one by one Baul artists, singers pretending to be Baul have made up new fake LINEAGES, Sampradayas and Parampara usually based on someone who was not a Baul and how would you know? You would not know, most people do not even understand the language. These people act all sweet however, they have copied directly (appropriated) this lineages songs, dress, where they go and what they have done, teaching at Universities, recording songs, on pretendian Baul says he created Baul fusion at the end of the 1990's when Babu Kishan is the only Baul who created Baul fusion 2 decades before this guy? They make false associations, teach wrong teachings, spread false narratives.
There is100% certainty there is no such thing as a 'Western Baul' or even a Western Bau lineage? Google Lineage it is based on ancestry. That leaves Parampara Sampradaya Guru Shishya, you can not just make a Sampradaya up and based it on a few generations of a poet, when the poet never said he was a Baul. Good god, this is 100% appropriation when Baul is indigenous to Birbhum, how can anybody have the audacity to fundraise asking for donations for a fake lineage of people who do not even speak the language and their Baul Guru is not even from Bengal nor did he call himself a Baul. What on earth is going on?
What are the fake BAULS doing making up stories based on Gurus who are not Baul Gurus' what is the end game here, other than appropriating a small sect and for what purpose, to fundraise for jackpots or social media fame, the new ma or Babu trying to collect people, when Baul does not collect people?
Vamsa is the Sanskrit word that means family lineage and lineage only means based on ancestors. Know who your ancestors are and do not copy the ancestors from this Vamsa or lineage aka Guru Shishya Parampara Vamsa Sampradaya.
Western Baul does not have any lineage, none of the Western Baul Guru's are from Baul nor did they ever have a Baul Guru? They are not Baul and should not use the name Khepa Baul which specifically comes from this lineage. You can not self-title yourself as a Baul and use anything from this lineage.
This is total appropriation of an indigenous people. Making up fake lineages has become a game, making up fake Baul Guru's.
The fake lineage holders do not even have a Baul Guru but yet they have constructed a lineage out of random Guru's who never ever called themselves Baul?
You may be something, but 100% you are not Baul.
Stop using indigenous wisdom that does not belong to you and constructing fake lineages, so many have proved they are not Baul. They copy everything from this lineage, as Babu Kishan lets out more information they use that, some have listened to his youtube channel over and over and appropriate songs re-recording Nabani Das Khyapa Baul songs, copying and acting out tears running down their cheeks dancing Nabani Das Khyapa Baul style only, Ektara (Gopi Yantra) Baya (duggi) strapped around their waste and Nabani and Purna Das style ankle bells encased in metal?
This did not come from their Guru and the Guru they list is a poet not a Baul? You can not make this up, but how would you know, only Babu Kishan knows because he knew them all and tried to help many of them, this is what he gets? No more all is archived and preserved and one by one with our proof Babu Kishan will weed out the fakery of how Baul has been used by so many. He is the only one who has preserved Baul over 60 years.
We have screen shot the theft of this lineage intellectual property, an indigenous Lineage (Sampradaya) usurped. Nobody has said anything until Babu Kishan and it should have been said decades ago.
Lineage which is based on someones ancestors (usually indigengous) or Vamsa based on lineage of ancesors, or Sampradaya, Guru-shishya Parampara are not be thrown around randomly.
A lineage is only through ancestry it is not meant for outside random Vaishnava or new age Bauls that have made up Baul Guru's who are only people who followed this lineages style, songs, and every where they went?
Cultural Genocide, Baul is not a free for all, for too long many have used Baul for income (donations) do not make a Baul legitimate? Once you lie, you are not a Baul, Bauls are not cheaters, fakes and any random wandering person who does not have a designation.
Baul is not an umbrella name and there is no such thing as a Fakir Baul.
Lineage is not meant for outside random Bauls who identify as Baul based on interest or copying everything from this lineage but taking their names off or worse yet through false narratives that have led to a cultural genocide of Baul. Baul takes decades to even understand yet some are certify they are a Baul after 3 years, 3 days with a guru now turns into 3 years? I have caught all the lies and documented each and every false teaching.
If you use lineage in regards to Baul prove your ancestry and prove your so called Baul Guru's or their Gurus were actual Bauls and since Lineage means ancestry prove it?
I know it sounds insane, however, this would not be necessary if it were not for writers and fake Bauls who create fake lineages and do not even know they are destroying Baul through their false teachings that reduce Baul.
Babu Kishan is the only Baul ever to be educated in the oral tradition and the academic tradition of Baul, Indian Philosophy and Music, he is the only qualified Baul and taught at Universities around the world since the 1970's.
This is being copied now by outsiders, by people who have made up a fake lineages who have been known to appropriate Baul songs directly off Babu Kishan youtube and giving out poets fake names saying Bauls do not care who the poets are, which is a lie constucted because the fake Baul do not know who the poets are. All authentic Bauls are taught from birth who the poets are? They use all the songs of this lineage never giving credit but have created fake social media fame?
But how would you know, you wouldn’t their trickiness is beyond what any indigenous Baul could figure out. Babu Kishan does not want any more wrong teachings coming from fakes or academic scholars who only speculate. I have done enough research over the past 18 years regarding Baul and have documented all the false teachings by everybody who teaches on social media, or who have written books and are scholars. All will be released in the book which will be released this year. If it weren't for all this ignorance I would have been finished the book long ago, the fakes are giving too much material that needs to be qualified.
I mean geez they do not even know the correct name of their instruments that they copied from Nabani Das Khyapa Baul? They come out of the woodwork, create woodwork and if Babu Kishan talks about Nabani and Tarapith, all of sudden they are acting like they are the ones?
These random Baul are now posing as Vaishnava, they never did this before, they see what Babu or his family is saying, then they change their websites and their stories, it is cheaper than cheap and very misleading. For the fake Bauls it is a free for all, now they wear Vaishnava tilak posing as Vaishnava, whatever attract more view on social media they will do?
I watch everything and have documented all over 18 years, they now are Bollywood too, I mean what insanity. Babu Kishan is the only Baul ever to be associated with Indian Cinema and Bollywood in any real way?
Come to think of it for the scholars of Baul it is a free for all, laced with speculations of what they can not figure out, they want to put Baul into a box because they can't figure it out or make connections so they speculate and create all sorts of misinformation.
At the very least Babu Kishan is academically qualified with a Masters MA in Indian Music and Philosophy from Calcutta University. He grew up in a Baul family on the soil and soul of Birbhum with his Baul Gurus, Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi and spent 12 years in the Ramakrishna Mission as a monk.
Babu Kishan is not self-titled in Baul as he was born into it, and preserved this whole lineage since the 1960's, people in the west do not know anything about Baul they follow who looks exotic and will believe whatever they are told, you need deep discernment and an understanding of the language which is vernacular Birbhum Bengali, oral Sanskrit or Classical Sanskrit and an understanding of indigenous peoples. Even as an accomplished music composer, back then you had to produce a bundle of famous lyrics and famed music of hundreds of works that are known and have been successful.
Famed legit music composers had to sign for you for your music skill, they had to approve you as a music composer. Today anything goes, if you have the money to pay, you can be anything you want, including a fake Baul or fake Music composer.
Yet, others are trying to copy Babu Kishan teaching at Universities and using it an advertisment of their authenticity when it mean nothing, they are just copying whatever Babu Kishan has done 4 decades ago? However they are teaching false narratives, watering down and reducing Baul. Posting pictures of your so called Guru's does not certify you to teach Indian Philosophy, Music or Baul.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul with his Mysic Drum the Ananda Lahari, it was Nabani only who named this drum Ananda Lahari.
I want to clarify what lineage and sampradaya actually mean.
Scholars, Writers, Journalists and fake Bauls over the past ten years, roughly since 'social media' are throwing around that they are from a lineage of Baul. The problem is there never ever was a bunch of lineages or sampradaya's of Baul, these terms are now used on a constant basis, if you only knew that the new Bauls actors are posing as Baul some to survive other for fame and gain?
First let me clarify that there is only one lineage and Sampradaya of Baul.
This is necessary because of the copycat nature of what Baul has become since extinction in the late 1960's gets watered down everyday by fakes.
# 1. What is the definition of Lineage.
Lineage is not an Indian term:
from Old French lignage "descent, extraction, race" from ligne "line," from Latin linea "line of descent," literally "string
From Cambridge University -
" the members of a person's family who are directly related to that person and who lived a long time before him or her:
ancestor (DNA)
ancestral
ancestry
geaneology
family tree
lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.
1. direct descent from an ancestor.
2. ancestry; family; stock.
3. descendants from a common ancestor
Meaning of Lineage: The members of a person's family who are directly related to that person and have lived a long time before him or her.
1. lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry.
2. the line of descendants of a particular ancestor; family; race.
Line of descent from an ancestor; hence, family; race; stock.
Regarding Lineage and why Babu Kishan used it regarding his lineage, is his ancestory, because he assumed no one would know what a Sampradaya is, so he used Lineage appropriately, most people just assume?
The actual term in Indian is Sampradaya a Sanskrit word.
The orthodox use ancestry to beat over the indigenous peoples heads as they are the authentic because they belong to the Sampradaya. However, with Sampradaya there must be a long line, not 3 or 4 generations but a long established Sampradaya and one would use be a Sanskritist and from the soul and soil of something with decades of deep sadhana. Bauls are Tantric Sahajiya not preachers who collect people the orthodox took the indigenous Bengli's out of the picture. Today they have take Nityananda out of the picture other than where they can make money for their temples. The orthodox changed what Sampradaya meant saying it is not based on ancestry and brain washed people into believing they are the only Sampradaya coming out of Bengal and none of them has anything to do with ancestry, this Baul Sampradya is based on lineage (ancestry or DNA).
The orthodox have an ulterior motive of collecting people, donations and preaching. Baul does not collect people, they do not preach and their system of donations is called Dakshina which they shared with all the villagers, the Bauls never left a trace or took anything for themselves.
Babu Kishan is the fist person to organize tours through out India and the World for his (family Lineage) since the 1970's. This lineage of Baul and namely Babu Kishan pioneered bringing Baul to all of India and the World, others followed them and took their names off claiming they were legendary and making up fake lineages.
There is no one in this world who would know about Baul without Nabani Das Khyapa Baul his Baul singer son Purna Das Baul and Nabanis first grandson Babu Kishan whom Nabani named Krishnendu Das.
That is how people today study and talk about Baul today, if not for this pioneering family Lineage no one would have anything to fake or even know about Baul.
This is the only Lineage of Baul and the only Sampradya of Vaishnava Tantric Sahaja Baul (Gosia Chand) Das Baul and Dasi, as per the definition of lineage because they are the only ancestry who pioneered and brought Baul to the world, they are the only sampradaya and Lineage based on the true meaning of lineage and sampradaya, this no other, those who say are, are liars. If you or your Guru has used Das Baul, he has copied it from this lineage and you are a liar (period).
It is necessary to point this out, because unethical individuals are making up lineages in India and in the west? Collecting people, saying come and join us and they are lying. Be careful seriously, what looks cute and exotic is not.
When you use lineage there must be a long line of ancestors, no other Bauls have any long line of any ancestors, however, they make false associations as if they are related but cut the names off of this lineage, we do not want to be associated, this lineage has no association, they have tried but they are not related at all. They only make vague associations so that they can be included competing with Babu Kishan and Purna Das Baul give me a break, Baul is extinct.
Strange as this may appear, those using lineage are not from a lineage. They may now change this word lineage to Sampradaya. Let me define what a Sampradaya is? You will realize there is only one Sampradaya when it comes to Baul to.
Sampradaya -
"sampradaya, in Hinduism, a traditional school of religious teaching, transmitted from one teacher to another. From about the 11th century onward, several sects emerged out of Vaishnavism (worship of the god Vishnu). These sects continue to the present day."
"Sampradaya means a school of thought or philosophical conclusion or siddhanta, embodied by a community of orthodox practitioners. (this is qualified below).
Parampara is, quite literally, 'one after the other' – an historical chain of spiritual preceptors, each of whom was a legacy-holder for the same path and practice."
We know this lineage of Vaishnava Tantric Sahajiya Bauls, are not orthodox, however, this lineage is a living lineage and it has changed over time by the people who lived it, but what is going on today has nothing to do with Baul (period), Baul does not collect devotee's or steal what does not belong to them.
Thus, this family ancestry long line called Lineage can be traced to the 14th century through Nityanada (Gosia Chand Das Baul) of Ekachakra Birbhum W Bengal as a Sanskrit living lineage. I use Lineage correctly because this is based on ancestry and a long line going back thousands of years.
This lineage is a Sampradaya based on being indigenous (Gosai Chand) which is a lineage and a Sampradaya, the difference between this lineage and other Gosia aka (Gosain, Goswami) is that Bauls are not orthodox they are Tantric indigenous to Vaishnava Baul, they already existed before Gaudiya Vaishnavism, this does not disqualify them as lineage because they are Sahajaiya Tantric, which is never orthodox.
Parampara - refers to the uninterrupted succession of gurus.
First you have to be a Baul Guru to pass on Baul, the ones claiming lineage do not even have a Baul Guru?
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul was the last Baul Guru he only passed it on to a few people, none of the people who are saying they are a Baul Lineage of Sampradaya are associated with this one and only lineage sampradya.
Their only association is stealing their intellectual property (poems, songs), dress? It is great to inspire others and that was Babu Kishan's wish, however, to not give credit what you steal is wrong, it actually is cheating and lying and the first tenant of Baul is (tell the truth).
Baul has not been preserved so that people can pretend they are Baul and make up lineages, sampradya's, parampara's ect.. The only reason Baul exists because this lineage preserved it mos recently coming from their blood ancestor Sri Nityananda of Ekachakra Birbhum W Bengal and thousand of years before carried it forward through hearing and remembering. Baul is extinct now!
Some constructed Lineages most recently by a western Vaishnava has linked Nityananada's lineage as having ended with Bhaktivindo Thakur, he is not ancestrial related no blood relation, he is not even from Vaishnava, this is an most rediculous association because he did not like indigenous peoples.
If you see Western Bauls claiming lineage, there is no lineage, the Guru's of their lineage are not Baul and never called themselves Baul? If you see actor Bauls calling themselves Baul saying they are from a lineage, they can not be, it is all made up because Babu Kishan used the word lineage so they all thought they would use the word Lineage, they list Guru's who had nothing to do with Baul, and nobody even knows who those people are?
Poets are poets, the ones that people use calling them Baul are not Baul, the most used names Bhaba Pagla, Monohar Khepa and Lalon Fakir are not Baul, they never ever claimed to be Baul? They loved Baul and Nabani Das Khypa Baul and Purna Das Baul music. The people who followed Monohar Khepa and hung out at his ashram in Kenduli are not Baul, Purna Das Baul loved Monohar Khepa and called him a guru but he is not a Baul Guru, Babu says his father calls everyone Guru, that is just what he does. Purna had many Guru's including Nabani (his father of course) and Sitaram Das Omkarnath who was not a Baul but a Vaishnava Guru. Babu Kishan has had many Guru's but only one Baul Guru his grandfather Nabani Das Khyapa Baul from birth.
All th above are poets who either had an association with this lineage, regulars who stayed in their family home in Calcutta. Babu Kishan produced music for their poetry and recorded all of them for his father Purna Das Baul to sing as he who was a popular most famous ever Baul singer. Just because Purna Das Baul sang their songs does not mean they are Baul songs. This is a huge problem scholars are making claims they do not even know the history of. Baba Pagla hung around Purna Das Baul not because Baba Pagla was a Baul but because if he hung out Babu Kishan could produce music for his poetry and he would be known by more people.
Distinctions are important, because many are cheaters and have a desire to be famous and collect donations, this does not mean they are Baul, they are using Baul, distorting Baul, lying and cheating for their own fame and suvival.
Watering down and reductionism, false teachings and all can be proved, it is up to the fakes to prove their lineage and that their lineage is longer than 3 or 4 generations, there must be a direct line of actual Bauls, not refugees or the fake it til you make it Bauls because Baul is extinct and what is going on today is cheating and lying and leading to further distruction of Baul, what they don't care, they will keep up their faking to survive for themselves and scholars only care about their career.
No one in the world or outside of Bengal would know about Baul without this lineage, Baul is a small sect and very distinct.
