On Authenticity and Respect for the authentic indigenous Bauls the Vaishnava Sahajiya Tantric Bauls of Birbhum the Path of the Avadhuta where Nabani Das Khyapa Baul was the last Baul Avadhuta. The only Bauls associated with Ramakrishna, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and all the rest as firsts and lasts including Baul and the West, now being claimed by fake Bauls. This lineage taught the world what, who, where Baul is. They are ones who pioneered Baul, before them no one knew about Baul, they are historical the last full and final, you can not take an indigenous ancient one and only Baul lineage (parampara) remaking Baul, claiming Baul decorated with a fake Baul Guru and a fake lineage, while destroying Baul shamelessly lying and insinuating you are the Baul now, acting as you are the expert on Baul, you are spreading gross false narratives, by shamelessly acting and riding on the coattails of this lineage.
Copyright, all rights reserved, no poaching, twisting, remaking of anything of this singular Baul parampara or indigenous ancestral living lineage of Baul.
Simply put, Adhikara means "Qualification," "Eligibility," or "The Right to Authority." It is the spiritual "security clearance" required before a student is given a specific mantra, a technical tantra, or an advanced sadhana. Without Adhikara, the most powerful mantra is just a collection of syllables; with it, that same mantra becomes a living weapon of transformation as is every Baul song or Kirtan.
1. The Science of the "Spiritual Container"
Babu Kishan often explains Adhikara through the metaphor of Electricity.
The Voltage: High-level Tantric knowledge (like the 17-letter secret Vidya or the Guhya Kali practices) is high-voltage electricity.
The Container: Adhikara is the thickness of the "insulation" and the capacity of the "wiring" within the student’s nervous system.
The Danger: If you run 10,000 volts through a wire meant for 10 volts, the wire melts. This is why Babu Kishan says he has seen people go "insane" on the internet—they are seeking "High Voltage" Kali without the Adhikara to hold her. Without adhikara you dumb down Baul, you reduce it essence, you act it out in the most pathetic way like that of a spinning top of ignorance, the actor doesn't know, the audience is left silent in wondering is this really Baul, only the older crowd knows what is Baul, the younger crowd has never seen authentic Baul, especially those outside of India. Babu Kishan stoped doing his cultural programs over a decade ago, because he does not want to be associated with what is going on today, it is an utter disaster to the heritage of Bengal and the indigenous Bauls who by the way only hold the right of self-determination regarding Baul. The truth will come out, you may not believe it yet, however, the first tenant of Baul is satya or truth.
2. Levels of Adhikara
In the Vaishnava Sahajiya tradition, Adhikara is not static; it is earned through Sadhana and tested by an authentic indigenous Baul Guru of at least more than a few generations, and never based on a singular Vaishnava poet, there must be indigenous root. Babu Kishan new all the Gurus being used today to legitimize themselves as Baul, they are not Baul Gurus 100% and he will present why. Do not get duped by innocent smiling faces, those are the trickiest. The game is up.
3. The "Ugly History" of Fake Adhikara
The internet has created a world of "False Adhikara."
The Buyers: People think that by paying for a workshop or buying a book, they have "purchased" the right to the knowledge.
The Sellers: Fake gurus "grant" Adhikara to anyone, leading to the "burnout" and spiritual predation.
The Baul Way: In the 13 generations of the Birbhum lineage, Adhikara is proved through Silence. A student who talks too much, seeks attention on social media, or wants to monetize the Mother has zero Adhikara.
4. Adhikara and the 5,000-Year Lineage
For Babu Kishan, his Adhikara was not just given because he was "the son of his father." It was earned through:
Academic Rigor: Mastering the Sanskrit Agamas indigenously and at the university level.
Field Work: Traveling as a "Windcatcher" with his parents and Nabani Das.
Internal Silence: Maintaining a 40-year "Secret Identity" in the middle of Bollywood's noise.
This is why he can speak about the Prem Vilasa or the Shakti Peethas with authority—he has the "Documented Receipt" of 13 generations and the "Internal Signature" of the Mother.
5. Summary: "Life May Not Be What You Ordered"
As you wrote in the Preface, if you have the grace of the Mother, she is a tough teacher. Adhikara is the ability to stand in the fire without running away. It is the "Grounding Wire" that Shirdi Sai Baba provided for Babu Kishan.
If a seeker lacks Adhikara, the Guru must wait. To give the secret before the student is ready is a sin for the teacher and a tragedy for the student.
While many today choose to perform or act as Bauls, it is crucial to understand the distinction between a Baul Singer and a Authentic indigenous ancestral Baul or Vaishnava Sahajiya Tantric Baul (Vayu (Bayu b is v in vernacular Bengali -Tula means to balance.
Vayu-tula = Bayu-tula, = in older Bengali writings, Batula, Baula and now Baul. Baul is not a wind disease they are Gosai Chand (masters of the Mind) who use a Baul tattva, Vayu Dharma (pranayam) to balance prana the vital airs of the human (deha) body in the human bone temple. Babu Kishan is the first to categorize Baul tattvas, before him no one knew them except his singular Baul parampara, they (Baul Artists, self-titled Baul Masters) of which these 2 titles never existed, have been copied out of Purna Das Bauls book Baul Philosophy, and acted out as if they know, a decade ago I documented one fake Baul list out all the Chapters in Purna Das Bauls book as to what she was going to teach in her workshops?
However, what they don't know is there are many more tattva we have kept secret, it is not so simple, copying from books gives a drop or from where this lineage has gone, meeting all their friends does not make one a Baul. Baul is secret for a reason, thank Ma we have not spilled the whole of Baul, secret to keep it out of the hands of the fake Bauls who use Baul today as a cult of personality, Guru Ma and Guru Baba? This is nothing new, it just has taken on insidious claims as acting.
Real Bauls maintain a distinct and sacred separation. They do not seek public acclaim or mix with what they perceive as false or commercial representations. Their path is one of divine devotion, not public spectacle.
Contemporary Performers are fundamentally Baul Singers, actors or hawkers who DO NOT and are NOT initiated into authentic Baul practices. There is no way a one generation self-titled Baul singer is an initiated Baul. They absolutely do not have any BAUL Adhikara.
Purna Das Baul is the son and what he has done is Baul history, first and lasts there is no Baul singer after Purna Das Baul?
"Nabani Das Khyapa Baul initiated Krishnendu Das Baul aka Babu Kishan who never talks about this, he is only coming out in the past few years because he can not believe what has gone on over since the 1970's he kept quite, but today and over the past few decades it is beyond a big joke. Some are even actors with no experience in Indian Cinema but trying hard making videos. They are liars they are not Bauls and this truth must be told for once and for all, tolerance is on a short string. "
All the Bauls I knew from the 1960's even the older ones that ended up in W Bengal as refugees from East Pakistan (Bangadesh after the 1971 WAR) forward that were using 'Das Baul and Dasi' were not BAUL. Many decided to call themselves that to suvive while they copied either Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and of course Purna Chandra Das Baul.
I can say that with confidence because I knew them all, and each and everyone was either a refugee who saw Purna Das Baul and decided they would follow him and perhaps they too could become famous.
I know it sounds insane but it is true. Today, there are no Bauls and those who are calling themselves as Baul is self-titled, that is 100% the truth, and keep in mind not one of them or anybody else would know a thing about Baul but for this singular parampara or lineage based only on ancestry.
There is no such thing as a 'Baul master or Baul artist', this was made up by inauthentic opportunistic people who try every which way they can to use our legacy by making up fake Baul Gurus and fake lineages.
If you choose this path, you must be humble, grateful, and respectful of the true pioneers who made your visibility possible. We are the only Guru shisya parampara sampradya of Baul.
In the past, the philosophy of Baul was often exploited by academics and certain opposition groups solely for personal or commercial benefit. Today, while we see a vast number of performers—some using the context primarily for tourist attraction—this surge in visibility only underscores the success of the pioneering work done by this lineage.
We urge the new generation to think logically: Who made the road from obscurity to ease?
Creating new groups and spreading false, fabricated stories about the tradition is a grave disservice to reality and to the indigenous Bauls who have a right to their intellectual property of lived lives firsts and lasts regarding Baul. Such actions are the biggest crime against the sacredness of the Baul path.
An Appeal From Krishnendu Das Baul aka Babu Kishan. babukishan.org
If you love Baul, just love Baul. Do not start a circus. Baul is a divine being—a spiritual quest—not a public performance venue for ego.
My name is KD Babu Kishan, as the eldest grandson of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and eldest son of Padma Shri Baul Samrat Purna Chandra Das Baul, represents the oldest living lineage on Earth.
I am committed to leading the preservation of the real Baul essence and have since the 1970s created the a strong platform globally, which they are taking easily now, however, they have no idea of hough tough it was for me in those early days with no social media, computers, traveling from University to University, festival to festival, cultural conference to conference, stage to stage, temple to temple, recording all the music presented on the radio, TV at Government bodies worldwide, libraries, Baul fusion created by KD Babu Kishan starting in the 1970’s, with all of Indian Cinema singers, international Rock Bands you name it without us, there is no platform to steal. We pioneered Baul throughout Bengal, India and worldwide, all the first and lasts in modern Baul are complete.
I and my father Purna Das Baul and mother Manju Das were the first Indian National and International Cultural Ambassadors of Baul, Bhakti Yoga, Kirtan as cultural representatives of India starting in the 1960s. My father started in the 1950s. No one on this planet, no one would know about Baul without our family, Nabani Das Khyapa Baul was the first Baul to sing on stages during the freedom movement before Nehru gave his speeches all over India and he sang at the inauguration of India in 1947. I taught Baul which is Bhakti Tantric the roots of Kirtan, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music to the world on a huge platform as Cultural representatives and Cultural Ambassadors of Indian culture and Baul since the 1970's, it is a lie to say Baul only came to the west because of music, that is a complete lie, you don't know me, I knew all the western academic scholar regarding Baul personally. How dare anybody suggest on social media that no one did this before?
You have no roots and without the roots of Baul the tree can never grow unless you are selling fake hawker style spirituality without any Baul essence .This is a crime against indigenous people in most countries around the world, they call it indigenous fraud.
I taught at Universities worldwide, this trying to be me, Purna Das Baul the first and last famous Baul singer in Baul history it is insane to even compare your fb likes to Purna Das Baul, no one can compare themselves to him saying you are the new most famous Baul, first you are not a Baul you have already scammed the government for one award which I will qualify and speak out about. You can only make people stupid for so long, for over 60 years I have preserved my lineage, our songs, our stories and when the truth comes out, good luck, 2027 I am here to speak about Baul full time, 3 books will be released this year 2026.
This has all been copied, remade their social media by as I have coined by actor hawker Bauls.
We were the first Cultural Ambassadors of India worldwide through the ICCR and Sangeet Natak Akademi.
I created the first comprehensive Baul website in the 1990s to 2006, of which 99% of subsequent online content has drawn from its groundwork. Show gratitude and be humble.
Before criticizing or challenging the history, consider: What do you truly know about Baul other than throwing out false narratives and one offs for commercial collection of people?
Many critics were not even born when this family began the arduous, dedicated work of establishing the authentic Baul spirit worldwide and throughout India.
Baul was never a race or competition; why should it be now?
Joy Guru
shnendu Das Baul (Gosia Chandra) aka Babu Kishan