“Why do you run after mirages?” the Bauls of Bengal of India ask
travelling from village to village singing on their
one-stringed instrument ektara and a drum called dubk. These rural folk singers repeatedly
remind us in different ways that we all are restless and troubled by complex
problems, disillusions and dissatisfactions. They tell us that yet we continue to
remain engrossed with the exterior and the superficial. Unmindful of social
pressures of each and every kind, these saffron clad folk singers tell us to
look within ourselves to attain happiness and tranquillity. They say that peace
does not come from outside. You cannot discover peace by owning the world. The
Baul songs are of love, joy and longing for union with the divine. They remind
the listeners that God lives within every human being. Their songs emphasise
the importance of human soul or the ‘maner
manush’, which is perceived as the true God within every one of us. Hence
for the Bauls there is no difference between people. Universal brotherhood is a
fundamental of Baul ideology. They find no reason not to be at peace with all
of mankind regardless of how people perceive the Supreme Being or the manner in
which they practice a faith. The Bauls reject the rigid rituals and social
mores of mainstream society. The name Baul
has thus originated from the Sanskrit word ‘Batul’ that means afflicted with the wind or mad. It is this
madness that sets the Bauls apart from the rest. They
believe that authentic
worship of God takes place only deep within each person where God is enshrined.
Individual inquiry is stressed. Physical body is important only because it
enshrines the Supreme. According to the baul belief, God is hidden inside each
one of us and neither priests nor rituals can help us to find Him there.
Searching for God, the true soul mate does not happen instantly or within a
short time frame. It is a lifelong journey. That is why all through their life
the Bauls meditate through their songs. And they look and
Search for answers
from within. The philosophy of their life’s path is intertwined with the
philosophy rendered through their songs. Their search for God is personal and
they believe that it is something which each individual has to necessarily carry
out for him self. The Bauls believe that God must first be perceived before
bring experienced and realised through the pursuit of inner enlightenment. With
this aim in mind the songs they sing and the accompanying rhythmic dances
become meaningful meditation focussed on the soul. For the Bauls, the body is a
microcosm of the universe in which the Supreme Being resides and the essence of
innermost being or ‘self’ makes human nature divine. The Bauls say that when
you search for God, you are searching for ‘self’ within your own self. Though
God assumes various personal forms to reveal Himself, God is actually within
every human heart. If one desires to attain the knowledge and the realisation
of the Supreme Being, then one should focus on the inner being. God is present
in every moment and the closeness with God is possible to experience during our
own lifetime but surrendering unconditionally and totally. Understanding this
thought, this emotion, this feeling and the self image becomes not only gifts
from the Supreme Being but they are manifestation of God. And that is why the
Bauls accompanied by their one-stringed instrument ektara and the little drum called dubk often sing songs like, “Harvest before the sun sets. Know
thyself before you sail for the unknown.”