 Baul on a train in West Bengal Bauls (Bengali: বাউল) are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal, which comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition used as a vehicle to express Baul thought. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different streams to the sect. They can be often identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments, like the ektara. Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 400 × 592 pixelsFull resolution (400 × 592 pixel, file size: 111 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photograph in 2006 in West Bengal - Saul Chavez File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 400 × 592 pixelsFull resolution (400 × 592 pixel, file size: 111 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took this photograph in 2006 in West Bengal - Saul Chavez File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev...
Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, PÄli and Sanskrit. ...
Look up mystic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
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Bengal (Bengali: বঙà§à¦— Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙà§à¦—দেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ...
West Bengal (Bengali: পশà§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ...
Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ...
Ektara (Bangla: à¦à¦•à¦¤à¦¾à¦°à¦¾) is a one string instrument used in Bangladesh and India. ...
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...
The origin of the word is Baul is debated. It has been suggested that it comes either from Sanskrit batul, meaning divinely inspired insanity or byakul, meaning fervently eager. The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...
[edit] History
 Lalon Shah, "emperor" of Bauls The origin of Bauls is not known to any great degree of accuracy, but the word Baul has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. Some scholars, however, maintain that it is not clear when the word took its sectarian significance, as opposed to a synonym for the word mad. The beginning of the Baul movement was attributed to Birbhadra, the son of Vaishnavite saint Nityananda, or alternatively to the 8th century Persian minstrels called Ba'al. Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal. Whatever their origin, Baul thought has mixed elements of Tantra, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. They are thought to have been influenced by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas as well as Tantric Buddhist schools like the Sahajia. Some scholars find traces of these thoughts in the ancient practices of Yoga as well as the Charyapadas, which are Buddhist hymns that are the first known example of written Bengali. The Bauls themselves attribute the lack of historical records of themselves to their reluctance of leaving a trace behind. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x653, 79 KB) Summary www. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x653, 79 KB) Summary www. ...
Vaishnavites are followers of Vaishnavism in which Vishnu or His avatars are worshipped as the supreme God. ...
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For information about all peoples of Iran, see Demographics of Iran; for Central Asian Persians, see Tajiks. ...
Bengal (Bengali: বঙà§à¦— Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙà§à¦—দেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ...
Tantra (Sanskrit: तनà¥à¤¤à¥à¤° weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ...
Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ...
Islam (Arabic: ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ...
Maha-Vishnu depicted as resting on the causal ocean, with countless universes emanating from his skin pores. ...
Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion and a philosophy. ...
Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation as a path to self-knowledge and liberation. ...
Charyapada is the oldest known Bengali written form. ...
The baul were recorded as a major sect as early as mid 18th century.
[edit] Concepts and practices
 Baul singers at Shantiniketan, during the colour festival Holi, Mar 2004 Baul music celebrates celestial love, but does this in very earthy terms, as in declarations of love by the Baul for his boshTomi or lifemate. With such a liberal interpretation of love, it is only natural that Baul devotional music transcends religion and some of the most famous baul composers, such as Lalon Fakir, have been of muslim faith. The famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was greatly influenced and inspired by Bauls. Here is a famous Rabindrasangeet (Tagore song), heavily influenced by Baul theme: Baul singers at Vasantotsav, Shantiniketan, Mar 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Baul singers at Vasantotsav, Shantiniketan, Mar 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Celebration of Holi Holi (Hindi: होली) or Phagwah (Bhojpuri) is a popular, Hindu spring festival, observed in India, also called the Festival of Colours. ...
This article or section should be merged with Lalon Lalon Fokir was born in 1774 in an obscure village in the district of Kushtia in greater Bengal (now in located in the nation of Bangladesh). ...
Rabindranath Tagore ( ; Bangla: ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj (syncretic Hindu monotheist) philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ...
Rabindrasangeet (Bangla: রবীনà§à¦¦à§à¦°à¦¸à¦‚গীত Robindroshongeet) refers to complete body of songs (approximmately 2230) and lyrical poetry written and composed by Bengali Nobel-laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...
AmAr prANer mAnuSh Achhé prANé
tAi heri tAye sakol khAne
Achhe shé nayōntArAy, Alōk-dhArAy, tAi nA hArAye--
ogo tAi dekhi tAye JethAy sethAy
tAkA-i Ami Jé dik-pAné
The man of my heart dwells inside me.
Everywhere I behold, it's Him!
In my every sight, in the sparkle of light
Oh I can never lose Him --
Here, there and everywhere,
Wherever I turn, right in front is He!
<Rabindranath Tagore>
Their religion is based on an expression of the body, which they call deho-shadhona and an expression of the mind, which they call mana-shadhona. Some of their rituals are kept mostly hidden from the mainstream, as they are thought[citation needed] to be repulsive by many, and hedonistic by others. They concentrate much of their mystic energies on the chaar-chand (bengali for four-moons), i.e. the four body fluids, on the nine-doors or naba-dwar, i.e. the openings of the body, prakriti which implies both the woman and the nature, and a control of breathing, known as domo-shadhona.
[edit] Baul music The music of the Bauls, bAul saMgeet, refers to a particular type of folk song of sung by Bauls. It carries influences of Hindu bhakti movements as well as the shuphi, a form of Sufi song mediated by many thousand miles of cultural intermixing, exemplified by the songs of Kabir, for instance. Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal, like Shahebdhoni or Bolahadi sects. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ...
Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ...
Depiction of saint Kabir on the cover of a Hindi magazine named Shree Kabir Gyanamrit Kabīr (also Kabīra) (Hindi: कबीर, Gurmukhī: ਕਬੀਰ, Urdu: ‎) (1398—1397)[ — see talk page] was an Indian mystic; a Bhakti saint, a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev, who sang the ideals of seeing all of humanity...
Bauls use a number of musical instruments to embellish their compositions. The "ektara" is a one-stringed drone instrument, and by far the most common instrument used by a Baul singer. It is the carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin. Other commonly used musical instruments include the dotara, a multi-stringed instrument made of the wood; the dugi, a small hand-held earthen drum; percussion instruments like dhol and khol; small cymbals called "kartal" and "mandira" and the bamboo flute.
[edit] Rabindranath Tagore and the Bauls The songs of the Bauls and their lifestyle influenced a large swath of Bengali culture, but nowhere did it leave its imprint more powerfully than in the work of Rabindranath Tagore, who talked of Bauls in a number of speeches in Europe in the 1940s and an essay based on these was compiled into his English book Religion of Man: Rabindranath Tagore ( ; Bangla: ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj (syncretic Hindu monotheist) philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ...
The Bauls are an ancient group of wandering minstrels from Bengal, who believe in simplicity in life and love. They are similar to the Buddhists in their belief in a fulfilment which is reached by love's emancipating us from the dominance of self. Where shall I meet him, the Man of my Heart?
He is lost to me and I seek him wandering from land to land.
- I am listless for that moonrise of beauty,
- which is to light my life,
- which I long to see in the fulness of vision
- in gladness of heart. [p.524]
The above is a translation of the famous Baul song by Gagan Harkara: Ami kothAy pAbo tAré, AmAr maner mAnush Jé ré. The following extract is a translation of another song: My longing is to meet you in play of love, my Lover;
But this longing is not only mine, but also yours.
For your lips can have their smile, and your flute
- its music, only in your delight in my love;
- and therefore you importunate, even as I am.
The poet proudly says: 'Your flute could not have its music of beauty if your delight were not in my love. Your power is great -- and there I am not equal to you -- but it lies even in me to make you smile and if you and I never meet, then this play of love remains incomplete.'
The great distinguished people of the world do not know that these beggars -- deprived of education, honour and wealth -- can, in the pride of their souls, look down upon them as the unfortunate ones who are left on the shore for their worldly uses but whose life ever misses the touch of the Lover's arms.
This feeling that man is not a mere casual visitor at the palace-gate of the world, but the invited guest whose presence is needed to give the royal banquet its sole meaning, is not confined to any particular sect in India.
A large tradition in medieval devotional poetry from Rajasthan and other parts of India also bear the same message of unity in celestial and romantic love and that divine love can be fulfilled only through its human beloved.
Tagore's own compositions were powerfully influenced by Baul ideology. His music also bears the stamp of many Baul tunes. Other Bengali poets, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam, have also been influenced by Baul music and its message of non-sectarian devotion through love. Nazrul playing a flute, Chittagong, 1926 Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bangla: কাজী নজরà§à¦² ইসলাম) (b. ...
[edit] Present status Bauls are to be found in the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Baul movement was at its peak in the 19th and early 20th centuries but, even today one comes across the occasional Baul with his ektArA (one-stringed musical instrument) and begging bowl, singing across the farflung villages of rural Bengal. Travelling in local trains and attending village fairs are a good way to encounter Bauls. One of the biggest festivals for this cult of wandering minstrels is held in the month of January at Kenduli in the Birbhum district, a four-day fest organised in memory of the poet Jaydeb. There are also the Western Bauls in America and Europe under the spiritual direction of Lee Lozowick. Their music is quite different (rock /gospel/ blues) but the essence of the spiritual practices of the East is well maintained. West Bengal (Bengali: পশà§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ...
Ektara (Bangla: à¦à¦•à¦¤à¦¾à¦°à¦¾) is a one string instrument used in Bangladesh and India. ...
Birbhum is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ...
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[edit] References - Kuckertz, J (1975), "Origin and Construction of the Melodies in Baul Songs of Bengal", Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council 7: 85-91.
- Openshaw, J (2002), Seeking Bauls of Bengal, Cambridge University Press.
- Chapwell, C (1974), "The esoteric belief of the Bauls of Bengal", Journal of Asian Studies 33 (2): 255-264.
- Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (2003), Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka.
- Datta, R (1978), "The Religious Aspect of the Baul Songs of Bengal", The Journal of Asian Studies 37 (3): 445-455.
| - Dimock, E (1959), "Rabindranath Tagore--"The Greatest of the Bauls of Bengal"", The Journal of Asian Studies 19(1): 33-51.
- Openshaw, J (1997), "The Web of Deceit: Challenges to Hindu and Muslim `Orthodoxies' by `Bauls' of Bengal", Religion 27 (4): 297-309.
- Roy, BK (1977), Rabindranath Tagore: The Man and His Poetry, Folcroft Library Editions, ISBN 0-8414-7330-7.
- Dalrymple, W (2004), "The song of the holy fools", The Guardian [link accessed Dec 5, 2006].
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Bengali people · List of Bengalis RealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo codecs. ...
RealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo codecs. ...
Bengal (Bengali: বঙà§à¦— Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙà§à¦—দেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ...
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The Bengali calendar (Bengali: , Assamese: Vaskar), is the traditional calendar used in Bangladesh and eastern regions of India in the state of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. ...
Bengali cuisine is a style of food preparation originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the independent country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. ...
Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire Further information: History of Bangladesh The history of Bengal (including Bangladesh and West Bengal) dates back four millennia. ...
The first evidence of Bengali literature is known as Charyapada or Charyageeti, which were Buddhist hymns from the 8th century. ...
The music of Bengal, also referred to as Bangla music, comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. ...
Nobanno (Bangla: নবানà§à¦¨) is the festival of harvest in Bengal. ...
Like the Bengali language, Bengali poetry traces its lineage to PÄli and other Prakrit socio-cultural traditions. ...
Poila Boishakh (Bengali: পহেলা বৈশাখ) is the first day of the Bangla Calendar. ...
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in undivided India during the period of British rule. ...
The Bengali script (Bengali: বাংলা লিপি Bangla lipi) is an Abugida system of writing belonging to the Brahmic family of scripts whose use is associated with the Bangla, Assamese, Manipuri and Sylheti languages. ...
Sports and games form an integral part of Bangladeshis life. ...
Bengali Theatre means theatres in which the dialogues are in the language Bengali. ...
Bengali wedding refers to both Muslim wedding and Hindu wedding in Bangladesh and West Bengal. ...
The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between India and Bangladesh) on the Indian subcontinent with a history dating back four millennia. ...
This article provides lists of famous and notable Bengali people, from India or Bangladesh, or people with Bengali ancestry. ...
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