Baul Sangit -

Song 1

ami tomar duhkher duhkhi sukher sukhi, tai tomare boli
bhai re nitai-er hate giye (ore o bhai) nam enechi tomar tore

1) I am your ever well-wisher -- I become sad when you are sad, and I become happy when you are happy. This I sincerely proclaim to you, dear brothers! Having gone shopping at Lord Nityananda's Marketplace, O brothers, I have brought back the holy names of the Lord just for your benefit.

gaura-candra-marka kora, e hari-nam rase bhora name
nami padche dhora, lao yadi vadana bhore’

2) Being marked with the symbol of Lord Gaura-chandra, this Hari-nama is succulent with divine mellows. If you would please take the holy name and always fill your mouths with it, then you shall realize that the name fully contains the Lord who is named.

papa tapa saba dure ja'be, sara-moy samsara ha'be,
ar kono bhoy nahi rabe, dubbe sukher pathare

3) By chanting the holy name all your sinful reactions and material miseries will be cast far away. This world will become full of wonderful meaning for you, there will be no more fear, and you will be immersed in the ocean of pure joy.

ami kangal artha-hina, nam enechi kore' rna,
dekhe amaya ati dina, sraddha-mulye deo dhore'

4) I myself am now quite wretched and indeed destitute, for by arranging to bring the Lord's holy name here I have have fallen into great debt. Seeing me as a soul stricken with extreme poverty, please hand over to me the price of your faith.

mulya lo'ye tomar thai, maha-janake dibo, bhai,
je kichu tay labha pai, rakhbo nijer bhandare

5) Taking your payment, O brothers, I will pass it along to the Mahajana (the proprietor, Lord Nityananda.) Whatever small commission I may earn by conducting this transaction will be kept in my own storeroom.

nadiya-godrume thaki, canda-baul boliche daki',
nam vina ar sakala phanki, chayabaji e samsare"

6) Living on the island of Godrum in the district of Nadiya, this person named Chand Baul shouts and exclaims, "Other than the holy name of the Lord, all else in this world is simply false, like the illusions of a shadow-theater!"

Song 2

dharma-pathe thaki' koro jivana japana, bhai hari-nam
koro sada (ore o bhai) hari vina bandhu nai

1) O my dear brothers! Just pass your lives by adhering to the proper path of religiosity. Constantly chant Hari-nama, O brothers, for other than Lord Hari you have no friend.

je kono vyavasa dhori', jivana nirvaha kori',
bolo mukhe hari hari, ei matra bhiksa cai

2) Accepting whatever livelihood that suits you, just live your life honestly. Fill your mouths with the constant chanting of "Hari! Hari!" -- this is the only alms I beg of you.

gauranga-carane majo, anya abhilasa-tyajo,
brajendra-nandane bhajo, tabe bodo sukha pai

3) Remain absorbed in the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga, renounce all other ambitions, and worship Vrajendra-Nandan. If you would do this much, then I will experience great pleasure.

ami canda-baul-das, kori tava krpa asa,
janaiya abhilasa, nityananda-ajna gai

4) I am Chand Baul Das, and I wish only to receive your mercy. I have informed you of my desires, for I sing as I have been personally ordered by Lord Nityananda.

Song 3

asalo katha bolte ki tomar kentha-dhora,
kapni-anta -- saba phanki

1) O you have so much to say about being genuine! You are seen to be wrapped in an old tattered blanket and wearing a simple loincloth, just like a renounced ascetic -- but in actuality all of this is simply pretentious.

dharma-patni tyaji' ghare, para-nari-sanga kore,
artha-lobhe dvare dvare phire, rakhle ki baki

2) Leaving your legally married wife at home, you go off and keep the company of the wives of others. In your greed for acquiring more and more wealth, you wander like a poor beggar from door to door, and you secretly keep so much surplus stored away.

tumi guru bolcho vate, sadhu-guru niskapate,
krsna-nam deno karna-pute, se ki emon hoy meki?

3) You are quite confident in presenting yourself as a saintly spiritual master, and thus you are busily engaged in initiating innocent people by reciting Krishna-nama into their ear -- is this behavior not a great charade?

jeba anya siksa dey, ta'ke ki `guru' bolte hoy?
dudher phal to' ghole noy, bheve' citte dekho dekhi

4) Can anyone be called a "guru" simply because he gives advice to others? A cook can never use whey in a recipe that calls for milk. Now think about this and just see what I see.

sama-dama-titiksa-bale, uparati, sraddha ho'le,
tabe bheko canda-baul, bole, encade peke habe ki?

5) On the strength of the true qualities of peacefulness, sense control, and tolerance, one's mundane desires are renounced as true spiritual faith arises. That being the case, the renunciant Chand Baul says, "What will become of your premature imitation of spiritual perfection?"

Song 4

`baul baul' bolche sabe, hocche baul kon jana dadi-cuda
dekhiye (o bhai) korche jivake vancana

1) Everyone keeps using the word "Baul, Baul" as a cheap label, but who has actually become a Baul (a pure devotee gone mad in genuine ecstatic love of God)? By merely exhibiting a long beard and a topknot upon your head, O brothers, you thus cheat many people.

deha-tattva -- jader tattva, ta'te ki chaday mayar gartta,
cidananda paramartha, jante to tay parbe na

2) Your philosophy of deha-tattvadeha-tattva -- that the material body is supposedly divine -- is simply a philosophy of dull matter (jada-tattva). By maintaining such a doctrine is it possible to become freed from the womb of Maya? The supreme goal of life is the attainment of eternally conscious bliss (chidananda) -- although you understand this well you will still be unable to enter transcendence.

jadi baul cao re ho'te, tabe calo dharma-pathe,
yosit-sanga sarva-mate chado re maner vasana

3) O! If you really want to become a genuine Baul (a transcendental madman), then please proceed on the path of religiosity. O! Just abandon in all ways the mind's craving for the inappropriate company of women.

vesa-bhusa-ranga jata, chadi' name hao re rata,
nitai-cander anugata, hao chadi' sab durvasana

4) O! Abandoning the performance of adorning yourself with dramatic clothing and ornaments in imitation of Lord Krishna, may you become attached to chanting His pure holy names. May you become the loyal follower of Nitai Chanda, thereby renouncing all evil obsessions.

mukhe `hare krsna' bolo, chado re bhai kathar chala,
nam vina to' su-sambala, canda-baul ar dekhe na

5) O my dear brothers! Completely giving up your clever manipulative speech, just fill your mouths with the chanting of "Hare Krishna!" Chand Baul sees no means of support other than the abundant resource of the Lord's holy name.

Song 5

manusa-bhajan korcho, o bhai, bhaver gan dhore' gupta
kore' rakhcho bhalo vyakta ha'be yamer ghare

1) O my dear brothers! You devotedly engage in the worship of the material bodies of human beings, and yet you dare to sing songs about ecstatic spiritual emotions (bhava). You expertly conceal your own secret activities, but all of them will be fully exposed in Yamaraja's court.

meye hijde, purusa khoja, tabe to' hoy kartta-bhaja,
ei chale korcho maja, maner prati cokha there'

2) Considering women to be hermaphrodites and men to be eunuchs makes one a member of the Kartta-bhaja sect. On the pretext of this deviant thinking you engage in mundane sense gratification, thus deluding even your own minds.

`guru satya' bolcho mukhe, acho to, bhai, jader sukhe,
sanga tomar bahirmukhe, suddha ha'be kemon kore?

3) Although your mouths proclaim "the guru is reality," O brothers, you revel in mundane sense pleasures. You freely associate with envious non-devotees -- how then will you ever become purified?

yosit-sanga-artha-lobhe, maje to' jiva citta-ksobhe,
baule ki se-sab sobhe, aguna dekhe' phadim mare

4) The heart of the jiva becomes greatly agitated by absorption in the association of materialistic women as well as greed for wealth -- does a true Baul become attracted by the glitter of these worldly things? A cricket is attracted by a flame and jumps straight into it, thereby meeting death.

canda-baul minati kori' bole, -- o-sab parihari',
suddha-bhave bolo `hari', ja'be bhava-sagara-pare

5) Chand Baul very humbly suggests, "Giving up all these degrading things, please chant the name of Hari in a purified manner. Then you will surely cross beyond the ocean of material suffering."

Song 6

eo to' eka kalir cela matha neda kapni para,
tilak nake, galay mala

1) Here is just another disciple of Kali-yuga. He keeps his head shaved, wears a loincloth, tilak on his nose and tulasi beads around his neck.

dekhte vaisnaver mata, asalo sakta kajer bela
sahaja-bhajan korchena mamu, sange lo'ye parer bala

2) By looks he appears to be a Vaisnava, but in actuality his conduct is that of a sakta, one who worships the principle of material energy in order to enjoy her. He engages in sahaja-bhajan (so-called "natural worship"), but does so by posing as "uncle" to the children of others, and then stealthily taking the illicit association of their daughters.

sakhi-bhave bhajchena ta're, nije ho'ye nanda-lala
krsna-daser kathar chale maha-janake dicchena sala

3) Accepting these young girls as sakhis (Radha's gopi friends), he fancies himself to be the Son of Nanda. By the deceptive lecturing about how everyone should become Krsna-dasa (the servant of himself as "Krsna"), this disciple of Kali-yuga thus hurls a sharp spear at the true devotees of the Lord.

nava-rasika apane mani' khacchena abar mana-kola
baul bole dohai, o bhai, dura koro e lila-khela

4) Giving artificial recognition to nava-rasika (the nine relishers), he thus eats and enjoys the bananas of his own mental fabrications. Chand Baul says, "O my dear brothers! Desist from this bogus imitation of the Lord's amorous sports."

Song 7

(mana amar)
hunsa'r theko, bhulo' nako, suddha sahaja tattva-dhane
noile mayar vase, avasese, kandte ha'be ciro-dine

1) O my dear mind! Please be alert and cautious -- do not forget the treasure that is the principle of suddha sahaja tattva (pure natural truth as opposed to bogus sahajiya tendency). Otherwise ultimately in the grip of Maya you will perpetually weep.

suddha-jive jada nai bhai, thika bujho tai, nije sakhi (se) vrndavane se
jakhan krsna-candre bhaje, sukhete maje, madhura-rase anuksane

2) The pure spirit soul is not material, O brother -- understand this correctly -- but is actually a female sakhi living in Vrndavana. When the soul worships her Lord Krsna-candra in this mood, then she becomes immersed in pure happiness, incessantly tasting the sweetness of the madhura-rasa.

jada-dehe ta'r sadhana-bhakti, jnana-virakti, deher yatra
dharma-bhave se grhe thake, bane ba thake, majiye dake, (`krsna') bole' eka-mane

3) While still living within the material body, she engages in sadhana-bhakti (regulated devotional service), developing detachment through the cultivation of jnana (transcendental knowledge), and thus passes life in accordance with religious principles. Such a devotee lives either at home or in the forest, and remains engrossed in calling out the name "Krsna!" with single-minded diligence.

eke-i to' boli sahaja-bhajan, suddha-mana, krsna pa'bar
eka upaya iha chadi' je aropa kore, sei to' mare, ta'r to' nahi bhajan hoy

4) Verily this is called sahaja-bhajan, or natural worship. It is conducted with a purified mind, and is the one and only means for attaining Krsna. Whoever deviates from this process by imposing their own concocted philosophy indeed perishes; their activities are not bhajan.

canda-bauler e visvas, chota haridas, ekatu kevala
vipathe cale' saci-suter krpay, dura ho'ye, hay, na pay ar gaura-carane

5) This is the conviction of Chand Baul. The devotee of Lord Chaitanya named Chota Haridasa somehow embarked on an improper path; by the mercy of the Son of mother Saci, he was cast away, alas, and did not again attain the lotus feet of Gauranga.

Song 8

maner mala japbi jakhan, mana, keno korbi bahya
visarjana mane mane bhajan jakhan hoy,
prema uthle pade' bahya-dehe vyapta ho'ye roy;
abar dehe care, japay kore, dharay mala anuksana

1) My dear mind, when you chant japa on the mala within your mind, why do you cease the actions of chanting japa externally? When one performs bhajan within the mind, and prema factually arises internally, then the external body also becomes pervaded by those symptoms. Therefore the body rocks and sways, while one incessantly turns their beads in chanting japa.

je vyata bhanda-tapasa hoy,
baka-bidala dekha'ye bahya ninde atisoy;
nije juta pe'le kamini-kanaka kore sada samghatana

2) This improper form of mental chanting is the tendency of the pretentious so-called renunciants. As displayed in the fables of the crane and cat, such renunciation is extremely contemptible. Although such a trait is shown externally, whenever one gains an opportunity to enjoy women and wealth he continually indulges.

se vyatar bhitora phakkakar,
bahya-sadhana-ninda boi ar ache kiba ta'r;
(nijer) mana bhalo dekha-te giye ninde sadhu-acarana

3) Inside such a man is merely an empty cavity of deceit. What does he have to express other than direct blasphemy of the process of executing external sadhana-bhakti? He thus makes a show of his own mental concoctions as being supposedly "superior" while he openly condemns the activities of the true sadhus.

suddha kori' bhitora bahira, bhai, hari-nam korte thako, tarke kaj nai,
(suska) tomar tarka korte jivana ja'be canda-baul tay duhkhi ho'no

4) O dear brother! Purify yourself both internally and externally. Stay engaged in chanting Hari-nama, instead of simply babbling stubbornly with controversial attitudes. When you pass your life consumed with dry arguments, then Chand Baul becomes very sad.

Song 9

ghare bose' baul hao re mana,
keno korbi dusta acarana

1) O my dear mind! May you become a transcendentally maddened Baul while remaining at home. Why do you engage in wicked activities?

mane mane rakhbi baul-bhava,
sanga chadi' dharma-bhave korbi visaya labha;
jivana japana korbi, hari-namanande sarva-ksana

2) You may keep the mood of a Baul within your mind, and giving up improper association you will automatically obtain sense pleasures in accordance with religious principles. Thus you will pass your life while every moment experiencing the bliss of Hari-nama.

jata-dina hrdoy-sodhana noy,
ghara chadle pare `markata-vairagi' ta're koy;
hrdoy-dose ripur bose, pade pade ta'r patana

3) One who renounces his home while his heart is not yet purified is called a markata-vairagi ("monkey-like renunciant"). By the heart being full of offenses, acting under the control of the enemy, one sinks lower and lower at every step.

encade-paka vairagi je hoy,
parer nari lo'ye paler goda ho'ye roy;
(abar) artha-lobhe dvare dvare kore nicer aradhana

4) A renunciant immature in renunciation is one who swindles the wives of others and thus remains just like a fat monkey in charge of a harem of female monkeys.

Furthermore, such a person goes from door to door out of greed to receive monetary donations. Thus he engages in the so-called worship of even fallen and degraded souls.

ghare bose' pakao nijer mana,
ar sakala-dina koro harir nam-sankirtana;
tabe cand bauler sange sese korbi samsara visarjana

5) May your own mind become ripened with maturity while remaining at home. And just perform Hari-nama sankirtan each and every day. Then, in Chand Baul's company, you shall utterly renounce the material world.

Song 10

balavan vairagi thakur,
kintu grhir madhye bahadur abar kapni pore',
mala dhore', bahena seva-dasir dhur

1) You call yourself a very great and venerable renunciant, but factually you are even more of a sense-gratifier than those who are still householders. Furthermore, you wear a loincloth for show, and carry tulasi beads in your hand -- but like a beast of burden, you bear the load of trying to seduce various women into rendering your own service as seva-dasis.

acyuta-gotra-abhimane,
bhiksa korena sarva-sthane,
taka-payasa gani' dhyane dharana pracur kori' cutki bhiksa,
korena siksa, vanig-vrtti pindisur

2) You beg alms everywhere you go, proudly advertising yourself as belonging to the disciplic lineage of the infallible Lord Krishna (acyuta-gotra) -- but in your show of deep meditation you simply concentrate on repeatedly calculating the total amount of your acquired rupees and milk. You are expert at begging on behalf of your belly, and you make a hoax of giving spiritual instructions to others, ultimately exhibiting the behavior of a businessman. You are a voracious glutton, accustomed to consuming huge quantities of food.

bole ta're baul-canda,
eta tomar galar phanda,
jiver ei aparadha sighra koro dur yaji' grhir dharma,
su-svadharma, suddha koro antahpur

3) Unto those of such nature, Chand Baul advises -- this is the noose about your neck. Quickly cast afar these offenses unto other souls. Worship the Lord in the honest role of a householder, executing your proper occupational duty according to your own ability, and thus purify yourself internally.

nyasi-mana-asa tyaji',
dina-bhave krsna bhaji',
svabhava-gata dharma yaji',
nas' dosankur; tabe krsna pa'be,
duhkha ja'be ha'be tumi su-catur

4) Giving up your desire for being honored as a sannyasi, just worship Krsna in a humble state of mind. By performing your religious occupational duties according to your own natural propensity, the seedlings of your vices will be destroyed. Then you will attain Krishna, your unhappiness will go away, and you will become very intelligent.

Song 11

keno bheker prayas?
hoy akala-bheke sarva-nas ho'le citta-suddhi,
tattva-buddhi, bheka apani ese' hoy prakas

1) Why do you have so much desire for changing clothes? By prematurely changing clothes from those of a householder to those of a renunciant, all is destroyed. Only when one's consciousness is first purified, then the intelligence perceives transcendental truth, and finally the change of clothes will automatically come and be manifest in its time.

bheka dhori' cesta kore,
bheker jvalaya sese mare,
nedanedi chadachadi, akhada bendhe' vas;
akala-kusmanda, jata bhanda, korche jiver sarva-nas

2) But when one makes an artificial endeavor to put on the clothes of an ascetic, then ultimately one perishes in the fever of that improper dress. Thus one becomes known as a member of the sect called Neda-Nedi, going about the town begging alms, and living at the meeting place called akhara. Such a worthless person, just like a pumpkin grown uselessly at an unsuitable time of year, finally destroys everything that would be good for their own soul.

suka, narada, catuhsana, bheker adhikari ha'na,
tan'der saman parle ho'te bheke korbe as;
bolo temana buddhi, citta-suddhi ka'jana dharaya korche vas?

3) The great sages Sukadeva Goswami, Narada Muni, and the four Kumaras are truly qualified to wear the dress of renunciants. One may desire to wear a dress similar to theirs as soon as one becomes as renounced as they are. Tell me -- who can develop the intelligence and purified heart of these great sages merely by wearing a particular garment?

atmanatma-suviveke, prema-lataya citta-bheke,
bhajana-sadhana-variseke koroha ullas;
canda-baul bole, emana ho'le, ho'te parbe krsna-das

4) In full knowledge of what is the soul and what is not of the soul, wearing the dress of a renunciant within your heart, just make your creeper of prema bloom by sprinkling it with the rainfall of bhajan-sadhana. Chand Baul says, when this occurs, then you will actually become Lord Krsna's servant.

Song 12

ho'ye visaye avesa, pe'le, mana, jatana asesa chadi'
radha-syame braja-dhame, bhugcho hetha nana-klesa

1) My dear mind, you have brought unending trouble upon yourself under the sway of material sense gratification. Leaving the company of Radha-Syama in Vraja-dhama, you have come to this material world and suffered a host of painful miseries.

maya-devir karagare, nijer karma-anusare,
bhuter vegara khat-te khat-te jivana korcho sesa;
kori' `ami-amar', dehe abar, korcho jada raga-dvesa

2) Trapped within the prison-house of Maya-Devi, and tossed helplessly according to the urges of your past karma, your life has come to an end after slaving and slaving away at very difficult and mundane labor. Absorbed in the material body, thinking in terms of "I" and "mine," you experience only attraction and repulsion for dull material things.

tumi suddha cidananda, krsna-seva ta'r ananda,
panca-bhuter hate pode' hay, acho ekati mesa;
ekhona sadhu-sange, cit-prasange, tomar upaya avasesa

3) You are actually composed of spiritually conscious bliss, whose only happiness is found in Krsna-seva. Alas, you have fallen into the hands of the five material elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), and have thus become just like an ignorant sheep who is helpless within their firm grip. But now your ultimate means of deliverance is to be found in the company of sadhus, discussing topics of the eternally conscious nature.

kanaka-kamini-sanga, chadi' o bhai miche ranga,
grahana koro baul cander suddha upadesa tyaji' lukocuri,
baul-giri, suddha-rase koro pravesa

4) The association of materialistic women, as well as endeavors for accumulating wealth for the purpose of sense gratification -- O my dear brother! Give up such insignificant play! Please accept the pure advice of Chand Baul: Rejecting all deceptive tendencies that are associated with the sects of impure Bauls, just enter the flow of pure, spiritual mellows of devotion.

Thus ends Baul Sangit by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakura Page