Baul: Pristine path of Jnana Bhakti Vairagya
- May 21
- 20 min read
Reflections from Madan Das Vairagya
The following is a transcription of the conversation with Madan Das Vairagya during the Baul Gyaan Darpan Retreat in December 2024
(Baul Gyaan Darpan is an annual immersive learning retreat conducted at Sanatan Siddhashram, Kamardanga, West Bengal.
During this intensive retreat, participants receive teachings and bask in the positivity of their presence. The retreat is hosted and held by Maa Parvathy Baul. Other Baul Masters who are closely associated with her and Sanatan Siddhashram share their wisdom with participants.
Apply here for Baul Gyan Darpan in December 2025
Parvathy Maa: Madan Das vairagya . Madan Das Vairagya is 81 years old. He’s been practising Baul for decades. He grew up with his father, Shashanko Goshai, my Shiksha Guru. And his grandfather, they have been Bauls for generations. In his earlier days, he tried many things as all teenagers want to do, rebel to their parents. He tried tailoring, tried many other businesses but finally he understood that his path was this Vaishnava path , the path of the Baul. So he started his sadhana and he took initiation from Keshav Bharati Ashram in Katwa, Shri Mon Thakur was his diksha Guru. And then he took Vairagya or Sanyas diksha from his grandfather Sukhdev Khyapa. Sukhdev Khyapa was the father of Banamala Dasi .
I’ll put some questions to Madan Da. I said, What is Baul for him? I am asking this question.
Madan Baba: Joy Guru. Our Baul Sadhana … We cannot call ourself Baul if we just go around with Ektara and having all the attire or even the coconut shell in hand. The main aspect, or the main quest of the Baul is to know one’s own self. And this self is in the body. So, through the body only one must know who is that Self living within. If we don’t learn the inner work of the Baul and we just learn songs, then maybe we can become famous and maybe we can earn a lot of money or we can even survive in whatever means. These Baul songs are sung by our ancestors and our previous generations for ages. We are following that path and we are still continuing. The way one can hold the capacity of the learner, is only the pot that can hold that much of the grace of the Guru. So, according to the capacity of the learner, Guru has put whatever may be possible, fully into the disciple. We think that Baul is all for us. Song is not the Baul, Dance is not the Baul. The beautiful music in the song is not Baul. First you must become Baul. You make yourself ready to be a Baul. If one can go very deep inside with these sadhanas that are given by the Masters, then after knowing the Sadhana, after doing the sadhana if one sings for people, then they will be able to make listeners understand what is that wisdom hidden in these songs. This Baul sadhana cannot be done in anumana, meaning something that you cannot see with your eyes. Something that you cannot feel with your senses. Something that is just an imagination.
If somebody finds Shiksha Guru and learns the way of Sadhana, and does all the practice after learning, then there will be nobody who can stand in front of him when he seeks that Mahajan-pada. Like the Mahajan has said that if somebody does sadhana without celibacy, without renunciation, then that sadhana is not going to be fulfilled.
So Mahajan said that only with celibacy and complete renunciation if one doesn’t do that practice then the completion of the practice will not happen. Therefore the first thing that one must work on is this complete renunciation and celibacy, that is the path.
Those songs that we hear and you learn even today , those are the songs written by great Mahajan Mahatmas. The songs of the great souls that they have lived here, they have experienced and transmitted into the poetry. So, Baul songs after all is not a bad thing , but if one knows the Self very well, if one dives deep within, then to sing, to transmit to the others, to make others dive into it will become much easier. Another Mahajan , another Mahatma who said in the song that can you find Sahaja by dressing up like a clown?
You have to find a Guru who is in that bhava of the Vraja. That is also a big explanation that I have to give, that is of the Gopi Bhava , where there is no duality between the divine and the devotee. Where there is the bhava of the divine is like my friend or my daughter or my child or just like the Gopas who felt so close to Krishna and there was nothing necessary , only that love that bound them to Krishna. A Master who is capable of that Gopi bhava, capable of that love and is not bound to anything , finding such a Guru one must become anuragi of this path. Following the traces of the Master and in the path of love that is the anuragi .
Narottam is the Mahajan who has said this and he said he is telling the truth that this is not an ordinary casual way and it is not a way of … it’s not a funny way . It is not even like plucking coconut from the coconut tree. It is not even a skill. It is only through the closeness to a Master through serving the Master , (without it) one cannot find. In this Siddhashram, you can maybe find a coconut tree and there are maybe coconut hanging there and somebody goes up and plucks it and comes back, the sadhana with the body is not like this. It’s not so simple that you just go and get it.
My dear mothers, you have arrived … (when he says Mothers, he means everyone, even the Fathers.) You have arrived here, to this place, seeking . My only advice will be that you find the right Master for you and follow the instructions very carefully. Do your path , you will definitely find.
Parvathy Maa: He said that without Guru, you cannot learn Baul. I asked him, Then tell me, how will I know who is my Master and what are the lakshanas (signs), the signs that a Guru must have?
Madan Baba: That also a Mahajan said. There must be some reason that if I see somebody among you, with whom I would like to take my path and that comes because I feel something inside of me towards that person. The Mahajan said in a poetic and mystical language that, Where the Guru is born, where does he reside? What wealth have you got that made you to become his eternal slave. What did you know from him that you could surrender your body and mind? What is the bhava that you have experienced, for that you have bounded your soul to his feet? So say that When I want to find my Guru, what is his lakshanas? The Guru is the bhava of Parakiya and he is living in Vraja, means in Vrindavan. I have got the wealth of love, therefore I have become his eternal slave. After knowing the shakti that is in Krishna, I have surrendered my body and mind and consciousness to his feet. Knowing that He is not an ordinary being He is in Mahabhava. He who has transcended all kinds of bondages, that person only can have Mahabhava. One whose body has transcended from the ordinary to the divine body. After knowing that Mahabhava in that person, I have given or bound my soul to His feet.
You have all come from different countries, from so far . For what have you come? What have you been looking for? What did you see that made you come here? You must have seen something in your Mother (referring to Parvathy Maa), that is why you have come. We have to realise that “I have seen these things, therefore, I was in love and I came for that.”
Mahajan said, Guru is in Parakiya Bhava and he is living in Vrindavan. So, what is Parakiya? What is the meaning of ‘Para’? One who never thinks about one’s self comfort, one who is happy in the happiness of Govinda . One who is happy serving all the devotees. That bhava is called Parakiya bhava.
If my mind and attitude is like, I have good food in my home and I will not give it to you, I will eat alone. That is not a parakiya bhava. Radha and Krishna’s love is Parakiya love. Why?
It is because Radha has never thought about her own comfort or own self-love , only thought about Krishna. Govinda himself never thought about what do I need, he only thought about what will make Radha content? Similar way, Radha also thought. Both have parakiya bhava. They are not thinking about their self comfort or self satisfaction. When that kind of a bhava will rise in our hearts, only then will we be … really, be able to call it ‘Sahaj’ , effortless path because we will become effortless.
I will not say ‘We’. I will say ‘I’ . I always think of my self comfort and interest. So, I don’t think about other people’s comfort or other people’s satisfaction. Not to think about one’s own comfort or own satisfaction, you have to think about Govinda’s satisfaction and the satisfaction of the world.
The human is the highest truth , there is nothing beyond that. This is the leela that is done, the divine play is done between Krishna and Radha . That is Madhuram, that is the ultimate sweetness that can be tasted in this mortal body. Even the Gods had taken human form to do this leela. Therefore, human is the ultimate manifestation of the Divine. Do the worship of humanity, do the service to the human . Serve the human Guru . Do the human karma, karma to humanity and everything is all human. If you go deeper in the path and one day you realise that that Inner man is there in you too, then doing the service to these human beings , doing the service to the Guru in the human form , through that only you will realise - you will be able to arrive in that subtle Inner man, who is residing inside. Mahajan has said , Nishtha - one minded attention to the Master, to the Guru and Rati - it is the continuous flow of movement of love towards; because in Kaliyuga, Guru is the highest form of worship. Another Master said, Worship all the 33 crores of Gods and deities but ask only one thing from all of them, which is the Krishna Bhakti. We are ordinary human beings and those are the deities . In the Gita in one of the shloka Krishna says, leaving all the other acts of life, take only sharanagati in me. You leave all other dharmas. Only remember me, I live in Vraja. So, you do the bhajana of me. If you do the bhajana to me, you will find all the 33 crores of deities.
All the 33 crores of Gods, the deities, are doing their Upasana , their tapasya to receive Krishna’s grace. Even though we are taking shelter at Guru’s feet, but we are doing the worship of Shri Krishna. We are human beings. Our path must be like a human’s. In recent times we had a great human being who came to Nadiya Shantipur. ‘One man came to Nadiya Shantipur, with the power of his name, how many people have crossed this worldliness. Who is that man?’ That man is no one but Shri Govinda himself in the form of Mahaprabhu, who came to Nadiya. To let us know people who are so ignorant about this truth. Truth of Nama, he came to Nadiya
Parvathy Maa: I asked what was the Guru’s lakshana, now I am asking what will be the qualities of the Shishya or the lakshana, signs of a Shishya, a disciple.
Madan Baba: The first lakshana of a disciple, one is bhakti . Complete surrender and devotion. Another one is faith. Having a strong faith. Because it is said that with faith you can find the jewel. But with arguments one can go only a little further. That’s all. If you really do vishwas, means faith, if you really have faith, then the seed of love will grow. Seed of love will grow. You all have come to Parvathy Ma to get something. She called and told you , Listen child, don’t pass this road. Guru has come and told you don’t go that side. You cannot go to that side anymore. You have to go the way she has instructed you. You have to take that route. If you don’t have that bhakti and that faith in her, then this Guru Yoga may not happen. Like the Guru tests their disciples many times, same way the disciples also test the Guru. Why? I will tell you a short story. One day a Guru and Shishya are going by the road. Gurudev is going in front and Shishya is following. There is a narrow lane and it is having a lot of banana plants around. There is one banana leaf fallen across the path. Gurudev is looking at it and saying to the Shishya , “Don’t come. There is a snake lying there”. Shishya has better eyesight so he looks from the back and understands that it is not a snake, it’s a banana leaf. So, he holds the hand of the Gurudev and pulls him back saying that “Gurudev don’t go close . That snake will bite you.”
Then Guru goes a little bit further and then he also figures out that this is a banana leaf. Then he tells to the Shishya, “Oh no no, it is not a snake , don’t be afraid it is a banana leaf.” If somebody has the attitude of that Shishya, then one will get the grace of the Master and will get something from him. If the Goshai is telling that “this is a snake”, and Shishya says “no no Guruji this is not a snake”, then one will become above the Master. Guru, whatever he may speak, this has power. All other don't matter. Parvathy Ma is your Guru , if you can follow her with complete dedication and pure dedication and faith, then something will happen to you. If Parvathy says this is banana plant and you say no, no this is a palm tree , then this will not happen. Whatever the Guru is saying is the right thing. If one who holds to the words of the Master is equal to holding the tiger. If there is no faith, then Bhakti will not come. So, go with one mind, one word and one faith.
From where will the Bhakti take her birth? From the day you will be able to think that Parvathy Ma herself is Krishna's embodiment, then only the bhakti will come from that day in your heart. If somebody asks you who is your Guru if you say , “Oh that woman who lives by Kamardanga, Parvathy Baul my Guru”, this will not happen. She is not Parvathy to me. She is my Krishna, she is my Govinda. Then only you will find it. Go this way.
Parvathy Maa: I said that often people see the Bauls in a way they are singing and dancing and it looks very powerful and everyone gets attracted. They want to come and then they realise there are some deep practices in them and they want to learn it immediately and they think immediately they will have a very rigorous routine and they will be practicing through the day, whole day. So, I said that how is that teaching of the Baul, how does it follow? Then, his reply was :
Madan Baba: that the Mahajan said , “12 years you have to carry the blankets of the Master. 12 years, then only he will speak a word to you. If somebody is not ready, and if the practice is given ... If some opportunity comes, somebody arrives with a lot of money and lots of offering to the person who has received the knowledge but yet not ready, they will run away from the path for the money or for any other kind of things. No matter how much eagerness a devotee may have, there must be a time which will be given for testing the person. To know if that child is ready or not. The big Mahajans have not made many many students. In the old times the Goshais made two or three Shishyas. Some of us are having 200, 500, 700, 2000 people following. If parents have one child , they can grow the child with a lot of attention. If the parents have 10 children, they won’t be able to give equal attention to all for sure. Thinking about that, the old time Masters, they used to have only very few disciples. You can find Gurus in millions. Many, many, many Gurus but Shishya you can find maybe only one. It is very difficult to become a disciple. First you must become the eternal slave of your Guru. Who has got that Vastu (the thing) by being the slave.
In this world , in our country, Dasya bhava Hanuman had received this wealth. There is nobody higher than Hanuman in the bhava of Dasa. Or that bhava of surrender.
In the bhava of the friendship , it is Arjuna who has received Shri Krishna. Krishna and Arjun used to address each other as ‘Sakha’ . Sakha means friend. Like the Gopas were playing with him in Goshtho, all the children - Sridam, Sudam.. They never thought of Krishna as the Almighty Lord. They just thought he was playing with them. The friendship way, in this way ‘sakhya bhava’ which was the same for the Gopas , Arjuna also found Krishna. In the path of surrender in the bhava of Dasa, or the slave is Hanuman.
In the Vatsalya bhava , in that loving relationship of mother and child , that Nandarani, Yashoda received Krishna . Why? Yashoda only looked at Krishna as her own child . She started playing with him, she would scold him and sometimes she would give him a little slap also, spanked him. So, she never thought of almighty Lord or anything. She just thought it was my child.
So, there are three bhavas. These three bhavas , you have to find what is your bhava with your Guru. And if one can follow the bhava with the Guru, one will find something. But let that Sakha and Vatsalya remain. Dasya bhava is universal and anybody can receive it. In the path of the surrender, it happens quickly.
Krishna blesses all, everyone equally. But Guru’s blessing only one or two of them will get. Kripa, Guru cannot give. Guru is not the owner of giving you Kripa. You have to put in the effort to make that kripa happen. How to do it? If I don’t do the work of the Guru, then Guru will not give me the Kripa. You have to do the Guru’s work , then only Guru will do kripa on you. What is the meaning of kripa? It means to put effort and do to get it. Look today , if the cooking did not happen in right time then we will not get our food in right time. If we would have spent the whole day inside Kalari and in the evening we would have said, “Oh my God! We did not receive any food!” We have some work here. If we really want to have the food on time we might have to go in the right time to the kitchen and put some rice and potato in the fire. So like that . If you do, you will get it. Do with one nishtha ,one minded attention. If you put your eyes to the second option, it will not happen. Because, there is only one truth, there is no second. Guru is the highest for me and Guru is everything for me.
I will not look at anything else . You should be able to give even your life for the Guru. You need to have faith like that. It doesn’t mean you have to give your life, it means you have to have that much faith - I am ready and I fear nothing. Fearless. To be fearless in that surrender. You are young, you have time . Now we are ending our time, nothing much left for us to do. I am 81 years old , I don’t know how many days I can come and speak to you. You will be here for a longer time. Try to do it. Joy Guru.
If you have any questions for Madan Da , if you want to ask anything, please ask. It’s an opportunity to listen to him.
Q. What is vairagya?
Ans: Listen mother. vairagya in the Sadhu bhasha , in the worldly language it is called sanyas. Which is Chaitanya Mantra. You have to take the begging alms bag, you have to take the attire. Everything past you have to leave behind. Whatever attire is given by the Guru to you, handed over to you , you have to use only that. You cannot use something beyond that. One who will give you sanyas. One who will give you vairagya, you have to follow his instructions given on the day of your vairagya. That will be your final word to keep, to continue. The vairagya Guru will show you the path. What kind of path? After sanyas you have to leave abundance. You have to live on Madhukori. You will have the alms bag, you will have the tilak, you will have malas. Whatever your Guru wears, the colour and the kind of attire your Guru wears, the same attire you will get. Nothing else. The Mahajan has said , “If you take the bhek, the attire and that initiation of vairagya, even then the real vairagya will not come.” If you don’t get the guidance and the instructions from your Vairagya Guru. Even if you do a lot of sadhana , you can never become perfected unless you have the Guru Kripa. So, first you have to become the renunciate, renunciate from your heart. You have to leave everything behind truly inside. If today I take vairagya , if I think tomorrow what my daughter is doing what my son is doing , what my brother is doing, what my friend is doing, then that vairagya I recommend not to take. That is why Mahajan says that once you take vairagya, go to a far country where there is nobody you know. So, one who becomes the vairagya Guru, he will make you leave your clothes, your past, and he will make you leave your country and family also. This Vairagya, my dear mother.
Q. In a few days I will be going back to America. I have a corporate job, wife and son. All these responsibilities. So, to what extent can I practice renunciation ?
Ans. You can practice Vairagya even being a householder. Why? If you have a child you have to make sure they get the right path. You first make your children reach their destination or atleast put them in the path to their destination, and your wife … you take your wife along with you. You and your wife have to follow the spiritual path together. That will help the vairagya. And you have to make your children reach their destination at least. Because we have created them. I cannot leave without making a vessel, a home for them. Until then you do, listen, you practice and you keep making the adhara, the home for your child. Once you have nourished and you have understood they have found their path, now you can get into your sadhana life. That time nobody can make an obstacle for your path. You have to find this way. This is the only way for a householder. Because you have already taken up the responsibility, first you have to make a solution for that.
Q. Towards vairagya do we need to leave absolutely everything behind? Is it not possible to achieve vairagya by keeping everything with us?
Ans. I understood. The vairagya that we follow. The Chaitanya who lived in Nadiya, was not manifesting the ‘guccha’ or secret leela of Vaikuntha. So, a Mahajan said, the Leela that is not known even in Vaikuntha, that Leela he manifested in human form. That pure bhakti he received and he manifested through different play, divine play. He thought that the Leela that I am going on doing secretly here , then it will rise in me and will dissolve in me. So, to keep the Leela active, I have to spread this Leela in the human. This was his wish. After I finish my Dwapar Leela , the incarnation of Krishna, I will appear again in Navadwip.
So he was born in the house of Jagannath Mishra , in the womb of Sachi Mata, Prabhu was born. He did the achara of his own dharma, it means he conducted the dharma himself and that only he gave to others. Like, today if I don’t take this initiation, then nobody will take the diksha. If I don’t take shiksha , then nobody will take the shiksha. If I don’t take sanyas, then nobody will take the sanyas. To wish the mangala for the auspiciousness of the human kind, to make us aware, he was born in Nadiya.
The three wishes that was not fulfilled in Dwapara. To fulfill the three wishes he came in the womb of Sachi Mata , the full moon himself. What are the three wishes that were not revealed in Vaikuntha and he also could not fulfil? Bhava, Kanti and Vilas. This was not known in Vaikuntha. To make the human aware of this path, he was born in Nadiya.
So his upper body, the outer layer, he was like Radha. The body of Krishna was inside him. The two bodies became one and he was born in Nadiya. He came to Nadiya and gave us Shiksha. He was born in Navadwip . After his birth he was lying under the Neem tree and not drinking anything. He refuses to take the breast milk from the mother. He is always looking up at his mother but not drinking from her. Jagannath Mishra is going around asking everyone , looking for the right doctor. But he has no illness. Jagannath Mishra became very tired. Such a beautiful child , he is shining like the Sun but this child will not survive. He did not drink. That time Prabhu thought, “I have to find a solution” . He is making Jagannath Mishra. Somebody comes and tells Jagannath Mishra that there is an Advaita in Shantipur , he knows some Ayurvedic medicine. So you can bring him here and show the child. So, Jagannath Mishra brings him. He went to Shantipur. Jagannath Misra explains to Advaita Mahaprabhu that there is a child in my house who has not drunk for three days. If you could come and see the child, then it would be a great help for me. He says okay I am coming. He came to the house. He looks for the child. He sees a basket which is tied up from the tree and the child is inside. He asks, please bring the child down. The advaita made the child lie in a dark room . He asks the child Prabhu why are you not drinking milk? Prabhu says I don’t drink milk from her because she has not been given diksha. Advaita asks, what should I do? Prabhu says to Advaita , Please give initiation to my mother. Advaita Prabhu says I know that you are my Guru , how can I give initiation to your mother? Prabhu says that this mantra doesn’t belong to anyone. So, the mantra I have given to you already, give that to my mother. After Prabhu said that Advaita Mahaprabhu gave the mantra to Sachi mata. And then only Mahaprabhu received the milk from her. By conducting the dharma, he made other people conduct the dharma. So he shows us the path. If one is not initiated , the body is not purified. So you have to take Diksha, you have to take Shiksha and you have to take Sanyas in a methodical way. One step after step. In Diksha the body becomes purified . In the Shiksha you know your body. And Sanyas is later advanced stage where you have to leave your country and you leave your past. This is it.
Q. We have many enemies in our everyday life and the one I fear the most is laziness. If he has ever experienced laziness and how has he overcome it?
Ans. Listen. One who will be dedicated to the Guru’s karma, Guru’s actions, One who is attentive to the Guru , being the slave of the Master, the laziness will never come. Who is the enemy to your body? Is there any enemy outside that will come and kill you? No. One whose enemy is living inside the body, control them. Like desire, anger, greed, attachment, ego and fantasies, imagination. And ten indriyas sensory organs. They are the enemy, there’s no greater enemy than them. If you want to become good, they will make you stop from becoming good. Mahajan said, First you have control over your senses, then only.
When we say ‘daman’ ..daman means to slay but it doesn’t mean to kill it . Whatever you have in your body, everything you have to accept as it is, everything will leave with you. But you have to know the ways from the Guru. You have to make them under your control by knowing the instructions of the Guru. And then greed, you think that that person has a lot of money, let’s go and get something , but not that. The money should come by itself. Like that you have to bring all the indriyas under your control, then only you can follow the path of the sadhana, you bring them under your control. They can do a lot of work. Greed. It maybe that I have greed to her, greed to him, greed to this person. Use that greed, put that greed for the Hari Katha. To Nama Sankirtana. Your lobha or greediness for the satsang greediness for the songs. Use every senses for a reason. Then there is no enemy. They will go according to you. It will lead your path.
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This transcript is from a conversation with Madan Das Vairagya during the Baul Gyaan Darpan Retreat in December 2024.
To attend Baul Gyan Darpan retreat in December 2025, apply here:
Joy Guru!
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