Bāula Saṅgīta

Song 5

(1)
mānuṣa-bhajana karcha, o bhāi, bhāver gāna dhare’
gupta aore’ rākhcao bhāla vyakta ha’be yamer ghare

O brother! You engage in the worship of the human body, but sing about bhāva (ecstatic symptoms). You nicely hide your secret activities, but they will be exposed in Yama’s court.

(2)
meye hije, puruṣa khojā, tabe ta’ haya karttā-bhājā
ei chale karcho majā, maner prati cokha here’

Only when the female and male become eunuchs then they are eligible to be a Karttābhājā.”* You go on with this joke, but you bewilder your own mind.

* This is a famous quote of Bābā Aula Cāṅda of the Karttā-bhājā sect, who stated that one must be celibate to become a Karttā-bhājā. However, this tenet was hardly ever followed by members of the Karttā-bhājās.

(3)
`guru satya’ balcho mukhe, ācha ta, bhāi, jaer sukhe,
saga tomāra bahirmukhe, śuddha ha’be kemon kare?

Your mouth exclaims, Guru satya!” (The guru is reality)* O brother! You find joy in matter. You associate with those who are averse to spirituality. How will you ever become pure?

* Guru satya is the main mantra of the Karttā-bhājās.

(4)
yoṣit-saga-artha-lobhe, maje ta’ jīva citta-kṣobhe,
bāulae ki se-sab śobhe, āguna dekhe’ phai mare

The heart of a jīva becomes agitated by becoming engrossed in the association of women and greed for wealth. If a Bāula becomes attracted by such beautiful things, he is like a grasshopper who upon seeing a flame, meets his death.

(5)
cāṅda bāula minati kari’ bale,—o-sab parihari’,
śuddha-bhāve bala `hari’, jā’be bhava-sāgara-pāre

Cāṅda Bāula begs, “Give up all these things! In a pure mood, chant, “Hari!” Then you will cross the ocean of material distress.”

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