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Popular Culture Review
Supervision of the rites by a qualified guru is also imperative. The sadhakas
additionally need freedom from negative emotions, like lust, anger greed,
infatuation, vanity, and envy. Unbridled lust (kama) is the worst enemy.
The Changes
The Bauls have maintained their lifestyle, beliefs, and practices for a
long time, but are now feeling the pressure of some urban and western change
forces (secularism, materialism, formal education, achievement orientation,
urbanity, etc.) to which they have been gradually adjusting. Also, since coming
into the limelight, they have lost their earlier ignorance of the outside world and
have been drawn increasingly into psycho-social interaction with the rest of
society. People have been noticing their lifestyle, values, and practices
(particularly the sexual tantric practices) and scrutinizing and passing comments
on them. The Bauls are aware of these developments and have been making
changes to fend off the criticism and brighten up their image. Lately, more
emphasis is being placed on the bhakti component of the tradition, although the
tantric component also remains strong. The tantric component of the tradition is
showing signs of bifurcation. The vamacharas have kept the original tantric
practices in place, but the dakshinchciras have modified the practices somewhat
and have, for example, substituted coconut or milk for wine; salt, ginger,
sesame, wheat, or garlic for meat; eggplant, radish, or water chestnut for fish;
rice or wheat for parched rice; and an offering of flowers, joining of flowers, or
gesturing of the hands for sexual union. Vamacharas prefer performing the
tantric rites during the menstrual period of a woman, the dakshincharas prefer
certain days of the dark fortnight after the woman’s menstrual period. One also
notices more householders among the Bauls who have a preference for a stable
lifestyle, but most Bauls continue to be loners and wanderers. The adjustments
in their lifestyle, beliefs, and practices do not constitute major transformations,
as they continue to conform to the old tradition and not much change can be
seen at first sight.
Bearings on Popular Culture
The Bauls remain unique and through their natural, simple, and
spontaneous life have demonstrated the strength and resiliency of popular Indian
culture in the presence of internal and external pressures for change. To the
people around them, they have revealed the p ossibility of a free and unrestricted
life, away from the expectations and bindings of organized society. Caste, class,
and other divisions do not matter to them and they believe in the oneness of
people without formal distinctions. They have served as a role model to the
lower strata of the Hindu and Muslim populations as to how to live confidently
on an equal footing with the rest of society. In spiritual life they have
demonstrated that rituals, observances, and false piety are unnecessary in
spiritual pursuits and visits to temples, mosques, and pilgrimage places do not
matter. The human body is the temple and abode of the Divine and one should