Volume-I, Issue-V, May 2025 > Volume-I, Issue-VI, July 2025
Volume-I, Issue-VI, July, 2025 |
Received: 07.07.2025 | Accepted: 12.07.2025 | ||
Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: 1447-1460 | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.1.issue.06W.151 | |||
উপনিষদীয় অধিবিদ্যার আলোকে আত্মা সম্পর্কে বাউল ধারণা: একটি তুলনামূলক দার্শনিক অনুসন্ধান ড. তাপস দাস, সহকারী অধ্যাপক, দর্শন বিভাগ, শহীদ নুরুল ইসলাম মহাবিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
The Baul Concept of the Soul in the Light of Upanishadic Metaphysics: A Comparative Philosophical Inquiry Dr. Tapas Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Shaheed Nurul Islam Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
This paper presents a comparative philosophical inquiry into the conception of the self (Ātman) as it appears in two distinct yet resonant Indian traditions: the metaphysical thought of the Upanishads and the embodied mysticism of the Baul tradition. In the Upanishadic corpus, the self is conceived as eternal, conscious (cit), and non-different from Brahman—the ultimate, unchanging reality. Liberation (mokṣa) is attained through the realization of this fundamental identity, expressed in mahāvākyas such as “tat tvam asi” and “aham brahmāsmi.” The Upanishadic path is marked by contemplative introspection, renunciation, and transcendental knowledge (jñāna). In contrast, Baul philosophy locates the divine within the human body (dehatattva) and emphasizes inner experiential realization through love (prema), song, and embodied sādhanā. The Baul dictum “dehe ache Brahma” (“Brahman resides in the body”) reflects an immanentist ontology where the self is not merely a metaphysical abstraction but a living, experiential presence. The Baul path affirms that the microcosm (the body) mirrors the macrocosm (the universe), revealing a non-dualistic vision akin to that of the Upanishads, though arrived at through radically different epistemic means.This comparative study demonstrates that while the Upanishads emphasize a transcendental, knowledge-based path to self-realization, and the Bauls follow a path of love and experiential embodiment, both converge in their affirmation of the self as the site of the absolute. The dialogical juxtaposition of these traditions offers a broader philosophical framework for understanding the plurality of Indian approaches to the self, liberation, and the nature of ultimate reality. | ||
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