THE BAULS AND THEIR HERETIC TRADITION 75 As regards the concept of 'Guru-vada1, the Bauls incorporated the influence of the Sufis and the other Sahajiyas, but went ahead of them in formulating their own philosophy; in this regard their formulations are more akin to those of the sant mystics of northern India. The stress laid by the Sufis on the Murshid or the Shaikh (i.e., the preceptor or spiritual guide) bears resemblance with that of the Guru-shishya relationship of the Indian tradition in general. This stress is borne out in the Sufi text entitled Awariful-1-Ma'rif: 'When he (i.e., the murid or the disciple) is possessed of manners, he taketh in love a place in the shaikh's heart and is agreeable to God's sight; because, with mercy, favour and care. God ever looketh at the hearts of His own friends (the darvishes).8 In the Indian religious tradition ordinarily one Guru is presupposed. The tantriks acknowledge two, who give intellectual and spiritual initiation respectively. But in the sahaja view, such limitation of the number of gurus results in narrowness of realisation. Dadu, the north Indian sant mystic and a true follower of Kabir, indicates the sahaja stand in a verse of salutation: Dadu first salutes the colourless Supreme Person, Next, as the means of understanding Him, he salutes his guru as divine, And then he transcends the bounds of salutation, by offering reverence to all devotees.9 The sahaja idea finds expression in the tantras to some extent: As the bee in quest of honey flits from flower to flower, So do thou gather wisdom by going from guru to guru.10 In the Vaisnavite text Chaitanya'Charitamrita, the salutations are also offered to gurus in plural. The Bauls, however, introduced additional dimensions. They put it in one of their songs: By what path comest thou, 0 Guru, the mystery I cannot solve; So it passeth my understanding, where to leave my obeisance. According to the Bauls, initiation is a life-long process, to be gained little by little, from all kinds of gurus. So they asked: Wouldst thou make obeisance to thy guru, my heart? He is there at every step, on each side of thy path; for numberless are thy gurus.