The kinship between Baul and Sufi musical traditions in Bengal rests first of all on a shared mystical orientation. Both are devotional paths that privilege direct, inner experience of the Divine over formal religious authority, ritual, or dogma. Love and longing for the Beloved stand at the center of their vision, and this love is understood as a transformative force that leads to inner realization and the sense of the unity of all existence. In this sense, music and poetry are not ornaments but vehicles for expressing and transmitting mystical experience and teaching.

Historically, Baul practice developed in an environment where Sufi orders and Sufi saints were active, and this proximity fostered a deep process of cultural exchange and syncretism. Many Bauls, including Muslim practitioners often known as fakirs, absorbed Sufi concepts and imagery, while Hindu Bauls drew on Vaishnava bhakti and other currents; over time, these streams interacted and overlapped. This is reflected in Baul songs that employ Sufi vocabulary—such as murshid, fakir, and pir—and that echo Sufi metaphors of separation, longing, and spiritual intoxication. Scholars have noted both the significant role of Sufi influence and the independent roots of Baul music, suggesting an ongoing, mutual exchange rather than a simple one-way borrowing.

Musically and performatively, the two traditions display striking parallels. Both use simple, repetitive, and often trance-inducing melodies and rhythms, with ecstatic singing and rhythmic accompaniment designed to open the heart and alter consciousness. The performance itself functions as a spiritual practice: a kind of remembrance through song, where voice, body, and instruments become tools for approaching the Divine. Emotional intensity is valued more than technical refinement, and gatherings around such music serve simultaneously as worship and as a mode of instruction in the path.

Philosophically and socially, Baul and Sufi traditions share a critical stance toward rigid religious and social boundaries. Their songs frequently question caste hierarchies, formal clergy, and institutional power, favoring instead the guidance of a living guru or spiritual guide and the authority of inner experience. Lyrically, both traditions make rich use of mystical symbolism, coded language, and human metaphors of love to hint at realities that cannot be captured directly in concepts. In this way, Baul music in Bengal can be understood as a distinct yet closely related mystical song tradition, in which Sufi devotional forms and ideas are woven together with Bengali folk and other spiritual currents into a single, syncretic tapestry.