Vedic Conception of Sound in Four Features

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-----------"Vedic Conception of Sound

in Four Features"-----------

by J.N.Das

[ Originally published in "Tattva Prakasha" Volume 1, Issue

7;available online at http://www.indiadivine.com ]

In the Vedantic traditions sound is considered one of the most

important principles of existence, as it is both the source of matter

and the key to become free from it. One who can thoroughly understand

the four stages of sound as explained in the Vedic texts can utilize

this science to become free from the bondage of matter.

When trying to understand the four levels of sound, we must first

understand what is "sound" as defined in the scriptures. In the

Srimad Bhagavatam (3.26.33) we find an interesting definition for

sound (shabda) as follows:

arthashrayatvam shabdasyadrashtur lingatvam eva catan-matratvam ca nabhasolakshanam kavayo viduh

"Persons who are learned and who have true knowledge define sound as

that which conveys the idea of an object, indicates the presence of a

speaker and constitutes the subtle form of ether."

This may not be an absolute definition of sound, as there are various

levels of sound to define, but it provides us with a solid foundation

to begin our study of this topic. This definition, as given in Srimad

Bhagavatam, is very interesting in that it differs completely from

western and modern views of defining sound.

First, those who are learned and who have true knowledge define sound

as that which conveys the idea of an object. Sound is not just the

vibration created by the meeting of two objects. Sound is that which

conveys the idea of an object. The exact word used in this connection

is "artha-ashraya" or "the shelter of the meaning". In the Vedic

conception the aksharas (letters) are bijas, or seeds of existence.

The audible sound is categorized into 50 alphabets of Sanskrit

starting from "a" and ending with "ksha". Hence the alphabet is

called "akshara", which literally means "infallible" or "supreme".

Akshara is also a synomyn for pranava (Om), the sum of all syllables

and source of all vedic hymns. The Bhagavad Gita confirms this as

follows:

karma brahmodbhavam viddhibrahmakshara-samudbhavamtasmat sarva-gatam brahmanityam yajne pratisthitam

"Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are

directly manifested from akshara, the sacred syllable Om.

Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence (pranava or the syllable

'Om') is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice."

Karma, or duty, is manifested from the Vedas. This manifestation is

not exactly direct, for one is spiritual and the other is material.

This is indicated by the word udbhavam. On the other hand, the

manifestation of the vedas from the pranava (Om) is direct, and thus

the word used to describe it is sam-udbhavam, and not just udbhavam.

In the Tantras the aksharas are traced back to their material source

level which is a particular deity of Shakti. Each of her stages of

manifestation are phases in the evolution of the universe. Thus the

aksharas are potent sound, constitutionally connected to objects as

sound (shabda) and its meaning (artha).

This is interesting in that it draws a distinction between sound and

noise. Noise, as distinct from sound, is not the artha-ashraya, or

the shelter of meaning.

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana in his commentary to Vedanta Sutra 1.3.28

says that the creation of all living entities proceeds from the

remembrance of their form and characteristics by Lord Brahma reciting

the corresponding words. From this we can begin to understand to

potency of sound and its meaning.

The second aspect of Srimad Bhagavatam's definition of sound that is

unique from modern thought is that sound is defined as "that which

indicates the presence of a speaker". Thus sound must be a product of

consciousness. In this senses, sound is sometimes referred to as vak,

or speech, throughout the Vedic texts.

In the tantra system the purva mimamsaka’s theory of the

eternality of shabda (sound) and artha (meaning) is accepted. They

go a little further to assert that shabda and artha are the

embodiment of Shiva and Shakti as the universe itself. They name

their original source as shabdartha-brahman instead of a mere

shabda-brahman. For, that is the source of both the objects and their

descriptions. Words and their meanings - what they denote in the

objective world - are the variety of manifestations of shakti.

As sound is of the nature of the varnas (syllables) composing it, the

tantra affirmes that the creative force of the universe resides in

all the letters of the alphabet. The different letters symbolize the

different functions of that creative force, and their totality is

designated as matrika or the "mother in essence".

Thus Tantra sees the mantras as not just a mere combination of

whimsical sounds but as the subtle form of the presiding deity; and

the real purpose of one’s meditation through the mantra is to

communicate with the deity of that particular mantra.

Just as a sankalpa - a pure thought - has to pass through several

stages before it actually manifests as concrete creative force, the

sound of a particular mantra also has to pass through several stages

before it is fully experienced by the listener in perfection. These

stages are termed as para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari.

Each level of sound corresponds to a level of existence, and one's

experience of sound depends upon the refinement of one's

consciousness.

It takes a realized consciousness to experience the full range of

sound, the full range of existence. The seers who can comprehend the

four stages of sound are known as Manishis.

The higher three forms of shabda are described in the Rig Veda as

hidden in "guha", or within the self, whereas the forth is the

external manifested speech, known as laukika bhasha.

These four levels of sound correspond to four states of consciousness.

Para represents the transcendental consciousness. Pashyanti represents

the intellectual consciousness. Madhyama represents the mental

consciousness. And Vaikhari represents the physical consciousness.

These states of consciousness correspond with the four states known

technically as jagrat, svapna, sushupti, and turiya - or the wakeful

state, the dreaming state, the dreamless state, and the

transcendental state.

Shabda-brahman in its absolute nature is called para. In manifestation

the subtle is always the source of the gross, and thus from para-vak

manifests the other three forms of sound.

Though the manifestation of sound takes place from para-vak down to

vaikhari-vak (or fine to gross), in explaining these stages we will

begin from the external vaikhari-vak, as that is the sound we all

have most experience of.

Vaikhari-vak is the grossest level of speech, and it is heard through

the external senses. When sound comes out through the mouth as spoken

syllables it is called as vaikhari.

Madhyama-vak is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound, whose

seat is in the heart. The word Madhyama means "in between" or "the

middle". The middle sound is that sound which exists between the

states of sushupti and jagrat. Madhyama-vak refers to mental speech,

as opposed to external audible speech. It is on this level that we

normally experience thought. Some hold that wakeful thought is still

on the level of vaikhari.

In the manifestation process, after sound has attained the form of

pashyanti-vak, it goes further up to the heart and becomes coupled

with the assertive intelligence, being charged with the syllables a,

ka, cha, tha, ta, etc. At this point it manifests itself in the form

of vibratory nada rupa madhyama-vak. Only those who are endowed with

discriminative intelligence can feel this.

On the levels of madhyama and vaikhari, there is a distinction between

the sound and the object. The object is perceived as something

different from the sound, and sound is connected to an object mostly

by convention.

Pashyanti-vak is the second level of sound, and is less subtle than

para-vak. Pashyanti in Sanskrit means "that which can be seen or

visualised".

In the pashyanti stage sound possesses qualities such as color and

form. Yogis who have inner vision can perceive these qualities in

sound. On this stage the differences between language do not exist,

as this sound is intuitive and situated beyond rigidly defined

concepts. On the stage of pashyanti-vak, speech is intuitively

connected to the object. There is near oneness between the word and

the experience described.

Pashyanti-vak is the finest impulse of speech. The seat of pashyanti

is in the navel or the Manipura Chakra. When sound goes up to the

naval with the bodily air in vibratory form without any particular

syllable (varna), yet connected with the mind, it is known as

pashyanti-vak.

Para-vak is the transcendent sound. Para means highest or farthest,

and in this connection it indicates that sound which is beyond the

perception of the senses.

Para-vak is also known as "rava-shabda" - an unvibratory condition of

sound beyond the reach of mind and intelligence (avyakta), only to be

realized by great souls, parama-jnanis.

On the stage of para-vak there is no distinction between the object

and the sound. The sound contains within it all the qualities of the

object.

In terms of the universal cosmology, vaikhari, madhyama and pashyanti

correspond respectively to bhuh, bhuvah, and svah. The para-shabda

ultimately corresponds to the Lord's tri-pada-vibhuti.

Within the pashyanti-vak exists the nature's iccha-shakti, or the

power of will. Within the madhyama-vak exists the nature's

jnana-shakti, or the power of knowledge. And within the vaikhari-vak

exists the nature's kriya-shakti, or power of action.

The pranava, or the syllable "om", is the complete representation of

the four stages of sound and their existential counterparts. The

existential realities are the physical (sthula) which is connected to

the vaikhari-shabda, the subtle (sukshma) which is connected to the

madhyama-shabda, the causal (karana) which is connected with the

pashyanti-shabda, and the transcendental (para) which is related to

the para-shabda. These four existential realities further correspond

to the four states of consciousness.

The sthula sarira, or physical body, operates in the state of jagrat

(wakeful state). It is in this realm of consciousness, and through

this body, that the vaikhari-vak is manifested.

The sukshma-sarira, subtle or psychic body, operates in the state of

svapna. It is in this realm of consciousness, and through this body,

that the madhyama-vak is manifested.

The karana-sarira, or causal body, operates in the state of sushupti,

or deep sleep. It is in this realm of consciousness, and through this

body, that the pashyanti-vak is manifested.

The para-vak is manifested through the fourth state of consciousness, known as turiya.

The sacred syllable "om" is composed of three matras, namely "a", "u",

and "m". These three matras correspond respectively to bhuh, bhuvah

and svah; jagrat, svapna and sushupti; sukshma, sthula and karana;

and vaikhari, madhyama and pashyanti. Besides these three matras, the

pranava ("a-u-m") is also composed of a forth constituent, namely the

a-matra or anahata-dhvani - the non-syllable or unstruck sound. For

our practical understanding, this a-matra corresponds to the humming

sound after one recites the "om" syllable. The a-matra represents the

transendence, the turiya, the para-vak.

Thus the syllable om contains all elements of existence. It is the

reservoir of all energies of the Supreme Lord, and for this reason

Lord Krishna states in the Gita:

om ity ekaksharam brahma

"The single syllable Om is the supreme combination of letters."

Elsewhere the Lord states:

yad aksharam veda-vido vadanti

"Those knowers of the Vedas recite Om (akshara)."

Why do they do this? Because the syllable om is the Supreme Lord and

the potency of all Vedic mantras:

pranava sarva vedeshu

"Within all the Vedas, I am the symbol Om."

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu established the pranava as the maha-vakya of

the vedas, for within it exist all Vedic hymns (and shabda). The

world itself is a manifestation of this syllable. It is the sound

representation of the Abslute Truth.

The vak is not a manifestation of the material nature, for the Vedanta

sutra 2.4.4 states as follows:

tat-purvakatvad vacah

This indicates that the vak existed before the pradhana. Pradhana is

the root of the material manifestation - the three qualities

non-differentiated in absolute equilibrium. Yet prior to this is the

vak. Thus the vak is non-material.

For this reason we find in the Vedanta Sutras the following statement:

anavriti shabdat

"Liberation by sound."

Since sound is the non-material source of the material manifestation,

it is the key by which we can become free from bondage. It is the

thread-like link between the material and spiritual realms.

In describing the four phases of sound, sometimes the descriptions of

one will overlap another, or sometimes an aspect of one will seem to

be attributed to another. For example sometimes pashyanti is

described as "mental sound", whereas madhyama will be described as

"intellectual sound". This will require a deeper explanation of the

intricacies of these stages of sound and their relationships. Such an

explanation is not possible here at this time.

To study these concepts in greater depth one may refer to the

Nada-bindu Upanishad, Bhartrihari's Vakyapadadiya, Prashna Upanishad,

Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Maitri Upanishad and Katha

Upanishad, as well as the concepts of shabda, vak, matrikas,

hiranyagarbha, four states of consciousness, etc., as found in the

tantras and throughout the upanishads. One should remember that in

Vedic study one will not generally find a book on a particular topic

(such as "vaikhari", etc.) One must study from numerous sources and

assimilate a number of apparently diverse concepts. These concepts

must then be harmonized internally. This constitutes the meditation

and sacrifice of svadhyaya yajna.

For those who have assimilated these topics, they will find all this

information contained in detail within nine technical verses of

Srimad Bhagavatam beginning from 11.2.35 and ending at 11.2.43. For

example, if one sees verses 38 through 40 one will find a complete

explanation of sound in four levels and the process of manifestation.

One must be trained to see the inner meaning of words, for these

topics are discussed in esoteric and confidential manners:

paroksha-vada rishayahparoksham mama ca priyam

"The Vedic seers speak about these topics indirectly in esoteric

terms, and I am pleased by such confidential descriptions."

When we see such words as pranah, manasa, sparsha-rupinah and

chandah-mayah as occuring in verses 38 and 39, we should immediately

understand the indirect and esoteric nature of the discussion, and

thereby conclude the direct meaning being inferred by these words. We

must learn the transcendental code of the Vedas. In reality everything

is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam in full, but because we

generally lack the proper vision to understand the indirect and

esoteric discussions, we therefore need to study and refer to other

more direct scriptures. Thus the commentaries of the Acharyas will

help us to understand these topics.

The science of sound, shabda-vijnana, as explained in the above

mentioned verses of Srimad Bhagavatam, is also summarily explained in

the Pancharatrik text known as Lakshmi-tantra as follows:

mulam adharam arabhya dvistkantam upeyusiudita aneka sahasra surya

vahnindu sannibhacakravat punar adharat santa pasyatha

madhyamavaikhari sthanam asadhya tatrasta sthanavartinivarnanam

jananim bhutva bhogya prasnoumi gouriva

"Seated in the area starting from the muladhara to the position of

dvistkanta with effulgence equal to the rising of millions of suns,

fires and moons. Like a wheel from the adhara becoming the sounds

known as santa, pashyai, madhyama. Reaching the posititon of

vaikhari, there situated in eight places, viz., the throat etc. Being

the mother of all sounds I bestow enjoyments like a cow."