Vedic Conception of Sound in Four Features

[Guest guest]

(Note, this is cross-posted on both groups)

 

Namaskaram,

 

This is a very good article! Kudos to you, J N Das. This is one of

my favorite subjects and I posted a similar article some time ago,

based on the writings of Swami Muktananda. I will certainly visit

indiadivine.com and check out more of your work.

 

> 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)….

 

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. >

 

Sound and the inherent meanings of sound are what form the manifest

creation. As Brahma recites the corresponding words, he creates those

things that are inherent in those words. We do the same thing in

creating and giving substance to our own world by our speech

(vaikhari/jagrat or waking state) and our internal dialogue

(madhyama/svapna or dreaming state) or thoughts and reveries. The

potency of sound and the power of words are mantra, spells and

invocations, and this is what the yogin and the adept use to manifest

their power over the world.

 

When we are small children, we are shown things or pictures of things

and then we are given the corresponding word, both in speech or

writing for that thing. In this way, we come to associate the thing

with it's word. Thus, the world becomes categorized for us, into a

lot of separate things that are represented by words or thought-

forms. We do the same thing with feelings. We come to associate

certain expressions of these abstractions with certain words and

experiences, and even things like food, affection, sex, etc.. This

further defines our world and our self. You are what you perceive

yourself to be. You are defined by what you tell yourself that you

are, and by the input of others that you allow to `paste' their

definitions onto you.

 

Our internal dialogue reinforces our view and perception of the world

and our selves, as well as reinforcing our view that we are separate

from it. The stillness of mind and shutting off of the internal

dialogue are one of the benefits and accomplishments of dhyana yoga

or meditation. When we can turn off this internal dialogue, we

are `stopping the world'. Turning off that internal dialogue is the

key to everything. For most of us, our experience of the world is

through recollection and memories. This is `living in the past'. By

turning off the internal dialogue, we live in the `here/now'. We are

what we are at this moment, and the world is what it is at this

moment. Therefore, we and the world become flowing instances

of `nowness', instead of a lot of intellectual and emotional baggage.

In this way, we become free/unburdened. This allows us to tap into

the power of the Self and to come into direct contact with It.

 

Pashyanti (sushupti or dreamless state) represents the intellectual

consciousness, which I would translate into `limited awareness'. It

is limited because it is matrika, which is the source of limited

knowledge (Shiva Sutra 1.4). Matrika is the source of the entire

universe, which is limited by forms and essences. Matrika not only

creates the outer world, but the inner world as well. This is the

level we must reach in order to begin to assume some form of control

over the world, and our formation of our self through words and

thoughts.

 

How can we do this? One way is to shut off the internal dialogue.

Another way is to make the jagat or waking state equivalent to the

svapna or dreaming state. I recall here the famous quote by Chuang-

tzu the great Tao master, `I do not know whether I was then a man

dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming

I am a man'. A potential truth here is that he is both. We exist in

all these states simultaneously. Part of our limitation is not

recognizing that we exist in all these states at once. In fact, the

entirety of the manifest universe exists in all these states at once.

Eternity is all around us and within us.

 

The dream state is an extension of the waking state, where first we

process our daily input, fears, problems and concerns through the

subconscious mind. This comes out in scenes or actions that are

symbolic and can be interpreted as functions and expressions of our

waking self. These are the dreams that most of us commonly

experience. Then, there is lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is in

control of his or her dreaming environment. That is, the dreaming

state is no different to the dreamer than the waking state. The

dreamer has volition to move about in the dream as easily (more

easily, actually – once you get the hang of it) as moving about in

the waking state. The dreamer has the will and volition to act inside

the dream by observing himself or herself `doing and being' in the

dream. Being able to dream lucidly and act within svapna as one acts

within jagat, is a further breaking down of the boundaries that give

the impression of separateness and compartmentalization. It is a

further breaking down of our limitation, in recognizing that we do

exist in all states simultaneously. Once we have accomplished this,

we can move into the para/turiya state or transcendence.

 

Om Shanti,

 

Dragon

[Guest guest]

-----------"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."