Sound: Spiritual dimensions

Dr Satish  K Kapoor

Sound or nada, the manifest aspect of the One Conscious Energy, called Brahman, pervades every atom and molecule of existence. It is perceived by the mind, absorbed by the sense of hearing, and expressed by tongue. 

Sound has four levels — ordinary, mental, spectral and transcendental, each having a magnetic force-field of energy. The mind is attracted to different vibrations of sound, at different levels of consciousness, determined by time, weather, mood, milieu, bodily changes, past karma, etc. Sound affects feelings, emotions, behaviour and actions as per its frequency, amplitude or direction.

Combination of sounds that evoke emotion is an art. Observation and experimentation on the structure and other aspects of sound in the physical world, is science. Meditation on the inner sound is spirituality. Nada anusandhana is research into the source of sound that lies deep in our Being.

Sound is the child of motion – harmonic, linear, circular, projectile or some other.  Motion is vibration of shakti, the energy  principle of existence. Existence is Shiva itself.  Radiant energy (tejas) and luminous intelligence of Shiva reflect in it. That explains why sound is all-pervasive, like the Supreme Being.  Sound lights up forms and images in the firmament. Each vibration corresponds to an esoteric plane of existence that can be reached by chanting a mantra specific to its structure. Sounds like Om (Aum) that emerge at a subtler level,  emit fragrance that is perceived  by advanced yogis in deep meditation.

Sound is mother of speech and sagacity. It is dynamic in wakeful condition, still in dream, silent in deep sleep and serene in the awakened state of consciousness.  It unveils in four  forms : vaikhari, vocal (audible), madhyama, from the heart (audible to the mind), pashyanti, from the navel ( discerned by the mind) and para, springing from prana, the life principle.

Vaikhari  is  conspicuous in jagrat avastha, the wakeful state in sthula sharira, gross body;  madhyama  in svapna avastha, the dream state in sukshma sharira, subtle body;  pashyanti  in sushupti avastha, the dreamless state in karana sharira, causal body; and para in  turiya avastha, the fourth dimesion of being, in anandamaya kosha,  body of bliss. All these forms correspond respectively to the physical, the mental, the intellectual, and the transcendental  states of consciousness. The power of action, is ingrained in Vaikhari, power of knowledge in madhyama, power of will, in pashyanti, and the divine essence in para .  

Sound emanates from six major energy centres, called chakras, wheels or lotuses, in the subtle human body. Chakras are positioned within sushumna, the central pathway of life-force. The total number of petals in lotuses is 50 — four in muladhara, six in swadhishthana, ten in manipura, twelve in anahata, sixteen in vishuddha and two in ajna, positioned respectively in the rectal, genital, navel, heart and throat regions, and  the last in the centre of forehead. The vibration produced at each petal assumes the form of a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet.

When antahkarana, the inner faculty of  astral body comprising of  intellect, instinct and ego, is purified by spiritual discipline, one may hear the vibrations of  sunrise and sunset, of  waxing and waning moon, of the dialogue of stars in the sky, of the stillness of night, of  seeds sprouting, of  buds  becoming  flowers, of  the grass growing, and so on. 

Both in pashyanti and para states, sound can materialise  into  words, symbols or representations, or revert to the original state. Pashyanti is visual sound that manifests in the mind, without being audible.  It enables one to differentiate between colours of sound based on frequency, intensity, wavelength, source and the medium.  Wave-forms of anger turn dull red or vivid scarlet; of  passion, crimson red or dark crimson; of  aversion and hostility, black, of  love and friendship, pure red  or pink; of intellectuality, golden or lemon yellow; of  virtue and wisdom, white; of spirituality, blue or blackish indigo; and so on. 

Para, the loftiest manifestation of sound far beyond the level of senses, is identical with Being. It is the source of divine revelation, of inspired knowledge, of prophesies, of sacred syllables, and much more. Anahata nada, the unstruck music of  the eternal being, ringing in every heart, springs from para-nada. It is the soundless sound heard by puissant souls in moments of Supreme stillness. Charandas, an 18th century mystic-poet says:

‘Unfathomable indeed is anahata nada
It is further than the furthest.
Yet this pure, heavenly sound
Is contained within the 
body itself.’

(Dr Satish K Kapoor, a former British Council Scholar and Registrar DAV University, is a noted author, educationist, historian and spiritualist based in Jalandhar city).