“Sound is a form of energy which has frequency, pitch, volume, tone and also subtle qualities.”
– Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
The first time I became aware of a peculiar sound in the ear was when I joined the course in Brahma Vidya. This sound has become a constant companion. It is a very tinny sound and what I call ‘chinn’ sound. Swami Muktananda of Ganeshpuri calls it the sound of “Consciousness.” This sound cannot be heard outside the ear i.e. it can only be experienced. Once when I told Guruji that I would like to experience the level this pitch can go to, he warned me not to try it. Somehow, when I next sat for meditation, I started to move along with the sound. As it picked momentum, we kept on moving till the pitch reached its subtlest level and became ‘silence’. The feeling that arises at that moment is of complete stillness and silence within and without, and a sense of just ‘being’. This can only be experienced.
The other subtle sounds that could be identified were of the ocean, strong winds, school gong and a lute. These cosmic sounds probably emanate at different vibratory levels and vary according to the density of the energy at that plane.
In due course I found that this sound would change its tune and vibration, and I realized that at those moments I had to become very conscious and aware, because I was going to be a recipient of a message or information which could be in the form of a person, a book or just plain dialogue, or there would be a lag time before the knowledge filtered through from the vibratory level to which the sound belonged. These sounds arise from within the body-mind organism.
The subtlest and constant resonating ‘nada’ sound that belongs to the cosmos is the sound or echo that lingers after a single bang on a drum. It is a soft, soothing, ongoing ‘mmmmmmmm…’ like the humming of a bumble bee.
The above are the subtle sounds that are within the individual body-mind organism or the cosmos. There are other soundless sounds that sound like a thunder-clap, an explosion or a single clap, and it is experienced in the physical form as a jerk, the intensity depending on the intensity of the impact.
I was given to understand that when this phenomenon occurred it meant that some past karmas (system of Divine Justice) were wiped out. Though the explanation was appealing, I could not fully comprehend it till I recently came across a passage in the book Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati:
“According to Vedanta, universal mind is symbolized by hiranyagarbha, the golden womb or cosmic egg. At one pole of the universal mind is time, at other pole is space, and matter is at the centre. During creation, time and space come closer to each other. The instant they meet at bindu there is an explosion within matter and creation begins. Therefore, the universe is created by the convergence of the two poles of energy of universal mind, and is a product of an explosion at the nucleus of universal mind.”
The first golden cosmic egg that appeared led to a series of steps for purification of the body-mind intellect which would then enable me to recognize the form that would serve as a channel for my unfoldment on the path to self-discovery. This form I came to recognize and accept as my Guru.
The sound that emanated from deep within me was of a heavy male voice repeating after me the affirmations I was reciting. This was followed by the sound of heavy iron girders grinding against each other. The power of the sound is beyond imagination and human comprehension. The forceful rising of the Kundalini as a rotating, moving cauldron was the cause of this phenomenon. Words become inadequate.
The final golden egg with the visual depicting creation and regeneration leads me to a further purification process that would complete my journey.
“The ultimate source of all creation is contained within bindu*. When the explosion of time and space occurs within bindu the first emanation is nada, transcendental sound. This is the sound vibration at the highest level. From nada emerges kalaa, the manifest universe of time, space and object.”
“Bindu represents time, space and matter within a single point. It is the seed of creation.”
– Swami Niranjananda Saraswati, Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya
In between the above major experiences there were lesser sounds which would be like a loud clap or a burst of a fire-cracker. Going over the diary, I can understand at what point these must have occurred. It would be at times when contact takes place between time, space and matter. The intensity of the impact would depend upon at what vibratory level it occurs. As the clash takes place with matter the reaction in the physical body is experienced as a jerk, sometimes as powerful as to throw one off balance. Sound exists in the form of vibration, which is of varying frequencies. I also realize that with each of these shattering episodes different levels of purification in the body-mind intellect ensued.
This led me towards the creation of a changed psyche and a different way of thinking. I feel one is truly blessed to go through this experiencing because the course of one’s life and destiny is taken out of one’s own control and by shattering the aspirant’s balance karmas and blocks a new destiny is laid out for him/her. No longer is the individual ‘will’ that is operating, but the Cosmic will. It is understandable that destruction of the old has to happen in order for the subsequent creation in any form to take place. New can only come forth when the old is annihilated.
Thus these visuals in a step-by-step manner helped me to understand the role of Nada and its significance in the evolutionary process of an aspirant. This has been revealed in a visual form so that in turn it may be presented as the spiritual sign-posts for you – the meditators.
– Santosh Sachdeva
