raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya
prabh?smi ?a?i—s?ryayo?
pra?ava? sarva—vede?u
?abda? khe pauru?a? n??u
"O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water, the light of the Sun and the Moon, of the Vedic mantras I am the sacred syllable O?. I am the sound in ether and ability in man."
Here, Divinity describes Itself as sound or vibration. The M????kya Upani?ad also mentions that O?k?ra is the most auspicious sound representation of Divinity.
Hearing is one of the principle physical senses of man, allowing us to participate in our environment and to communicate with others.
Sound waves are the basis of hearing. These vibrations are transmitted through the air, stimulating nerve fibers in the ear that generate impulses that travel through the canals until they reach the projection area in the temporal lobes, but the sounds that the human ear can distinguish are only an infinitesimal percentage of the cosmic reality of vibrations.
The universe is vibration, from the atom and the microscopic cell, to the movement of the galaxies in the macrocosmos. According to n?da—yoga, all of the cosmic manifestation is a projection of a sound vibration.
N?da—yoga is the "yoga of sound". The name is derived from the Sanskrit term n?da, which means "sound" or "essential sound", but it refers to sound in its most abstract and pristine level, that which is there long before creation itself. Sound at the level of the first pulsation, which is called spanda, is that expansion of ?akti that originated the syllable O? or O?k?ra and gave birth to "I am" in ?iva.
N?da—yoga knows sound and its expansive movement from the subtlest level to the crudest state. It aims at the sound in the physical state but goes on to find it in the pure and essential levels.
The Sanskrit root nad means flow, which does not mean only hearing, but a harmonic movement, a union or fusion with Totality. N?da—yoga is the synchronization of the soul with the cosmic tone or vibration.
I have mentioned before that n?da—yoga does not deal with the mantra ??stra on a linguistic level; rather it deals with the sound itself.
In the same way that mantra—yoga deals with ?abda—brahman, or the eternal Divine word, n?da—yoga is dedicated to N?da—brahman, the eternal sound, the absolute divine melody. The first originates in the mouth of God, the second in His heart. The first is related to the words, the second to melody and music.
N?da—yoga manifests through the marvel of classical Vedic music, which uses a myriad of expressional mediums: r?gas, t?las, ?lokas, mantras, k?rtanas, and bhajanas. As a side note, I should clarify that in the same way that not every athlete in India is a yog?, not every Hindu musician, as talented as he may be, is necessarily a n?da—yog?. The difference resides in observation, or the level of consciousness of the artist.
In the Ha?ha—yoga Prad?pik? (4.1), the author Sv?tm?r?ma refers to the Ultimate Reality, Divinity, as having the nature of n?da, bindu, and kal?:
nama? ?iv?ya gurave
n?da—bindu—k?l?tmane
niranjana—pada? y?ti
nitya? yatra par?ya?a?
"Our humble reverences to ?iva, the guru and spiritual master, who is considered as n?da, bindu, and k?la. He, who is constantly devoted to Him, shall realize the eternal transcendental and pure state."
N?da—yoga is more art than science. As it is confirmed in the Ha?ha—yoga Prad?pik?, (4.65), it is a wisdom that blossoms from existential experiences rather than intellectual study.
a?akya—tattva—bodh?n??
m??h?n?m api sammatam
prokta? gorak?a—n?thena
n?dop?sanam ucyate
"Now I begin to describe the practice of n?da (an?hata, or non—created sounds), n?dop?san?, which was given by Gorak?an?tha, and which is appropriate even for those who are unable to realize the Truth, and who had never studied the ??stras."
In the following verse (4.66) we read:
?r? ?din?thena sap?da—ko?i—
laya—prak?r?? kathit? jayanti
n?d?nusandh?nakam eva many?—
mahe mukhya—tama? lay?n?m
"?r? ?din?ntha noted twelve and a half million ways to reach laya, but we think the only way is n?d?nusandh?naka, the exploration of n?da."
As we said earlier, n?da—yoga gives special attention to the syllable O?. The first chapter of the Patañjali Mahar?i's Yoga—s?tras states it clearly.
Sutras 26 and 27:
sa e?a? p?rve??m api guru? k?lena anavacched?t
tasya v?caka? pra?ava?
"God is the principal and primordial Absolute Master, unconditioned by time. He is represented by the pra?ava, the sacred syllable O?."
Sutra 28:
tajjapas tadarthabh?vanam
"The sacred syllable O? should be recited without interference, and with feeling and depth."
Sutra 29:
tata? pratyak—cetana—adhigamo
‘py antar?ya abh?va? ca
"Meditation on the sacred syllable O? removes everything that impedes the realization of the Self."
N?da—yoga is paying attention, hearing, listening... only in silence can you perceive sounds... only by being silent, is it possible to hear those silences which are the melody of the soul...
Voice and N?da—yoga
The word "person" comes from Latin personare, which means resound. The Latin took the Etruscan term phersu, which derives from the Greek prospora, the mask used by actors in ancient theater. This mask featured a special opening for the mouth to ensure that the voice projected. The connection between the term person and sound is intimately associated with the path of n?da—yoga.
Voice is an external expression of something very intimate that happens in our depths. Our mental and emotional states manifest clearly in different tones of voice. Each person has his own voice that, like a fingerprint, is a manifestation of his individuality. In the same way, by following the same path but in the opposite directions, it is possible to positively affect our deepest emotional, mental and energy levels by developing mastery over our voice. In this manner, some masters utilize this yogic path as therapy. When we are angry, we emote a certain tone; when we are happy, we use another. It is also possible to lead to specific mental, emotional, and physical states by appropriate use of the voice.
Tonal Manifestations
There are four tonal manifestations that develop from n?da—yoga: para—n?da, pa?yant?, m?dhyam?, and vaikhar?.
Para—n?da: The sound of a transcendental character. It is called para, or beyond, because it transcends the mind, the senses, or indriyas, and in general is beyond any cognitive organ. It is the proof that sound can be perceived in other dimensions. At this level the sound corresponds to O?k?ra, the sacred syllable O?.
Pa?yant?: This Sanskrit term means "that which can be visualized". It means the sound of an inferior frequency to the para—n?da, a sound of greater density. It cannot be heard, but it can be visualized.
M?dhyam?: An intermediary sound of higher density than the previous sounds but still subtler than the voice at the vaikhar? level.
Vaikhar?: The ordinary sound to which our ears are accustomed, audible sound. Music is found within this level of sound, which is limited to a certain frequency. This sound is produced by the interaction of two or more elements and is therefore born of the dual and relative plane, from conflict.
Generally, the experience of perceiving different kinds of sounds accompanies the development of mystical powers, which vary according to the level of expansion of consciousness.
The Spirit of the N?da—yog?
The musician expresses sounds that reach him, which touch him.... The n?da—yog? deals with sound, but he moves in the opposite direction, toward the origin, the source. In other words, he tries to reach and consciously touch the primordial sound, the original sound, which has no beginning, which never started, and thus is without violence and aggression....
To find it is to find yourself.... To discover it, is to discover yourself. Listening is "being" sound.... It is to discover yourself as pra?ava? sarva—vede?u, the primordial sound of the eternal O? in the Vedic mantras as the authentic Aham, or "I", because O? is more than another sound. It is a symbol of the primordial sound....
On the spiritual path, we start when we believe we are an idea, and go on until we realize ourselves as the only melody whose enjoyment is not hindered by deafness....
It is the sound that does not come from the relative and dual world, from the conflict. It does not come from the collision produced by duality, by the applause of two hands that violently hit as they try to continue in opposite directions though they belong to the same body.... It is the sound of Zen's famous one—hand clapping, which is not perceived by the ear, but by the soul, the spirit, the heart....
It is the sound of kol dmama daka, the sound of delicate silence mentioned by the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament....
N?da—yoga teaches us that as we try to listen more, we need to create more silence within us. As this is created more and more, we will be able to perceive more subtle and delicate sounds....
N?da—yoga teaches that only when we are total silence, do we realize yoga, the union, because two silences cannot remain separate. They are one voice.... A duet in communion, one, not two....
Your silence will be mine and mine will belong to you. We will forget the ‘mine' and ‘yours' and realize that we are the most intimate and personal eternal property of life....
N?da—yoga talks about the sound of silence, a sound to be, rather than to hear....
