Even Visual Has a Sound

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

Whatever is seen, imagined or perceived through our inner vision has a sound. Is it sounding strange? But it is true! What we see is form, shape, colour, dimensions and spheres of million of lights and shades. Some vision strike our mind and we give a second glance and that is the spot which create loud sound, in silence. When our vision is reflected and anything interests us is the attraction of sound because all that is seen has its own frequency and that one which strikes has a higher visual resonance. Thus on Maun Sadhana the place or space is important. A space with clear vision with no observing obstructions does help the sadhak. When in silence our vision and ears work harder in lightning speed. Thus it is all the more important that visually or audibly we must not encounter obstructions that divert our internal journey. Meditative eyes, of half opened form, dilutes our outer visual obstruction and facilitates a smoother inner journey. Even at the mind level at Maun we must avoid “video recall” from some past memory or we should never try to visualize how people are watching us as these destroy the process of silencing the noise of noisy within. The wide unobstructed vision of blue or green horizon help us to have an obstruction-free vision of silence, and allow the practice of Maun Sadhana that assures a movement in a less sounding atmosphere for a blue and tranquil inner journey.

Negotiating Through Silence

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

Maun Sadhana is all about overpowering noise and negotiating through silence for the journey within. There are some thumb rules for this Sadhana. There has to be conscious effort of not to utter and also to minimize body movement which at its own creates sound. Taking the mind away from all the audible sound and try to pin the thought around Ram Bhava, then starts the process of assimilating the thought energy as if one is performing Yagnya and offering all thoughts (chintan) to the sacred altar of fire i.e. Param Guru, then identifying threads of emotions which pose the diversion and deviation. Then one has to emotively assert and assimilate the self to dilute the pricking emotions that haunt. If diversion is consciously not working, then one has to employ intense Ram Naam in an unuttered way until one reaches the state of Ram Bhava that swings within with the sound and moves in the process of smoke meaning spiral upward movement. Thus ends tunnel of gloom and then we realize a sense of melody emitting within in its inaudible form and pitch and percolates as vibration which is physically visible with horpilation of body hair. Here the body gets tranquil effect as nothing etches. From there river of silence flows and unveils all unique experiences of sublimity varying from each individual or even surpassing one’s own earlier realizations. Thus we find negotiating a journey within must have a conscious effort, and at the same time Ram Naam be tooled at different unuttered frequencies to move ahead and be with the self.

Fathoming Silence and Sound Within

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

The journey of Maun Sadhana is dynamic and ever manifestive. It reveals varied perspective of tooling the inaudible sound of silence within. Our body and mind has enormous sound. While doing medical “Ultra Sound” one realizes that how every part of our body creates sound which remain inaudible for our ears. This is the sound which scales in the silent zone of our perception. As human ear cannot perceive all kinds of sound always, yet what is inaudible for our ears are not really silent. For example, with stethoscope we can hear the heartbeat which otherwise remain inaudible.

To pattern a harmonious frequency in our body and mind a Naam Sadhak constantly chants RAM RAM at unuttered level that in due course envelops every corner of our body and mind. This constant remembrance allows the body’s sound frequency to get tuned to the holistic sound of Ram within, which opens up the prudence of eternal wisdom that inches towards eternal silence of self realization. Thus Maun Sadhana makes one realize the sound and analyze the silence in auto mode before it propels towards a journey of enlightenment and empowerment at the formless level meaning beyond our body and mind and yet within the space which is eternal storehouse of dynamic resonance.

Maun Ensures “Empty Mind” State

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

Mind without a thought is impossible. So even the mind is silent, there has to be sound as long we are in this body, so complete silence of the body and mind is real impossible as life force is of sound and silence. Yet Maun can ensure a close encounter with the relativity of silence which denotes empty mind meaning receptive mind. Empty mind does not mean that mind in thoughtless state but enough empty to receive fresh learning. So through the Maun we can rejuvenate our mind to learn and also to unlearn. Silence at outer level and less noisy mind of silence at the inner level allows us to be in the rightful state to “Receive” the bliss or Prashad of eternal wisdom which is graceful in appearance and melodious silent sound at the thought level. This allows the process of trashing our thought that ignites wish which in turn bring pain, suffering and guilt to regret forever. Thus Maun facilitates Antar-mukhi-yatra which is the process of dumping the garbage thought out of the mind, thus emptying for newer learning of inner sublimity that assures a psychic manifestation within to explore the inner garbha-griha where Param Guru resides who swims in the cosmic ocean of sublimity that denotes the state of soundlessness even with inaudible silence which is assured by the Maun sadhana.

Mind – the Restless Ocean of Silence

Dr Gautam Chatterjee


Do you mind what you are thinking now? When we consciously think, then we find different thought processes are going on in gushing speed simultaneously. Those are religious thoughts, concepts and contents of the socio-religious society; personal perceptions; analysis and interpretation; personal matters and very personal thoughts; then we find micro to macro social thoughts and issues popping up one after another and even simultaneously; then these are thoughts within contexts and outside. All these multi processing at thought levels represent a wide range of emotive frequencies constantly creating sounds in silence. These are the state of constant restlessness which haunts and drive human beings from one wish to the other that at times become cravings and lusts. These wishes even in their slightest appearance in the mind create sound and when get intensified it are noise that heavily resounds in the mind and resultant perplexity befalls on us. Maun Sadhana is upto knowing the art of reducing the chaotic noise and focusing our thought contemplation to Param Guru. This process needs snubbing the ill directed wishes within that pop up haphazardly and reduce us as a bundle of being with full of animal instincts and desires. Thoughtless mind is a difficult proposition but compartmentalizing thoughts and handling them one by one allows reduction of noise level even within the silence. Disciplined thought and conscious contemplative concentration towards the thoughts of Param Guru help us to delete many restless cravings. Thus Maun intends to purify and empty the mind full of garbage and guilt to allow a “travel light” concept for spiritual Tirtha.

Non-Utterance is Symbolic Maun

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

During Sadhana Satsang in Shree Ram Sharanam a bell rings and all Sadhaks get into non-utterance mode. None speaks in the Maun session. The outer sound of the bell allows sudden drop of silence till again the bell rings to allow all to speak.

But is the Maun limited to non-utterance only? Perhaps not! It only gives realization of experiencing outer or verbal silence. But in the Maun when one moves physically that also create sound pattern. The thinking becomes quite aloud inside. People watch each other that also have a visual sound. Swa-Adhyay is preferred during the Maun so that mind should be creatively weaved to a context because when we don’t utter then the mind roars like an ocean and splashes at different shores of our mind and thought contours. Thoughts within thoughts, their analysis and interpretative perspective of realization crowd our mind. The heart or Mann runs like wild horse and fragmentation of mind do happen. All these sounds are also to be tackled even when we practice Maun Sadhana. The physical sphere of sound; the visual sound; the sound of thought; attitude and behavior; the sound of the light around and finally handling the ambiance sound are also part of exploring silence which we will touch upon with psycho-physical perspective now onward.

Listening to the Silence

Dr Gautam Chatterjee

Sound is heard but can silence be eared? In Sadhana one has to move beyond the givens of resonance. And the givens are re-sounding sounds of all around reaching the proportion of chaotic noise when clustered together. These noises are sound of the nature, sound of living life forces and our enormous utterances apart from all kind of automotive man-made sound. These are the givens and Sadhak has to take his/her mind away from this “Noise Web” and disentangle them in various compartments to hear the music of silence.

Think you are amidst nature away from habitation. There you hear sound of nature, be it blowing of wind or gushing flow of a rivulet or the trembling leaves of tree and fluttering sound of birds and their humming of resonance. These sounds are soothing for us and we find the music in the air. But once being there for quite sometimes we also hear all those trees, mounds and mountains do talk through silence as well. Here, mind hears the sound of silence and if one concentrates further one can even see as if the sound has movement so is the silence that moves sways with certain amount of heaviness and our body feels the vibrations of those moving and at times over powering silence. Listening to this silence becomes easier when we do Sadhana inwardly or being in the state of antarmukhi yatra (a journey of internalization). In sadhana the journey from sound to silence is a holy retreat where the only sacred accomplice is nothing but talking silence that stokes our mind inward.