Sound or ‘dhwani’ is said to have originated from the ‘damru’ of Lord Shiva. It is said that every perceivable and unperceivable object in the Universe has a corresponding sound. Sound, the first perceivable dimension of the physical creation originates from a layer so subtle that a normal human mind would not be able to comprehend that force.
Prana is the force that pervades the Universe. Manifested in different forms it makes itself perceivable. ‘Mata Adi Shakti’ manifested as the Trinity for the purpose of physical creation. The first physical manifestation after the Trinity was in the form of sound. ‘Om’ (Aum) was the first sound and it came out of the damru of Lord Shiva. Divided into four parts (a-u-m and silence) it represents the journey of the spirit. Before sound, i.e. Creation, there was eternal silence or absolute stillness. It was from here that the journey of an individual began. The emergence of sound marked the beginning of physical creation. The syllable ‘A’ (as in approve) represents the force of Lord Brahma, the Creator; the syllable ‘U’ (as in ouch) represents the force of Lord Vishnu, responsible for the preservation of all that is created; and ‘M’(the humming of the male bee) stands for the force of the transformation of Lord Shiva, as well as for stillness, that is, evolution, or coming back to where you started from. Stillness, the fourth part, is the touchstone of evolution, since it is stillness that leads you back to where you began from. Therefore, sound can be termed as the first dimension perceivable in the physical creation.
Sound translates as colours to give form to everything that is there in the Universe. That is to say, from the dimension of sound emerges the dimension of colours and from colours everything that we see in physical creation.
Sound has a deep and profound effect on the physical body of a being, whether we are able to immediately feel the effect or not depends on the kind of sound one interacts with. Grosser sounds affect the physical body, the grossest layer of a being, and have a short effect, while subtler sounds touch the lighter layers and the effect lasts longer. A specific sound touches a specific centre of the energy body. While heavier sounds touch the lower centres, subtler sounds l i k e mantras and hymns touch higher centres in the body. A loud sound is created to generate fear, and it affects the ‘manipoorak chakra’, or the navel centre, because fear is connected to the navel centre in the body. If you observe, you will see that people who get panic attacks have weaker stomachs. People who have a generally fearful nature tend to develop stomach problems.
The effect of sound is also just as apparent in the behavior of animals. When you sing a lullaby to a child, the child goes off to sleep. Even if the child does not understand the language of the song, he responds to the sound and pitch. Generally, people who have fear inside them shout on top of their voice, which is indicative of a weakness inside them. In earlier times, just before the starting of war, they used to blow a conch – this was to generate fear in the opponent’s army. People who stayed close to jungles used to beat drums to keep fierce beasts and evil spirits away. All this was done keeping in mind the effect of the sound generated, for the sound affects not only the beings of the physical dimension but also those of the other dimensions e.g. the spirits and ghosts, etc.
A combination of certain sounds is a mantra. The Vedic masters studied in depth the dimension of sound and its effects on the being. They experimented with the various types of sounds and their effects, and gave us mantras for nearly everything.
Sounds programmed as mantras have a very powerful effect on the body as well as the environment. Mantras, when chanted in the prescribed manner, create the desired result. As they are based on particular sound patterns, each mantra is a programme set for a specific purpose, which manifests as that specific force. It becomes very important to chant mantras in the prescribed way for if chanted in a wrong way, just the opposite effect might manifest.
The dimension of sound is so subtle that even when you are thinking you unleash ‘dhwani’, whose effects you have to face. So it is best to always think and speak positive. Similarly, sounds of bells are heard in temples at the ‘Brahma muhurat’ (dawn) and ‘sandhya’ (dusk). This is done because the sound of the bells has the dual effect of removing any negativity and attracting positive forces. Any sound created is an energy unleashed in the Universe, which will at some point of time manifest in the physical and have an effect on the person who created it and also his surroundings.
(Yogi Ashwini is an authority on the ancient Vedic texts. dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com)
There is so much to the effect of sound. It's amazing to know about mantra and dhwani. Thanks for the article. I want to know more. So looking forward to reading more such articles.
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