Contract the Ears, the Unstruck Sound
Contract the ears and the lower opening, and listen to the vowel-less, consonant-less inner sound; enter the eternal.
कानों और अधोद्वार को सिकोड़कर, अनच्क-अहल (बिना स्वर-व्यंजन की) भीतरी ध्वनि का ध्यान करो; सनातन ब्रह्म में प्रवेश करो।
The conversation of Devi & Bhairava
A faithful retelling of the dialogue that frames this verse — the Goddess asks, and Bhairava answers with the teaching above. (The śloka is the scripture; the conversation dramatizes its meaning, in English and Hindi.)
You spoke of an unstruck inner sound, Lord. Is there a way to make it easier to hear?
आपने अनाहत भीतरी ध्वनि की बात की, नाथ। क्या उसे सुनना सहज करने का कोई उपाय है?
Sit upright, gently seal the ears, and lightly draw in the lower opening of the body. With the outer ears closed, listen for a continuous inner sound that has neither vowel nor consonant — a pure, unstruck tone.
सीधे बैठो, कानों को कोमलता से बंद करो, और शरीर के अधोद्वार को हल्के से भीतर खींचो। बाहरी कान बंद होने पर, उस निरन्तर भीतरी ध्वनि को सुनो जिसमें न स्वर है न व्यंजन — एक शुद्ध, अनाहत स्वर।
Why close the ears and draw in below?
कान बंद करना और नीचे भीतर खींचना क्यों?
It cuts off external sound and the downward flow of energy, so the unstruck sound — always present beneath the noise — can be heard. Let attention merge wholly into that pure inner tone.
इससे बाहरी ध्वनि और ऊर्जा का नीचे का बहाव कट जाता है, जिससे अनाहत ध्वनि — जो शोर के नीचे सदा विद्यमान है — सुनाई दे सके। ध्यान को उसी शुद्ध भीतरी स्वर में पूरी तरह घुलने दो।
And riding that inner tone?
और उस भीतरी स्वर पर सवार होकर?
It carries you, as the other sound-doorways do, from sound to its silent source — through sound-Brahman to the eternal Brahman beyond. Never press hard; let the inner sound itself lead you past itself, into silence.
वह तुम्हें, अन्य ध्वनि-द्वारों की तरह, ध्वनि से उसके मौन स्रोत तक ले जाता है — शब्द-ब्रह्म से होकर उस पार के सनातन ब्रह्म तक। कभी ज़ोर मत लगाओ; भीतरी ध्वनि को ही तुम्हें अपने पार, चुप्पी में, ले जाने दो।
Why it works
Lightly sealing the ears (and engaging the lower lock) cuts off external sound and the downward flow of energy, making the continuous inner "unstruck" sound — which has neither vowel nor consonant — audible. Merging into that pure inner tone leads, as with the other nāda techniques, from sound to its soundless source: the eternal Brahman.
How to practice
- 1Sit upright and gently close or contract the ears (lightly sealing them), and lightly contract the lower opening of the body.
- 2In the resulting inner quiet, listen for a continuous inner sound with no vowel and no consonant — a pure unstruck tone.
- 3Let attention merge into that vowel-less, consonant-less sound.
- 4Riding it inward, enter the eternal (sanātana brahman). Rest there.
The deeper story
This is essentially the yoni-mudrā / bhramarī approach to nāda-yoga, codified later in Haṭha texts: sealing the gates so the anāhata "unstruck" sound emerges. The Vijñāna Bhairava records the technique plainly, trusting the inner sound to lead beyond itself to silence.
Terms in this technique
- nāda
- The inner, unstruck sound; subtle vibration.
- śabda
- Sound, word — both spoken and inner.
- śūnya
- Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
Sources consulted
- Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
- Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)
- Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati, Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra (Yoga Publications Trust, 2003)