The Open Mouth and Silent HA
Open the mouth, rest the tongue in the middle, place awareness in the centre, and mentally sound "HA"; you dissolve into peace.
मुख खोलकर, जीभ को मध्य में रखकर, चेतना को मध्य में स्थापित कर, मन से "ह" का उच्चार करो; शान्ति में विलीन हो जाओगे।
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.)
Is there a way that joins posture, breath, and sound into one doorway, Lord?
क्या कोई ऐसा उपाय है जो आसन, साँस और ध्वनि को एक ही द्वार में जोड़ दे, नाथ?
Let the mouth fall gently open, the jaw relaxed, and rest the tongue loosely in the middle, touching nothing. Place awareness in that central space of the open mouth.
मुख को कोमलता से खुला छोड़ो, जबड़ा ढीला, और जीभ को बीच में, किसी को छुए बिना, ढीला रखो। ध्यान को खुले मुख के उसी मध्य-अवकाश में रखो।
And then?
और फिर?
Mentally — silently — sound the breath-letter "HA", over and over, and let it carry you. The open mouth and centred tongue keep attention poised at a midpoint, and sustained there, it dissolves into peace.
मन-ही-मन — चुपचाप — श्वास-वर्ण "ह" को बार-बार उच्चारो, और उसे तुम्हें ले चलने दो। खुला मुख और मध्य में टिकी जीभ ध्यान को एक मध्य-बिन्दु पर साधे रखते हैं, और वहाँ बने रहकर वह शान्ति में विलीन हो जाता है।
Why this letter "HA"?
यह "ह" वर्ण ही क्यों?
It is the visarga-breath — the final emission of consciousness into manifestation, and its return. Sounded inwardly with the mouth open and attention centred, it evokes the return of all expression into the silent source — which is why it ends in peace.
वह विसर्ग-श्वास है — चेतना का प्रकटीकरण में अन्तिम उत्सर्ग, और उसका लौटना। खुले मुख और मध्य में टिके ध्यान के साथ भीतर उच्चारित, वह समस्त अभिव्यक्ति का मौन स्रोत में लौटना जगाता है — इसीलिए वह शान्ति में समाप्त होता है।
Why it works
With the mouth open and the tongue resting unattached in the middle, awareness is placed in that central space and the breath-letter "HA" — the natural sound of open breath — is uttered mentally. The open, unobstructed mouth and the inward "HA" keep attention suspended at a midpoint, and sustained there it dissolves (pralīyate) into peace.
How to practice
- 1Let the mouth fall gently open, jaw relaxed.
- 2Rest the tongue loosely in the middle of the mouth, touching nothing.
- 3Place awareness in that central space of the open mouth.
- 4Mentally — silently — sound the breath-letter "HA", over and over, and let it carry you, until you dissolve into peace (śānta).
The deeper story
The letter "HA" is, in Shaiva phonematics, the visarga-breath — the final emission of consciousness into manifestation, and its return. Mentally sounding it with the mouth open and attention centred subtly evokes that return of all expression into the silent source, which is why it ends in śānta, peace.
Terms in this technique
- nāda
- The inner, unstruck sound; subtle vibration.
- śabda
- Sound, word — both spoken and inner.
- madhya
- The middle, the centre, the gap between two states — a key VBT doorway.
- 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)
- Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)