The Unstruck Sound
Listen, ear turned inward, to the unbroken inner sound flowing like a river; immersed in it, reach the supreme.
कान भीतर मोड़कर अनाहत — बिना टूटे, नदी-सी बहती भीतरी ध्वनि — को सुनो; उसमें डूबकर परम तक पहुँचो।
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 taught me the silence after a chant, Lord. But is there a sound that never has to be made — one already sounding within?
आपने मुझे जप के बाद की चुप्पी सिखाई, नाथ। पर क्या कोई ऐसी ध्वनि है जिसे कभी बजाना न पड़े — जो भीतर पहले से ही गूँज रही हो?
There is. In a quiet place, turn the hearing inward, as if listening inside the ear itself. Listen for a continuous, unstruck sound — a fine ringing or rushing, flowing unbroken like a river.
है। किसी शान्त स्थान में, श्रवण को भीतर की ओर मोड़ो, मानो कान के भीतर ही सुन रही हो। एक निरन्तर, अनाहत ध्वनि सुनो — एक महीन झनकार या प्रवाह, नदी की तरह बिना टूटे बहती हुई।
Must I imagine this sound, or produce it somehow?
क्या मुझे यह ध्वनि कल्पना करनी है, या किसी तरह उत्पन्न करनी है?
Neither. Do not force it or invent it — simply grow quiet and attend, until a subtle ongoing sound is noticed. It was always there beneath the noise. Then let your whole attention merge into it.
न कोई। न उसे बलपूर्वक लाओ, न गढ़ो — बस शान्त होकर ध्यान दो, जब तक एक सूक्ष्म, सतत ध्वनि अनुभव न हो जाए। वह शोर के नीचे सदा थी ही। फिर अपना समस्त ध्यान उसी में घुलने दो।
And riding this sound, where am I carried?
और इस ध्वनि पर सवार होकर, मैं कहाँ ले जाई जाती हूँ?
Through sound to its silent source. This unstruck sound is the audible trace of the very pulse of consciousness; immersed in it, you pass through sound-Brahman to the supreme Brahman beyond. To hear it is to listen to me.
ध्वनि से होकर उसके मौन स्रोत तक। यह अनाहत ध्वनि चेतना के स्पन्दन की ही श्रवणीय रेखा है; उसमें निमग्न होकर तुम शब्द-ब्रह्म से होकर उस पार के परब्रह्म तक पहुँचती हो। उसे सुनना मुझे सुनना है।
Why it works
The anāhata ("unstruck") sound is an inner nāda that arises without any two things striking together, often heard as a continuous ring or rush when the surroundings are quiet. Immersing attention in this unbroken inner sound — "sound-Brahman" — leads, like the fading-chant technique, from sound to its silent source: the supreme Brahman.
How to practice
- 1In a quiet place, close the eyes and turn the hearing inward, as if listening inside the ear itself.
- 2Listen for a continuous, unstruck inner sound — a fine ringing, hum, or rushing — flowing unbroken like a river.
- 3Do not force or imagine it; simply attend until a subtle ongoing sound is noticed.
- 4Let attention merge wholly into that sound (śabda-brahman); ride it inward until it carries you to the silence beyond.
The deeper story
This is the classical nāda-yoga of the unstruck sound, later elaborated by the Nath siddhas and the Haṭha and Nāda traditions. In Shaiva terms the continuous nāda is the audible trace of spanda, the vibration of consciousness; to merge with it is to merge with the pulse of Shiva.
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 Satyasangananda Saraswati, Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra (Yoga Publications Trust, 2003)
- Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)