Skip to content
SoundVoidVerse 38intermediate

The Unstruck Sound

Listen, ear turned inward, to the unbroken inner sound flowing like a river; immersed in it, reach the supreme.

Source verse · Verse 38
अनाहते पात्रकर्णेऽभग्नशब्दे सरिद्द्रुते। शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति॥
anāhate pātrakarṇe'bhagnaśabde sariddrute | śabdabrahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ paraṃ brahmādhigacchati
Listen, ear turned inward, to the unbroken inner sound flowing like a river; immersed in it, reach the supreme.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes closed

How to practice

  1. 1In a quiet place, close the eyes and turn the hearing inward, as if listening inside the ear itself.
  2. 2Listen for a continuous, unstruck inner sound — a fine ringing, hum, or rushing — flowing unbroken like a river.
  3. 3Do not force or imagine it; simply attend until a subtle ongoing sound is noticed.
  4. 4Let attention merge wholly into that sound (śabda-brahman); ride it inward until it carries you to the silence beyond.
Practice note. Some hear it readily, others after patient quiet. Lightly covering the ears can help at first, but the aim is the natural unstruck sound, not a pressure-tone.

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)
← All 112 techniquesVigyan Bhairav Tantra home →