Ancient traditions in India view sound intonation (nada) as an important principle of existence.
Nada is considered as the non-material source of all matter. It is also viewed as the ‘thread like’ link between one’s material and spiritual realms – a key by which one can become free from the worldly bondage.
Mantra, which is believed to be sculpted with appropriate intonation, needs to pass through several stages or levels before it is fully experienced by the listener in perfection. The four such levels of sound identified in the ancient Vedic texts for this purpose are: para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari, each equated with a corresponding level of one’s consciousness.
It is believed that one’s experience of sound depends entirely upon the refinement of one’s consciousness. By understanding these stages of sounds, thereby the consciousness thoroughly, it is stated that one can get rid of the bondage of matter – the ultimate aim of many a yogi, ‘to scom delight and live laborious days ‘.
In other words, the belief is that it takes a realized consciousness to have a ‘roller coaster experience’ – and experience of the full range of sound or range of existence.
Curiously, the modern-day scientists have also stumbled upon – not two or three but four distinct type of brain wave rhythms of sophisticated electronic gadgets and as EEG. Each such brain wave pattern has a remarkable identity with the very same nada consciousness levels, known to the Indian meditators from the remote past!
The seers who could comprehend these four stages of sound ages ago, describe the higher 3 forms of sound patterns: para, pashyanti and madhyama, as the sound ‘hidden within one’s self’ (guha). The forth, vaikhari, according to them was, however, considered as the external manifested speech (laukika bhasha).
In terms of the universal cosmology, vaikhari, madhyama and pashyanti correspond respectively to the mythological three worlds (triloka): bhu, bhuvan and svah. The para-shabda ultimate corresponds to the Lord’s tri-pada-vibhuti.
The table here makes an attempt to bring mythology and modern science together.
| Sound category | Corresponding state of consciousness (existential realities) | Probable Brain wave rhythms, corresponding to the state of the consciousness, described in the previous column | Remarks |
| Para (‘highest’; ‘farthest’) | Transcendental state (turiya), the fourth state of consciousness | Delta waves? | Para refers to the sound, which is beyond the perception of senses – an unvibratory condition of sound beyond the reach of mind and intelligence. It has no distinction between the object and the sound, as it contains within it, all the qualities of the object. In manifestation the subtle is always the source of the gross, and thus from para manifests the other three forms of sound. |
| Pashyanti (“that which can be seen or visualized”)The seat of pashyanti is traced to navel (Manipura chakra). When sound goes up to the navel with the bodily air in vibratory form without any particular syllable (varna), yet connected with the mind, it is known as pashyanti. | Intellectual or dreamless state of deep sleep (susupti); where the causal body (karana-sarira) operates. In the pashyanti-stage one’s willpower (iccha shakti) exists. The finest impulse of speech also exists here. The speech here is intuitively connected to the object. The differences between languages do not exist here, as the sound is intuitive and situates beyond rigidly defined concepts. There is near oneness between the world and the experience described. | Delta and Theta waves | Pashyanti is less subtle than para.In the pashyanti stage, sound possesses qualities such as color and form. Those who have inner vision (e.g., yogis) can perceive these qualities in sound. |
| Madhyama (‘in between’; ‘the middle’) the intermediate, unexpressed state of sound, situated in the heart region. | Mental or dream state (svapna), in which a subtle or psychic body (sukshma-sarira) operates. The middle sound is that sound which exists between the states of sushipati and jagrat. In madhyama exists one’s power of knowledge (jnana shakti) | Alpha waves | Madhayama refers to mental speech as opposed to external audible speech. It is on this level that we normally experience thought. Some commenters however, differ. For them, wakeful thought is on the level of vaikhari. After attaining the form of pashyanti, sound vibrations go further up to the heart and merge with the assertive intelligence (madhyama). This can be perceived only by those, who are endowed with discriminative intelligence. (Here also in vaikhari, here is a clear distinction between the sound and the object. The object perceived as something different from the sound is connected to an object mostly to convention.) |
| Vaikhari (‘the spoken syllables’) when sound comes out through the mouth. | Physical or wakeful state (jagrat), a state in which the physical body (sthula sarira) operates. In vaikhari exists one’s power of action (kriya-shakti) | Beta waves | Vaikhari is the grossest level of speech, and it is responded by the external senses.(Though the manifestation of sound takes place from para-down to vaikhari (or fine to gross), in explaining these stages we will begin from the extreme vaikhari, as that is the sound we all have more experience of). |
This article was published in Sadguru’s blessing – Page 38-39
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, Mar 4, 2021