by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 29
June . 2003

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 3

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

( In the last article, we were exploring the significant effect that a perfectly chosen word and the characteristic sound it produces when pronounced, can have on the subject that is purported to be described by it.)

To understand something - only a little something- about it, one can take the example of the Indian classical music. As you know, we have the seven basic sounds or notes, which are roughly identified in the voices of a variety of animals :

Sadajam vadati mayura rishvam gaava eva ca

Aja vadati gaandhaaram kraunca vadati madhyamam.

Vasantakaala sampraapte pikah kujati pancamam

Dhaivatam hlesate baaji nisaadam kunjarah svaram

All these individual sounds have distinctive wave patterns as they are, and all are not very pleasing to the ear. Who likes to hear continuous neighing of a horse or bleating of a goat? But you combine the right sounds with the right pitch and the concoction assumes great power and strength. It is something like the vedic medicines from ayurveda. The individual herbs that are used have different healing powers in themselves. But when different herbs are mixed in the right proportion and manner, the potency of the medicine increases manyfold. So is it with nada or sound. Sounds when mixed in the manner as it is done in the classical music can bring rain and clouds, ignite a fire, heal a diseased, sweep away all miseries of mind, move rivers and seas, transport you to another world.

Combined sounds coming out of meticulously chosen sanskrt words used in richas of vedas and invocative mantras have the power to transcend one to the heavens of knowledge. This power of sound is again believed to be having its source as the Bramhan himself who, using this power, manifested himself as this phenomenal world. They say Jagateva nadaatmakam, nada is in the core element of the process of creation.

But we said earlier that wrong juxtaposition of sounds can be destructive and harmony with right combination creates bliss. So for all the beneficial things to happen, all harmonious sounds must essentially be produced. Harmony is at the root of peace and bliss. Disharmony is the creator of misery. A sound synonymous with peace and bliss is nada. Only harmony brings bliss or ananda, hence nada is harmonious sound.

Without harmony there is no stability- no existence. Harmonious vibration is essential for the sustenance of this dynamically balanced creation.

Only the language of sanskrt has this power that when uttered with right combinations a very powerful and beneficial sound can be produced and which can activate the entire creation.

Considering all these aspects therefore sruti, which is the core principle of the creator, creation and its movement, in its purest form, could only have been conceived in no other language but sanskrt. There is no other language that meets its demands.

We have all heard of the power of mantra when spoken loudly and in the correct manner. Although distinct proof of all this has gone into oblivion to our misfortune, it was believed that in Vedas and Upanishads, every single word, the word previous to it and the word following was chosen in such a way that the sound produced of the individual word ( which itself is a collection of aksharas and matras), as well as the sound of the collective string produces vibrations that are beneficial to the entire universe. Not a single word, sentence or text in the srutis is replaceable or interchangeable. You can not rewrite sruti. The very thought behind the vedic verses combined with the positioning of words and letters with their grammar and pronouncement are simply unalterable. It is the ultimate perfection. It is interesting that these verses are simply described again by a sanskrt word sukta. Sukta simply means su i.e. very well and ukta i.e. expressed- something that is very well expressed or rendered to perfection, is a su- ukta or sukta. The whole effectiveness of the result or meaning it produces gets distorted if it is altered any manner whatsoever.

Sri Aurobindo also observed it this way. While talking of sanskrt used by our vedantins, he said: quote 'It was not only the actual etymological sense or the actual sense in use but the suggestions of the sound and syllables of the words which attracted them; for they found that by dwelling on them new and deep truths arose into their understandings' unquote.

The sanatan philosophy firmly believes that it is a grave crime to twist the text and speech of the sruti passages because of the fear of interference with the divine principles with which this creation is sustained. If you do, you create disharmony and disharmony leads to chaos.