Yogashikha Upanishad (critical study)
by Sujatarani Giri | 2015 | 72,044 words
This page relates ‘four stages of sound (nada)’ of the English study on the Yogashikha Upanishad—a key text from the Krishna Yajurveda, focusing on the pinnacle of Yogic meditation. This essay presents Yoga as a crucial component of ancient Indian philosophy and spirituality and underscores its historical roots in Vedic literature—particularly the Upanishads and Vedant. The chapters of this study are devoted to the faculties of the mind and internal body mechanisms such as Chakras as well as the awakening of Kundalini.
Part 3.4 - The four stages of sound (nāda)
The Vedas from the sound manifestation of Īśvara. That sound (nāda) has four divisions, parā which finds manifestation only in prāṇa which finds manifestation only in prāṇa, paśyanti which finds manifestation in the mind, madhyamā, which finds manifestation in the indriyas and vaikāri which finds manifestation in articulate expression.
Articulation is the last and grossest expression of divine sound energy. The highest manifestation of sound energy, the primal voice is parā. The parā voice becomes the root-ideas of germ thoughts. It is the first manifestation of sound energy, the primal voice, the divine voice, is parā. The parā voice becomes the root ideas or germ-thoughts. It is the first manifestation of voice. In para the sounds remains in an undifferentiated form. Parā, pośyanti, madhyamā and vaikāri are the various gradations of sound. Madhyamā is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound its seat is the heart.
The seat of paśyanti is the naval or the maṇipura cakra. Yogins who have subtle inner vision can experience the paśyanti state of word which has colour and form, which is common for all languages and which has the vibrating homogeneity of sound. Indians, Europeans, Americans, Africans, Japanese, birds, beasts al experience the same bhavanā of a thing in the paśyanti state of voice or sound. Gesture is a sort of mute subtle language. It is one and the same for all persons. Any individual of any country will make the same gesture by holding his hand to his mouth in a particular, manner when he is thirsty. As one and the same power of śakti working through the ears become hearing, through the eyes become seeing and so forth; the same paśyanti assumes different forms of sound when materialized, the land manifests himself through māyāic power first as para vāṇi at the naval, then as madhyama in the heart and then eventually as vaikāri in the throat and mouth. This is the divine descent of His voice. All the vaikāri is His voice only. It is the voice of the Virāt Puruṣa.