“Ashwathama got killed… the elephant, that is,” said Bhima, making sure to mutter the latter part of the sentence softly.

The first three words were enough to completely shatter Ashwathama’s father Drona, a great rishi, fighting from the Kaurava’s side in the great battle of Kurukshetra. In his weakest moments of bereavement for his son, the opposing Pandavas took advantage and killed almost invincible Dronacharya.

Such is the power of words we utter!

Word, Sound and Consciousness

Words are denoted by sound. Vedic tradition explores the science of sound at length. A basic tenet of Hindu Dharma is that the cosmos is created by sound; everything in the universe originates from the eternal and infinite sound or ‘nada’. The creation of the universe is often described in connection with sound vibrations. Sound is not merely the vibration created by the meeting of two objects. There is some unstruck, eternal sound vibrating in the cosmos similar to the sound of “OM”. Pranav, or the primordial sound OM, is a universal sound that represents prana on a physical level. Being the first among sounds, it is believed to be a manifestation of every sound or mantra. 

In the Vedic conception, the aksharas or letters are bijas, or seeds, of existence, and therefore aksharas are potent sounds constitutionally connected to objects as sound (shabda) and its meaning (artha). From this, we can begin to understand the potency of sound and its meaning. It is ‘shabd’ or word from which the whole world has evolved. According to Sanskrit grammarian Bhartrhari, an Advaita philosopher, Sabda Brahman is the ultimate ground of all existence; vac or speech is the means to all knowledge and is the essence of consciousness. He regards speech as the verbal expression of a thought that arises in a person’s consciousness. 

Bhartrhari explains that if there is no consciousness, there would be no speech. Speech (Vac) is indeed an outward form of consciousness. For Bhartrhari, all forms of awareness imply the presence of words. Language is an integral part of our consciousness. It is of the nature of the word and from it are manifested all objects (including speech) and the whole of existence.  

Sound is considered one of the most important principles of existence, as it is both the source of matter and the key to becoming free from it. As ultimate and transcendental sound is the seed from which the entire creation has evolved, a seeker can utilize this power of sound to attain a higher goal. Therefore, chanting Sanskrit mantras is recommended in Hindu tradition because mantras create a seed, spiritual sound vibrations to cleanse ourselves of all the material smirch we collect while living a worldly life. 

Sound is referred to as vak, or speech in the Vedic texts. A variety of ancient scriptures speak of the universe created by sound or cosmic vibrations. Bhartrhari mentions in his Vakyapadiya 1.112: “vageva viswa bhuvanani jajne”, that it is vak that has created all the worlds. The purpose of the mantra sadhana is to find out the primal, the finest, ultimate, pure inner sound – the word or Shabda by removing all thoughts and other non-verbal impressions in the chitta. Mantras are chanted to cleanse past accumulations on one’s mind or chitta. That is why meditation on sound is recommended because sound connects us directly to the source of infinite energy. 

​4 types of sound or speech

If one can thoroughly understand the four stages of sound as explained in the Vedic texts, one can utilize this science to raise one’s consciousness to a higher level. According to Bhartrhari, the process of manifestation or transformation of the speech principle to attain clairvoyance can be understood by comprehending three types of vak or vani- Pashyanti, Madhyamā and Vaikhari. Bhartrhari explains that Vak or any sort of communication passes through these three stages and how with the realization of each advancing stage of speech or vak, seeker enters the realm of higher consciousness.

However, we come across mention of four types of speech going from extremely subtle to gross sound-Vaikhari, Madhyama, Pashyanti, and Para in several other texts e.g. Rig Veda 1.164.45 and Atharva Veda 9.15.27.

Catvāri vākparimitā padāni tāni vidurbrāhmaṇā ye manīṣiṇaḥ |

Guhā trīṇi nihitā neṅgayanti turīyaṃ vāco manuṣyā vadanti ||

चत्वारि वाक्‌ परिमिता पदानि तानि विदुर्व्राह्मणा ये मनीषिण: |
गुहा त्रीणि निहिता नेङ्गयन्ति तुरीयं वाचो मनुष्या वदन्ति ॥ Rig Veda 1.164.45

The meaning is that speech can be measured in four divisions, and those Brahmans who are wise, know them. Three of them are hidden in the cave of the mind, and they are not understood by ordinary speakers, only the fourth part of speech, people use in communication.

Although the manifestation of sound takes place from higher to lower or fine to gross, to understand, we will begin from gross to subtle. In manifestation, the subtle is always the source of the gross, and thus from para-vak, manifests the other three forms of sound. Vaikhari is the outward expression of the intention of the speaker.

When sound comes out through the mouth as spoken syllables it is called Vaikhari. Vaikhari-vak is the grossest level of speech, and it is heard through the external senses. Vaikhari is that which is manifest and audible.  [i]It is the act (kriya) of articulated speech, which, as sound waves, reaches the ears of the listener and then goes on to her/his intellect.

The etymological meaning of the word comes from ‘vikhara’ literally means body and Vaikhari is that which employs bodily organs. When a person wills to express a thought orally, the air (Prana) inside his body spurs and moves up using in the process different body organs, e.g. the head, throat, tongue, palate, teeth, lips, nose, root of the tongue and lungs which help the sounds of the letters to become audible and explicit. 

Vaikari is at the gross level of communication and the least powerful, but we humans interact only in it. Bhartrhari, an ancient Hindu philosopher, poet, and grammarian says that our Vaikari vani is our karmendriya. How we speak and what we speak is also getting logged as our ‘karma’ for this life. Speech is a representation of our mind and heart. Each word we utter, based on its quality, is being deposited in our bank of deeds.

Words can influence the results that we are getting in life. Words can connect hearts or destroy relationships, begin and end wars, and marginalize or liberate communities. Have you ever thought how heavily loaded these words are - ‘moksha’ ‘love’ ‘black’, ‘nuclear bomb’, ‘tsunami’, or for that matter even an empty word like ‘abracadabra’. You might be surprised to know that ‘abracadabra’ means, ‘What I speak, is what I create!’ Truly, what we speak is what we create. We interpret the meaning of each word based on our own samskaras and experiences. 

There is science behind this Vedic division of speech; sounds create energy. We don't even realize how much positive energy we invite into our lives by simply uttering good words that create good energy, and when you say them, your own body is the first to listen. You affect your own body with the right vibration you generate. 

Vaikhari functions on the level of duality, and in it, object-awareness is predominant. Vaikhari is the lowest form of sound, and it is only when one goes higher and higher on the path of Yogic perfection that one shall be able to hear the sounds Madhyama, Pashyanti, and Para, the three other hidden speeches inside our spiritual self, yet to be revealed. 

The other type of vani is Madhyama which finds manifestation in the mind. The word Madhyama means ‘in between or the middle’. Madhyama is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound between the throat and heart; its seat is the mind. Whereas Vaikhari-vak is heard through the external senses which represents physical consciousness, Madhyama-vak is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound, whose seat is in the mind and represents the mental consciousness. It is on this level that we normally experience thought. It is subtler than audible Vailkari but grosser than Pashyanti, the higher level than Madhyama discussed in part 2 of the article.

Madhyama vak refers to the sound phenomenon that exists in between the formation of thought (as an idea, feeling, or image) and its expression on the material level as speech or action.

The science of sound holds that even thought is sound, a kind of static sound. Sound changes properties according to pitch, rhythm, volume, speed, frequency, harmony, intonation, and pronunciation. Seekers chant in their mind and uplift their consciousness. Madhyama vani helps the seeker continuously focus within the mind and utilize the mind as a tool to cleanse one’s negative energies by focusing only on a positive note or thought. In Madhyama vani seekers keep repeating the mantra within; best understood as internal speaking. The Madhyamā vak is in an inaudible wave or vibratory form. It may even be regarded as introspection or as a sort of internal dialogue. 

Madhyama resides in our mind and intellect. Madhyamā vak, a sequenced but pre-vocal thought, described as the voice of silence; perhaps best understood as internal speaking. Here, there is no perceptible sound as Madhyama vak is in an inaudible wave or vibratory form. 

Madhyama vani is on a more subtle level. Have you heard of a type of magic known as mentalism? A mentalist will ask you to think of anything - a childhood memory, a person, or even a number. Just a few seconds later, he/she will be able to tell the audience what each volunteer was thinking -- with absolute accuracy each time! How can one have this intuitive ability to interpret someone else’s most subtle, sacrosanct thought? Does this mean that even thoughts have an existence so strong that they can be emanated out to others without being explicitly expressed? Can even our unexpressed thoughts influence our surroundings? Yes, as per Bhartrhari, and as it explains what we are thinking in our mind using words and is born out of our sankalp or intention to express ourselves, we need to be conscious about it too. Just imagine: if our mental ability is so concrete that others can read it if they develop the skill, then that simply means we can do wonders with our own mental abilities! 

In Madhyama, we communicate through the image-making power of pictures, shapes, symbols, geometry, optical illusions, Reiki chi symbols, vivid poetry and metaphors, all of which convert vibrations into patterns we call images, visions or thoughts. 

Do most of us even realize what a gift we have to create our own world? As our traditional wisdom says, everything that we as human beings have created on this planet was essentially first created in our minds. All that we see as man-made wonders of the world found expression in the mind first, then it was manifested in the outside world. Though unexpressed, the Madhyama vani still has an impact on us - on our facial expressions, behaviour, our energy levels, and more. Therefore, we must be conscious of not only our speech, the one we use to communicate verbally but also our unexpressed thoughts. 

So indeed, before striving for external goals, let’s train ourselves to first create the right ideas in our mind - righteous intentions, goals, and desires. Learning to prune our minds and energies to the shape we want is the basis for eventually creating the ideal three-dimensional world we want around us.

It means sounds are even more basic for us because different types of sound vibrations have a definite impact on our human body. There are four kinds of Japa depending on how advanced a seeker is in his practice. These are four stages of sounds created in the environment. 

On the levels of Madhyama and Vaikhari, there is a distinction between the sound and the object. The object is perceived as something different from the sound, and sound is connected to an object mostly by convention. Each level of sound corresponds to a level of existence, and one’s experience of sound depends upon the refinement of one’s consciousness. It takes a realized consciousness to experience the full range of sound, the full range of existence. The seers who can comprehend the four stages of sound.

Such is the significance of our speech. If we look around, the entire world is a manifestation of sounds we create while speaking. It is not merely the medium of sharing knowledge, messages, news, collaborations, and arguments but even to reach a higher plane of consciousness. We will explore the other two types of speech in part 2 of the article.

[i] Geeta As It Is pg. 190 English.pdf