Naad Brahman - The Cosmic Sound of Hinduism

by Sri Ajit Halder

The Sanskrit word ‘Naad’ refers to the ‘sound’ which pervades the entire Universe and is a form of energy, while the word ‘Brahman’ is synonymous with the ultimate creative power underlying the Universe. So Brahman manifests as Naad, and the composite word ‘Naad Brahman’ signifies that the whole Universe is filled with Naad energy that is believed to be at the heart of the process of Creation and is thus intimately linked with Brahman.

 

The question then arises:  How can we best use sound as a means to release us from our earthly bonds and ensure our spiritual progress towards our creator Brahman?  A devout Hindu fervently wishes to spiritually elevate himself/herself to the supreme state of Brahman-consciousness and voicing Naad as a form of worship presents a powerful, effective way to realise that objective. This paper proposes that by chanting hymns and mantras, i.e. through Naad practice, a devotee will reach Brahman.

 

The phrase ‘Naad Brahman’ draws our attention to the holy sound generated either by the utterance of the eternal syllable OM or by the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra or by the blowing a shankha (conch shell) as the precursor to religious worship or to the holy chanting of hymns during a puja.  Over thousands of years, Indian Rishis (sages) by divine inspiration, discussed and practised vocal and sound techniques to elevate human consciousness to a spiritual level and bring humans closer to their divine nature.  Those Rishis discovered that the human voice is a powerful tool to commune with the universal spirit and to bring the individual to a higher level of awareness, enabling his/her divine union with the creator God.  The Rishis developed Naad Yoga as the science which guides the individual to join with the divine by using the power of sound and voice through utterances of mantras, singing of Shastriya Sangeet (i.e. Indian Classical Music), and performance of Naam Japa (i.e. remembrance and the repeating of the name of the Divine) – all of which involve the use of the voice, mind and soul. When a worshipper recites ‘Jai Sri Krishna’, the sound produced enters the body system through the ears and sends exhilarating vibrations which sanctify the auditory canal and other parts of the body receiving those vibrations. It should be noted that the concept of Naad also includes the non-linguistic sounds of mystic words (Beeja mantra) like Hrim, Krim, Hum and Shrim uttered as part of Yogic practices.  In all its manifestations, the Naad stirs our souls deeply, imbuing us with Divine Power.

 

We hear sound when someone utters words to convey a message, sing a song, or just make a noise.  We enjoy listening to the sound emanating from an instrument like the violin or a sitar.  We also hear sound when something physical like the skin of a drum, vibrates.  The sound waves emanating from the drums reach our ears and resonate with the vibrations of our mind, bringing us immense joy in the process.  A Naad may thus convey the notion of different types of created sound i.e. a variety of listening experiences.  Although Naad has hitherto been equated with the English word ‘sound’ which can be heard or listened to, it also includes another type of sound, ‘soundless sound’ that is the subtle, inner sound created without the vibration of a physical object.  It is now clear that Naad admits of two types of listening sensation – (i) ahata (i.e. ‘struck’) sound produced say, by striking a metal plate with a hammer or hitting the membrane of a tabla with fingers, and (ii) anahata (i.e. ‘un-struck’) sound, a mystic sound produced spontaneously on its own, and experienced regularly only by spiritually uplifted Siddha Yogis and other enlightened souls.  Depending upon the intensity of a seeker’s concentration and the level of his/her mental purity, Anahata Naad can be distinctly heard in deep meditation.  This ‘hearing’ paves the way for the seeker to attain the highest level of spiritual consciousness.

 

This discussion started by depicting Naad as the mundane, everyday ritualistic sound (i.e. the ahata sound heard through the ears), and progressed to showing Naad as also incorporating the subtle mystic sound (anahata Naad) that isn’t audible and can only be perceived by the human heart while practising meditation in silence.  It is obvious now that the word ‘sound’ does not adequately cover the whole spectrum of Naad and we should search for a more appropriate word to describe Naad. This new word should be broad enough in its coverage on two fronts: firstly, it should represent phonic signals received from the external world that excite our hearing organ and secondly, it should refer to the non-phonic sensation of Naad that is self-generating and which sways the inner world of our minds and hearts.  One ought to recall that sound is generated by the vibration of a material object; hence the word ‘vibration’ is perhaps a more appropriate expression to represent Naad in the context of this article.

 

It is a scientific truth that atoms are at the core of all matter and that they are in a state of constant motion, vibrating.  Vibration then is both a movement and a ‘sound’ and is a more suitable word to include both the ahata and anahata aspects of Naad. Moreover, we know from the scientific analysis of cosmic radiation left over from the Big Bang cataclysm that this origin of cosmic matter sounded like a deep Hum (Beeja mantra), akin to a continuous humming sound.  Such studies also indicate that shortly after the big upheaval, giant sound waves began propagating through the entire space. Since Naad existed from the instant of Brahman’s creation of the Universe, this scientific observation surely links Naad with the origin of the Cosmos and Naad may thus be aptly termed the Cosmic Sound of Hinduism.  Ultimately, it is natural for a devotee to get personally involved in his/her act of worship by using the power of Vak (speech), recitation of mantras, or singing devotional songs to reach convergence with Brahman.