Silence is given utmost importance in the domain of spirituality. Silence helps us to steady and focus ourselves. It helps conserve the power of our speech by preventing its misuse. Whenever we need to work on some serious project with a focussed mind, we search for quietude where no one would disturb us and where we can carry out our work silently with a composed mind. We begin our spiritual journey through silence and with this alone we make a steady progress. The great depths of life are fathomed through silence.
Just as it is not possible to know what lies at the bottom of a bustling river whose surface is constantly disturbed by waves, a talkative person always remains unaware of all the power and capabilities that lie hidden in his mind. But, the water of a serene river is clear and transparent and so all the creatures that live within like fish, molluscs, etc can be seen easily. Similarly, the silent mind of a person also begins to display to him all the vast treasures that lie inside it.
The glory of silence is unparalleled. It is the most potent means of attaining control over senses. According to a legend, the entire tale of Mahabharata was narrated without pause by Rishi Vyas and was penned down by Lord Ganesh Himself. After completion of the work, Vyas said to Lord Ganesha, “I have narrated the whole scripture without a pause but you never spoke a word the whole time and in a perfect silence wrote the whole epic patiently. I thank you because your control over speech is unmatched.” Lord replied to him, “The central energy is prana (the life force). This alone is the nectar that is the driving force for all the senses. Wastage of this life force is an unpardonable error. If control is learnt over speech, all other senses can also be brought under control easily. Garrulous people often speak improper words, whose consequences have to be faced by all the senses. This quality of mine that you appreciate is a blessing bestowed upon me by my deity Vachogupti!” So among all the restraints on senses, restraint of speech is the most important.
All the misunderstandings and problems that get created due to excessive talking can be avoided by staying quiet. Speaking meaninglessly is very tiring. It creates heat within body. When people were less educated, they used to speak less and were more genuine and dependable. They would express only what they truly felt and believed. One of the reasons for raised bodily heat today is speaking meaninglessly and speaking more than necessary.
All spiritually inclined people always include some period of silence in their daily schedule. And in this period they also silence their minds and keep it closed to all responses to outer
stimuli. In normal lives, it is not possible to follow such a strict discipline. So if one is keen to observe silence, one must bear in mind to speak only what is necessary and keep the mind quiet at all other times. If a person pays attention to what he is speaking, he would realize that in his conversation there are several words that are unnecessary. So before speaking, pause and think – ‘is it necessary to say what I plan to speak, and is it possible to express my thoughts in lesser words?’ With this, gradually the energies of the mind and the body will get conserved and enhanced.
When we observe inner silence, we naturally get one with the outer nature because silence permeates the entire nature and yet, despite this silence nature knows no pause, it is continuously changing and evolving. Acharya Vinoba used to say – “Silence and solitude are the best friends of the soul.” The world which is not silent is the creation of mind. The silent world is the world of mysteries of the soul and the nature. All the great persons of the world have been great practitioners of silence. The great masters like Mahavir, Buddha, Christ, Moosa, Zoroaster etc. enhanced their spiritual energy through silence and solitude.
Mahatma Gandhi included the practice of silence in his daily routine very sincerely and was very much benefitted by its outcome. In his Ashram, Monday was observed as ‘Maunvar’ or Day of Silence. All the inmates of the Ashram would maintain silence on that day. To Mahatma, silence was like worship, which brought him immense spiritual contentment. He used to say: “To speak is an art, but to remain silent is a greater art. Silence is the best way to speak. If one word can do, do not speak two.” Saint Emerson used to say: “Let us be silent, so that we can hear the whispers of angels.” When Lord Buddha stepped out in search of Truth, he practiced a number of spiritual disciplines but could not find Truth. Finally, when he immersed himself in the lake of silence he discovered the pearl of Truth. Later when his disciples asked him about the nature of God, ‘Silence’ was his answer.
Silence is the best friend of soul. When we are silent we are introverted and the closest to our true selves. When we speak, we turn extroverts. In the moments of silence we get to converse with our own selves, while when we speak we converse with others. In the hectic lives we lead today, importance of silence is indisputable. Francis Bacon, the great thinker calls it a sleep in a busy schedule, which reinvigorates the search for knowledge. Another great thinker has said, “Conversation with others may sharpen the intellect, but silence is the nursery of talents.”
A lot of people say that they cannot remain silent as they feel suffocated and anxious. For them, it is advisable that they learn to remain silent at least for a short while, because this is the only way through which we can understand our own selves. There would be many positives that would be evident quickly. First of all several heated debates will end. Trivial matters will not get blown up unnecessarily and mutual acrimony will not spoil relationships. By remaining silent, soothing peace will spread. Through silence we shall be able to enter the world of spiritual discipline and uncover a number of mysteries of the spiritual world. Silence is an answer to a number of questions we have in our lives, and there is just one way to discover these answers:
We must learn to observe ‘Silence’.
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2015 May-Jun