The Yoga of Sound (Nadan-u-sandhana)

The Yoga of Sound (Nadan-u-sandhana)
By Shri Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj,
"The Harmony of All Religions",
from Chapter Seven: "Santmat",
Published by Maharishi Mehi Ashram

The Yoga of Sound is the highest and final practice of Sant Mat. In Sufism this is known as sultan-u-la-jakar. By practicing this form of meditation the practitioner realizes the Supreme Lord and becomes united with the Divine.

When the aspirant practices the Yoga of Light he/she leaves the darkness and enters the realm of light. There the soul begins to hear the numerous divine sounds.

There are five inner realms: gross, Subtle, Causal, Supra-causal and Kevalya. There is a specific sound at the center of each realm. These constitute the five central sounds.

With reference to these sounds Kabir Sahab says:

"The five different kinds of sounds reverberate within,
and thirty six kinds of divine melodies are also found within."

Guru Nanak says:

"There resound five kinds of sound."

Maharishi Mehi Paramhans Ji says:

"Five celestial melodies resound within.
Listen to each of these."

[Note: The sounds to listen for are revealed
at the time of Initiation into the meditation practice.]

In fact the sound possesses a quality that attracts the attention of the listener. Every central sound flows from the highest realm downward to the lower realm and then directly connects to the center of that realm. The aspirant enters the process by attending to the sound of the gross realm, centering, and then following that sound as it leads to the realm above, which is the Subtle realm. Upon reaching the Subtle realm, the sound of the Causal realm is experienced. This sound will eventually draw the practitioner from the Subtle to the Causal realm. And so the aspirant proceeds until reaching the highest realm, progressively catching increasingly subtle and powerful inner sounds in order to proceed to the realm immediately higher.

In the final stages of this practice, the aspirant goes beyond the veil of material creation and reaches the realm of Kevalya. This is where the soul comes to experience the Divine. But even in this realm there is a thin veil, and complete union with the Divine is not yet possible. Upon acquiring the final essential sound in Kevalya, the soul ascends upward to the Absolute Soundless State. There the soul becomes one with the Divine.

Without a Master

Without a Master
All scriptures are like the whispering of ghosts.
-- Tukarama

Spiritual seeking has the not-so-modest goal of revealing nothing less than the Divine, the Truth or Ultimate Reality. For far less modest goals than this we would not dare attempt their achievement without a qualified teacher. Our universities and the degrees they confer bear witness to this fact. For example, we would never attempt to acquire the skills of a professional airline pilot with mere reading, nor would we dare take instructions from someone who himself had never flown. Common sense requires that we approach subjects such as aviation or any number of other technical subjects with the help of skillful teachers and tried and true curricula. Why then would we assume that the highest and arguably the most difficult of all goals could be achieved without a teacher or guide? -- Don Howard

The appropriate spiritual teacher should be a person who has considered and discovered the realities of atma and anatma (bondage and liberation), and who practices a spiritual path. Such a teacher should have attained direct experience of Truth through spiritual disciplines. This is teacher you should take instruction from. The grace of teacher is also necessary for success in the spiritual pursuit. When you learn the methods for inner meditation, you should practice diligently. Moral rectitude is also very essential in this pursuit. -- Shri Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj

The one who has purity of character, who practices
diligently the Yoga of Sound, and who can explain
*clearly* Sant Mat (all the Teachings of the Masters
with nothing missing), can be accepted and trusted
as Satguru/Teacher. -- Maharishi Mehi

Going Within

A true Master unites us with God
And shows all within the body.
Within the body is the Creator.
And within the body is Onkar
[Onkar/OMkar: inner Sound
at the second region known as Trikuti]
The sky is within the body, and close by
Is the earth within the body.
Within the body are the sun and
the moon,
And the bagpipe is played within the body.

All cosmic abodes were shown to me
within the body, proclaimeth Dadu.
None can see them without dedication
to Guru through thought, word and deed.

The body is the storehouse of celestial
centers.
Wondrous plays are going on within.
Let no one make a mistake. Take
the company of the Satguru, sayeth Dadu.

The Creator is within the body.
That treasure thou knowest not.
Find the true lover of Guru,
And all will be found within the body.

Within the body cultivate gladness,
And within it develop affection.
Within the body find the Nectar of Love.
This is what a true lover of Guru does,
sayeth Dadu.

Inner worship alone is the true worship. It is the only
effective means of seeing God face to face.

After entering within, let one, 0 Dadu,
bolt the doors of the house.
Let one, 0 Dadu, serve the Lord at the Door of Eternity.
God is within the self,
His worship alone is to be done.

Search thou for the Beloved close to the place
Wherefrom the Sound emerges, and thou
shalt find Him, sayeth Dadu.
There is solitude there, and there is luster of Light.

God is within the self;
He is close to the worshiper.
But leaving Him aside,
men serve external constructions,
lamenteth Dadu.

This is the mosque, this is the temple,
So hath the Master shown.
The service and salutation are performed
within.

-- Dadu,
Encyclopedia of Saints of India, Volume 25:
Sant Dadu Dayal
Criterion Publications
New Delhi