37 - Discourses on Tantra Volume One

Chapter 11

The Acoustic Roots of the Indo-Aryan Alphabet (7)

AO

The posture of surrender to the greatness of another person or entity is called namah mudrá or namomudrá. Such surrender results in one’s mental body being vibrated by the greatness of the Supreme. It is the person doing namomudrá who benefits, and not the one for whom the mudrá is performed. The way to do this mudrá to the guru is to lie prostrate before him with the palms placed together, that is, with the middle fingers of each hand placed parallel to each other. This represents the pinpointed concentration of mind which is directed towards the supreme goal.

In this mudrá all eight parts of the body are engaged. (According to áyurveda the human body has eight main parts. The áyurvedik system of medical treatment is called aśt́áuṋga [eight-limbed] cikitsá vijiṋána.) The body itself becomes as straight as a staff [one Sanskrit word for which is dańd́a], and thus one of the mudrá’s names is dańd́avat prańáma.(14) This is namomudrá, the systematic endeavour to acquire greatness in return for one’s surrender unto greatness. [Namah is the acoustic root of acquiring greatness in life; and ao is the super-acoustic root of namah biija.]

The science of dance recognizes about 850 mudrás [meaningful gestures], such as namo mudrá, lalita mudrá, baradá mudrá, abhaya mudra, aḿkusha mudrá, mahá mudrá, kákacaiṋcu mudrá, tejasii mudrá, ámbhásii mudrá, párthivii mudrá, váyavii mudrá, ákáshii mudrá, bháva mudrá, shparshiká mudrá, cetasii mudrá, sarpa mudrá, kapálii mudrá, and many, many more.

In order to master the art of dance, one must become skilled in the art of mudrá. Dance as practised in human society can be broadly divided into two schools:(15) chandapradhána nrtya [rhythmic dance] and mudrápradhána nrtya [mudraic dance]. Occidental dance (such as ballroom dance) is more rhythmic, whereas Oriental dance is more mudrá-oriented.(16) Of course, mudrás are used in Occidental music also, but their role is secondary; and rhythm is an integral part of Oriental dance, but is nevertheless secondary to mudrá.

The sound ha is the acoustic root of the sun, of the stars, and of the ethereal factor. T́ha is the acoustic root of satellites, such as the moon. When the moon, which is the physical symbol of the psychic realm, and the sun, which is the physical symbol of mundane energy, are made to become one, that is called hat́ha yoga (Hat́hena kurute karma). When an action is done abruptly, out of sudden impulse, there is a sudden release of energy called hat́hatah (hat́ha + tas) or hat́hát (fifth case-ending of hat́ha in Sanskrit). A synonym of hat́hát is balát, meaning “by force” or “suddenly”; and another meaning of hat́hát is “to get expressed suddenly without giving any scope for thought”. To do something good or bad suddenly without prior thought is called balátkár. Remember that the meaning of balátkár is not necessarily a bad one.

The magnanimity of Shiva was as vast as the sky. People used to show their veneration for Him either in namah mudrá or with the sound ao. Hence the acoustic root of Shivatattva [essence of Shiva] is haoḿ: Haoḿ Shiváya namah. Those entities who were very dear to Shiva by virtue of their personal simplicity, naturalness and spirit of selfless service, were also revered using the sound ha. Shiva’s favourite flower was the common dhustara flower. Ha is the acoustic root of the dhustara flower. Thus you can easily understand why haoḿ is the acoustic root of Shiva.

AḾ

Aḿ is the acoustic root of an idea. The same sound, when uttered with a different mental ideation, acquires different meanings, and the effect it has varies from person to person. The word bet́á, for example, can be used as an endearing term for one’s child. A parent may say, Ájá bet́á, kháná khále [“Come, my dear child, come and eat your food”]. In this case bet́á (“my child”) sounds very pleasing to the ears; when the child hears it s/he feels very gratified. But one could also say, Áy bet́á toke dekhe noba; tor caudda puruśer shráddha karchi. [“Come here you wretch, I’ll teach you a lesson! I’m going to send you and fourteen generations of your ancestors to hell!”] In this case the utterance of bet́á injects poison into the mind of the listener. The acoustic root of the poisonous mentality which utters poisoned words is aḿ. The acoustic root of that pleasant ideation which adds sweetness to a word is ah. You should remember that whenever you speak to someone, or recite a poem, or play any part in a drama, or sing any song, you should know the underlying meaning of what you are expressing. Only then will you be able to touch your listeners’ hearts and influence them.