Ohm, Nada, Sadhana, the essence of sound 4
So it is quite clear to see that through music, vibration, and overtones, there lies a whole universe to be discovered, and by concentrating on these matters one may find oneself entering into avenues of experience previously unthought of. The tanpura is, therefore, clearly one of the main tools used for discovering these mystical realms, and if tuned and played correctly, it can consequently help us to open up the ears and consciousness to the ever-widening horizons of universal awareness.
As a closing thought and a matter of philosophical interest, we find that the Indian metaphysics of sound says, that sound is the cause and not the effect of vibration, and the vibration is not the only effect but one of the many effects of sound. There can be sound without vibration. That is the real and original nature of sound. P.B.Mukharji explains;
"The paradox, therefore, is that the quality of sound is silence. In silence it is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. It was in that view the universe was conceived in sound. It is born in sound. The universe is the result of an idea. Every idea is the result of a sound. As no creation of any kind is possible without an idea behind it, so every creation is the result of a non-vibratory sound. The unseen, the unheard. Sound creates air, atmosphere, and climate, and then only it reaches the stage of vibration."
So, would it be true to say that finally, through the intense study and concentration on sound and vibration in all its infinite forms, that we end up in the all-encompassing, omnipresent Supreme Silence?