Ohm, Nada, Sadhana, the essence of sound 4
It is clear that through music, vibration, and overtones, a whole universe awaits discovery. By concentrating on these elements, one may find themselves entering realms of experience previously unimagined. The tanpura is, therefore, clearly one of the key tools used to explore these mystical dimensions. If tuned and played correctly, it can help open our ears and consciousness to the ever-expanding horizons of universal awareness.
As a closing thought and a matter of philosophical interest, we find that Indian metaphysics of sound asserts that sound is the cause, not the effect, of vibration, and vibration is but one of the many effects of sound. There can be sound without vibration, and this is considered 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 this view that 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 does it reach the stage of vibration."
So, could it be true to say that, ultimately, through intense study and concentration on sound and vibration in all its infinite forms, we find ourselves arriving at the all-encompassing, omnipresent Supreme Silence?