|
BOOK TWO Shabd
The Sound Principle Shabd IN
SANSKRIT "Shabd" is a root but we do not know its construction, as
with other words. It means awaz
(sound), akhar (Word), kalam (talk), Ism (name), zamir (essence), bachan
(spoken word), wazahat (exposition), sarahat (clarity), izhar (expression),
taqrir (speech), etc. Whatever is
spoken or heard is Shabd, and it reveals the real nature of things and explains
the hidden reality or mystery thereof.
But in the terminology of the saints, the term "Shabd" has a
much deeper significance, quite different from its commonly accepted meaning. Shabd
is God and is live principle Before
the creation, Shabd existed in its latent form and as such had no name. In this state, It was something completely
established in Itself and was thus known as Ashabd (sound-less), Anaam
(nameless), Akeh (unutterable) and Akath (indescribable). When it came into manifestation, It was
called "Shabd" or Naam." Shabd
when hidden was Anaam, Shabd
in manifestation became Naam. SWAMI
SHIVDAYAL SINGH Before
its manifestation, there was no form whatsoever; nor was there any sun nor moon
nor sky nor earth, for then the Shabd existed by Itself in a formless
state. The essence of Shabd is Pure
Consciousness. It is the active
life-principle of the whole creation.
It is the Guiding and Controlling Power behind all that exists. All manifestation is the result of Shabd and
without It nothing exists. It is the
very life-essence of everything. The
Muslim divines call it Jauhar (essence) and the Hindu saints describe It as Mul
(the root cause). It is the vital
principle immanent in every form and permeating all, the visible and the
invisible. It is the Causeless Cuase,
the eternal self-existing life, running endlessly in and our of time. It is the very soul of the Creative Power,
all pervading even to the purely spiritual realm--Sat Lok. Shabd is the primal cause of both birth and
dissolution. Both
birth and death come about by Shabd, Rebirth
too is because of Shabd. *1 GURU
AMAR DAS Everything
from beginning to end exists in Shabd. The
physical elements, the subtle and ethereal powers and vibrations, the causal
seeds and essences, one and all are from Shabd and nothing but Shabd
personified. We live and have our very
being in Shabd and ultimately dissolve into Shabd. All scriptures of the world tell us that Shabd is above the
material and efficient cause and all-Controlling Power of the Universe. He
is all in all Himself and revels in His creation by supporting it by
Shabd. *2 GURU
NANAK There
is none like Thee in the entire creation, In
Thy Word Thou art manifesting Thyself. Whatever
Thou wishest, that comes to pass. *3 GURU
RAM DAS Shabd:
What it is The
subject of Shabd is such that cannot do justice to it by discursive
reasoning. All that can besaid is that
"Shabd" implies the Power of God that has created and is sustaining
the various grand divisions, divisions and subdivisions of the vast creation of
God. It is a current from the Ocean of
Consciousness and is characterized by Sound-vibration, or in other words, It is
a live and active principle which, emanating from God, is enlivening all
creation. It is the instrument with
which God creates, controls and sustains His vast universe. It acts as a life-line between the Creator
and His creation and serves as a golden bridge between the two. The divine currents, like the ethereal waves
of a radio, are spread out in the atmosphere in all the directions of the
compass, giving out delectable strains the directions of the compass, giving
out delectable strains of music. We,
however, cannot catch the ethereal
vibrations and listen to the divine melody until we get in tune with the
Infinite by adjusting our mental apparatus.
Therefore we become etherealized more and more as we come in tune with
the heavenly music. Shabd is the
connecting link between God and man. In
brief, Shabd alone is the true religion--a binding force that rebinds us to our
Source. All the powers of Nature depend
on and work through this Shabd or the Sound Principle. The Pranas or the vital airs, that are the
source of all energy--electrical, mechanical, magnetic or atomic--and are the
most active agents in the physical material plane, are but an outer manifested
form of the Shabd. Like the electric
waves with which the whole atmosphere is charged, Shabd in its most subtle form
pervades everywhere in Its fullness and is thus the Creator. Guru Nanak, in the Jap Ji, has called it
Hukam and describes its working: All
things are manifestations of His Will, But
His Will is beyond description. By
His Will is matter quickened into life, By
His Will some are born high and others low, By
His Will (the impious) wander in endless transmigration. All
exists under His Will, And
nothing stands outside. One
attuned with His Will, O Nanak, is wholly free from ego. *4 Shabd
is of two kinds: outer and inner or Varn-Atmak and Dhun-Atmak,
respectively. The Varn-Atmak to a
certain extent gives a clue to the Dhun-Atmak Shabd. It is a matter of common experience how martial music stirs up
men to arms, sad dirges bring tears to the eyes, loving strains bewitch the
mind, doleful songs strike the spirit, solemn notes inspire awe and
reverence. Again, the words of the wise
act as a soothing balm for lacerated minds and smarting taunts cut us to the
quick. Words
there be that cut the very heart-strings, And
words may lead to profound renunciation, Words
may work as soothing balm or may strike misery, Some
of them inspire hope and others engender help-lessness. KABIR What
passion cannot Music raise and quell. DRYDEN When
there is so much magic in Varn-Atmak Shabd, one cannot possibly imagine the
Power that lies hidden in the Dhun-Atmak Shabd, which is very subtle and
ethereal in nature. The inner Shabd is
sublime and pure, with an irresistible magnetic pull which a freed soul cannot
but plunge into. |