from tHe liPs PArt 2
\nLevels of Sound
\nIn \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam (11.12.17), Krishna explains the various types of sound and the difference between gross and subtle forms of sound:
\nsa e\u1e63a j\u012bvo vivara-pras\u016bti\u1e25
\npr\u0101\u1e47ena gho\u1e63e\u1e47a guh\u0101\u1e41 pravi\u1e63\u1e6da\u1e25
\nmano-maya\u1e41 s\u016bk\u1e63mam upetya r\u016bpa\u1e41 m\u0101tr\u0101 svaro var\u1e47a iti sthavi\u1e63\u1e6dha\u1e25
\nThe Supreme Lord said: I am the Lord who gives life to every living being. Manifesting in the various cakras, I enter the mul\u0101dh\u0101ra-cakra of Brahma along with pr\u0101\u1e47a phase of subtle par\u0101 sound. I then rise to the ma\u1e47ip\u016bra-cakra in the mental phase as pa\u015byant\u012b and to (the an\u0101hata\u2013cakra, the intellectual phase) in subtle form as madhyam\u0101. I then take the gross form of short and longs sounds, different intonations, and the syllables of the alphabet.
\nIn his Bh\u0101v\u0101rtha-d\u012bpik\u0101 commentary on this verse, Srila Sridhar Swami quotes \u1e5ag Veda (1.164.45):
\ncatv\u0101ri v\u0101k-parimit\u0101 pad\u0101ni
\nt\u0101ni vidur br\u0101hma\u1e47\u0101 ye man\u012b\u1e63i\u1e47a\u1e25
\nguh\u0101y\u0101\u1e41 tr\u012b\u1e47i nihit\u0101ni ne\u1e45gayanti tur\u012bya\u1e41 v\u0101co manu\u1e63y\u0101 vadanti
\nLearned Brahmins know that there are four stages in the evolution of sound. Three of these remain hidden within the heart as imperceptible vibrations, while the fourth stage is what people ordinarily understand as speech or words.
\nIn his S\u0101r\u0101rtha-dar\u015bini commentary on \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam (11.12.19), Srila Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur further explains these stages of sound:
\nSpeech is measured in four phases. Three of the phases are called par\u0101 (or highest degree). They are situated in pr\u0101\u1e47a at the base of the spine, pa\u015byant\u012b, in the mind in the navel, and madhyam\u0101 situated in intelligence in the heart. The sages do not reveal their forms. The fourth, called vaikhar\u012b, is [external] speech in the vocal organ.
\nWhen a pure devotee speaks, all the levels of sound are present and according to the level of receptivity of the listeners they purify on different levels. That purification only takes place when the sound is vibrated by the transcendental pr\u0101na, mind, intelligence and senses of the pure devotee. When the sound is recorded, the machine captures only an imitation of vaikhar\u012b (gross sound) because a machine has no pr\u0101na, no mind, and no intelligence capable of recording the deeper levels of the vibration. The vibration may also be symbolically recorded in the form of letters on a page. Yet, again, the actual vibration is absent.
\nFor this reason, in Bhakti Sandarbha (262) Srila Jiva Gosvami has explained that there are different degrees of power and benefit in different types of hearing.
\natraiva vivecan\u012byam \u2013 \u015br\u012b-bhagavan-n\u0101m\u0101de\u1e25 \u015brava\u1e47a\u1e41 t\u0101vat parama\u1e41 \u015breya\u1e25. tatr\u0101pi mahad-\u0101virbh\u0101vita-prabandh\u0101de\u1e25. tatra mahat-k\u012brtyam\u0101nasya tato \u2019pi \u015br\u012b-bh\u0101gavatasya.
\nRegarding hearing, the following should be considered: Hearing the names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord by one\u2019s own strength is the greatest benefit. Even in such hearing, there is even greater benefit in hearing the literature composed by great devotees. If these very literatures are sung by their respective authors, then that is even more beneficial. Compared to hearing literature composed by great devotees, there is even greater benefit in hearing \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam from such great devotees.
\nSrila Prabhupada also made a distinction between the efficacy of hearing via a recording, phone, or a \u201cgramophone speaker\u201d; and hearing from an authorized person:
\nWe have to hear not from a telephone but from an authorized person, for it is he who has real knowledge. (Purport to Cc. \u0101di 7.107.)
\nThe separated energy can be understood from a practical example. I compose books by speaking into a dictaphone, and when the dictaphone is replayed, it appears that I am speaking personally, but actually I am not. (Purport to Cc \u0101di 7.119.)
\nUnless one is sv\u0101nubhavam, self-realized, [unless his] life is Bh\u0101gavat, he cannot preach Bh\u0101gavat. That will not be effective. A gramophone will not help. … A gramophone will not help. If you want to read \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam you must approach a person who is living Bh\u0101gavat. (Lecture in Rome. 27 May 1974.)
\nWhen you play back it will speak just like I am speaking, but I am not there. (Room conversation in London. 10 August 1971.)
\nIf you simply become a gramophone speaker, then it will not be effective. Gramophone or tape recorder speaker, that will not be. You must be a live speaker. Your living condition should be spiritually what is called \u201csurcharged\u201d. So that means you must be trained up how to rise early in the morning, take your bath, cleanse yourself, chant Hare K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a mantra. Then you will be spiritually strong. When you are spiritually strong, if you speak something on spiritual subject matter, then it wil l be effective. Otherwise it will be just like a tape recorder playing. So this is required. (Room Conversation in Mauritius. 5 October 1975.) \u2014 MD
\n(To be continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
from tHe liPs PArt 2 Levels of Sound In \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam (11.12.17), Krishna explains the various types of sound and the difference between gross and subtle forms of sound: sa e\u1e63a j\u012bvo vivara-pras\u016bti\u1e25 pr\u0101\u1e47ena gho\u1e63e\u1e47a guh\u0101\u1e41 … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-area2","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 11:45:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}