Search:

1 word found.

		Word	Meaning
1		Muni	A sage is referred in Sanskrit as 'Muni'. The root of this word is 'Mauna', meaning SILENCE of speech. Mere silence at speech level is not indicated by the word 'Mauna'. Usually such a silence is always enforced and hence not genuine. The Masters of the ancient India knew thoroughly well, the structure and the genesis of speech. They had traced its origin from the very nascent stage. In a lighter vein it is said that, "The speech is a great-grandson of subtle thought-forms rolling in human consciousness!" The ancient wisdom had even identified and named these preceding stages of speech, which is finally voiced by us. 'Para', 'Pashyanti, 'Madhyama' and ultimately 'Vaikhari', in their order from subtlest to the grossest form. These four Sanskrit words are somewhat equivalent to psychological terms such as: Collective Consciousness, Individual Unconsciousness, Individual Sub-consciousness and Individual Consciousness. Such are the deep-roots of our voiced speech! Hence, there is very little spiritual sense if there is silence only at the 'Vaikhari' (Gross vocal speech) level. The word 'Muni' indicates the one who has found SILENCE in him/her at the very originating point of mentation. That is the reason, 'Munis' were also called 'Swamis', the Master of one's self! 'Muni' is aware and awake within, through-and-through. Hence, 'Muni's Mauna' is natural and alive. This is the reason; their very silence is palpably eloquent. It affects most positively, whoever comes in their PRESENCE! Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi in the recent times lived as one such 'Muni'. The power of his silence is felt even today, in the old-hall of Ramana Ashram, at Tiruvannamalai, in Tamilnadu, India. In the rich spiritual heritage of India, Lord Dakshinamurti, a personification of God Siva, is the world-teacher, who sitting underneath the banyan tree teaches the supreme truth through SILENCE. He is pictured as a youth (meaning the ultimate wisdom is ever young), dispelling the doubts of aged disciples (signifying that realization is way beyond the dim-witted tedious efforts undertaken over a long period of time), without the aid of words (meaning that the Ultimate TRUTH is beyond the reach of words). Lord Dakshinamurti is depicted as merely showing a gesture with his right hand, which stands for the ultimate TRUTH. This gesture ('Chinmudra') indicates the following spiritual significance. HE shows the first three fingers (little-finger, ring-finger and middle-finger) of his right hand closely kept with each other and the index finger bent to touch the thumb-finger. This means: The first three fingers are the three qualities (Satva, Rajas, Tamas), present in each human being which has to be transcended by the 'Atman' (Soul) represented by the index-finger and move away to meet the Supreme Brahman, represented by the thumb-finger. Due to the admixture of three qualities, presently the 'Atman' is living as 'Ahamkar' (Ego). The 'Atman' has to move away from this entangled condition. Thus, the quintessence of the entire spiritual endeavor is taught in such an eloquent yet simple silence! Such is the mysterious power of SILENCE ('Mauna').

© Copyright 2001-2023 by Swami Jinendra. ® All Rights Reserved.