Veda, Sound and Healing

Veda, Sound and Healing
by John C. Peterson, M.D.

If one can introduce a sound or "thought form" at the most subtle level of thought, right at the junction point of pure consciousness and matter where the initial vibrations of creation begin to unfold, then that though form will manifest.

     How many times have you listened to music that you love and realized that you were transported to a place beyond space and time, beyond thinking and feeling?
     I've been a music lover and performer all my life largely because of this experience of transcending through music. During medical school in the early '70s I learned a mental technique for transcending that allowed me to directly experience the Silence underlying all music. Practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique helped me practice music and medicine better and sparked my interest in the Vedic tradition of the Himalayas.
     In Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, there is a direct correlation between sound and form. An example would be the sound "Ah," which is pronounced with the throat completely open and corresponds with the beginning of the alphabet as well as the beginning of creation. "Ah" connotes infinite fullness, whereas the sound "k," pronounced with the throat fully closed, connotes the collapse of infinity to a point. The space/time continuum is produced from the vibration created by the alternation between infinity and a point at infinite frequency. It's no accident that the Sanskrit word for the space/time continuum is akasha. I use Sanskrit terms in my Ayur-Vedic lectures because there are no English equivalents and pronouncing the words has intrinsic value.
     The Vedas describe the relationships between Silence, vibration, and sequential creation. According to Vedic science the source of both creation and experience is Samhita - undifferentiated absolute Silence. Being pure awareness, Samhita has the capacity to become aware of itself. Through this process of self-referral it begins to move within itself, setting up the initial vibrations of the evolving universe. These initial sounds of creation can be experienced by listening to Vedic pundits chanting Rik Veda, the branch of the Vedas that corresponds to Samhita.
     These vibrations unfold sequentially according to the laws of Nature. When the sequence loses its connection with Samhita, then mistakes and disease are the result. Cancer is an example of cells that have lost their "memory" of the silent source of natural law and begun to "march to the beat of their own drummer."
     In the Vedic creation story, the five subtle senses are created first and then objective creation manifests as the objects of the senses. Sound is the first and most subtle sense, making it the most powerful. Sound's object is akasha, the most subtle element. Because it is the most subtle sense, sound is used extensively in Ayur-Vedic medicine.
     Dr. Tony Nader, an internationally known neurologist, has recently correlated every aspect of the human nervous system with different aspects of the Vedas, heard (cognized) long ago by Vedic seers. Listening to the Vedic hymns stimulates

different aspects of the nervous system and resets any imbalances that may have occurred by losing connection with Samhita.
     Gandharva Veda music affects the physiology by bringing balance to seasonal and daily biological rhythms. Different laws of nature unfold during different times and these are balanced by specific musical structures called ragas that are played at particular times.
     It's best to listen to Vedic pundits or Gandharva Veda music live, but if recordings are used, analog is best. Digital reproductions are imperceptibly discontinuous at the most subtle levels, which is where the sound of the Veda derives its power.
     The most powerful Vedic sound techniques have to do with Vedic meditation. The TM technique utilizes special sounds (mantras) which, when taught and used correctly, allow the nervous system to transcend thought and experience absolute Silence. When we repeatedly experience this home of all the laws of Nature, we act spontaneously more and more in accord with natural law and experience increasing success and bliss.
     Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the great Indian teacher who revived this ancient technique of transcending, has even gone a step further. He has translated the "Yoga Sutras" of Patanjali and brought this classic Vedic text to the level of experience in the form of the TM-Sidhis program. Patanjali describes the technique of performing samyama. First one experiences absolute Silence. As one continues transcending one achieves increasing access to the more subtle levels of thought or sound. If one can introduce a sound or "thought form" at the most subtle level of thought, right at the function point of pure consciousness and matter where the initial vibrations of creation begin to unfold, then that thought form will manifest.
     Through the practice of samyama the Sidha (practitioner of the TM-Sidhis program) develops refined perception, powers of levitation and healing, etc. The purpose of this practice of samyama is to weave the fabric of Yoga (Unity Consciousness) through repeatedly experiencing the manifestation of a sutra, or impulse of awareness, from the level of Silence. There is nothing more powerful in the whole universe.

Dr. John Peterson is a board-certified family practice physician who also practices Ayur-Vedic medicine. He's been a professional keyboards player for more than 30 years and is the principal mentor of Muncie's Creative Opportunity Center, where he plays every Thursday night with Jazz Alliance and most Saturday nights with Walking Catfish Revue.

Branches September/October 1995