Sadhguru: Why is sound so much more
important than a word, which is a meaning. If you touch the sound,
you're touching creation. If you touch a word, you're just going into the
psychological structure of human beings. Do not discount the power of the
sound, it has influence on everything. Mantra is a combination, you
get the right combination right, it will open up a
doorway into creation. Questioner: Namaskaram Sadhguru. Is it okay to chant mantras
without knowing the meaning? Sadhguru: Mantras
have no meaning. See, there are two
dimensions to a mantra. Mantras are not supposed
to have any meanings. In the tradition there are
different types of mantras. Unfortunately, the mantras
which are normally known, they have given the meanings
so that people can involve. Because there are lots of idiotic
people who cannot involve with anything that's meaningless. That is why they miss the
sunrise, the sunset, the moon, the full moon, everything they
miss, because it's meaningless. What is the meaning
of a full moon? There is no meaning. Only if
you're in love, it means a lot. Otherwise, what is it?
Nothing. It’s not meaningful
means it is not useful. So, all the idiots on the planet
will do only meaningful things. Yes. Because they have no intelligence to
recognize life and the many facets of life. It is not, because you have attached
a stupid meaning to it, it exists. It exists beyond you. It existed before you,
it will exist beyond you. It is not, because you give it a
meaning it's become useful or not useful. So, the stupid in the world
will do meaningful things. They may be
intellectual, but life stupid. They have no life sense.
If you have life sense, you will see it is the most meaningless
things which really set you on fire, isn't it so? No. So they created
two kinds of mantras. One larger set of mantras which
have no meaning, just pure sound. You will see this
in our music also. The Yaksha program
happened just now. And many of our people
who are looking for meanings were thoroughly bored, because
they're doing alaap for forty minutes aaaa…(Laughter). “Say something, say at least
Shiva, shambo something” (Laughter). No, aaaa, ting, ting (Laughter). They're not getting the point
because it's about the sound. Why is so… sound so much more
important than a word which is a meaning? Meanings are made
up in human minds. Sound is the
essence of creation. If you touch the sound,
you're touching creation. If you touch a word, you're just going into the
psychological structure of human beings. Psychological structure of human beings
is essentially a certain kind of madness. We can enjoy it; we can use it. But essentially, it's a certain
kind of illusionary setup. Sound is a… is a
fundamental aspect of creation. If you have mastery over
sound, you have mastery over creation itself
in a certain way, because creation is just a
complex amalgamation of sounds. It's the blueprint of creation,
but meanings are human things. You know the same words mean different things in
different languages, even in India, you know this (Laughs). The same word means different
things, because it's all made up. The sound is not made up.
Sound is part of the creation. Sound is part of the existence. Sound is part of making
the creation happen. Right now, the whole creation
is reverberating in a certain way. You cannot hear
it, it doesn't matter. But the words and meanings
are a human making. It is meaningful
only as a conspiracy. When I say a conspiracy, do
you hear what the cricket is saying? What is he saying? You
don't know, but they're talking. They're also like
you (Few laugh). Some of them are just making
sound, just doing alaap (Laughter). Just sound, simply
enjoying the sound. Enjoying the creation in one sense
means, enjoying the sound of it. If you don't have a
keenness to listen, if you don't have a
keenness to pay attention, you cannot enjoy any
aspect of creation actually. You will only enjoy psychological
patterns in your head. So, this is the reason why most
human beings want to speak. Most of the time they
want to be talking. Not because they
have something to say, because they have
to find meaning. Simply the silence or sound
both are too overwhelming. That is why when we say spiritual
process, first thing is silence. If you are psychologically
very stable, we may say, “Okay, thirty-day
silence, sixty-day silence.” If you're psychologically fragile,
we’ll say, “Okay, three days.” Three days also people go crazy. We’ll say, “Okay, half a day
silence, up to noon silence, after that you blabber.” They usually make it
up after noon (Laughter). Those of you who talk a lot, you
know, meaning is meaningless. You can simply talk, a whole
lot of people are experts, they can simply speak
without any meaning. They have understood
the importance of sound. They can go on talking
without making any meaning. Now, if you are a bird,
we would pardon you. If you are this one,
we would be okay. Or if you're a musician, you would
be okay to make meaningless sounds - if you’re speaking, you are
expected to make some meaning. So, mantra is not to be spoken.
It is to be chanted. Chanting means it's a… chant is
of the sound, not of the meaning. Meaning is of speech. Meaning is of the word,
written word and spoken word. Meaning does not
belong to a chant. A chant is simply a
sound, a reverberation. So, if you, the… if you
do not know the meaning, it's the best way to
chant if you ask me. Simply absolutely involved
with the sound and saying it. But first of all, what you
are uttering, is it a mantra or is it a bhajan or is it a
sankirthan, you must look at it. If it's a mantra, mantra
means a pure sound, it need not have any meanings. You can give it whatever
meaning you want to start with, because without meaning you
cannot be involved. But once you know
how to be involved, you should not
give it any meaning. Aum Namah Shivaya does
not mean you go on imagining one man sitting there
on top of a mountain with something, something happening
around him. No (Laughs). Initially, if that's the only
way you can be involved, you can look at the Sivakasi
picture (Laughter). Okay? Once you know how to
be involved with the sound, you get rid of the man. He is
not needed. He's a disturbance. I'm telling people in
samyama, they’re chanting, their question if Shiva comes? I am calling so many
times, if he comes? if he comes, just
ignore him (Laughter). Because that's not
the thing about mantra. The mantra is that you
involve yourself in the sound, because you yourself, your physical
thing is a certain pattern of sound. Right now, you're trying to make
yourself into a different pattern of sound, so that this sound becomes an
access point to the larger sound, which you call as the cosmos. A larger arrangement of
sounds is cosmic in nature. Now, you use a certain key sounds
in a particular arrangement - you know, in the safe, the locks are
called a combination lock? So, you have to just
get it right for it to open. So, mantra is a combination, you get the right
combination right, it will open up a doorway into creation. It is not the meaning.
Whatever meaning you give it, however high or low,
you think the meaning is, meaning is a made-up thing.
It's a psychological process. It has no existential meaning. No word has any
existential meaning. Right now, whatever
English words we’re uttering doesn't mean anything to the trees. But if you… you can actually…
these experiments have been done. If you sit here and sing
beautifully - I cannot do that. But (Laughs) if we sit here
and sing really aaa… properly, the trees, the tree is full of flower,
tch, it could be because of Yaksha. Okay the rains have aided it, but don't… do not discount
the power of the sound. Do not discount the power of the
sound, it has influence on everything. Or if you chant a mantra,
the tree may respond to it. If you sing music,
it may respond to it. If you just generate a
thought, it may respond to it. But if you speak,
it will not respond. This is true with the tree;
this is true with the divine. Instrumental music…
