Sagun Nirgun
19: Silence
In the Shrimad-Bhagawadgita, Shree Krishna describes his Divine opulence, manifestations through which He pervades all the worlds. Just by looking at an intricately made gold jewelry we understand the pricelessness of the gold ore, similarly, His divine manifestations allow us to appreciate His inconceivable creativity!
‘Silence’ means quietude, lack of speech. ‘Silence’ is a weapon to conceal secrets. It is one of the Lord’s Divine opulence. Maharshi Raman observed ‘silence’ for many years. Later, he expressed, “Silence does not mean suppression of speech. On the contrary, it is a meditative state, a state of tranquility.” Silence is a state of the mind in which the mind is focused on only one thought, that of the Lord. Through his actions, Maharshi put forth the importance of ‘Silence.’ Similarly, the father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi would observe ‘silence’ once a week. This created tremendous calmness within him that no power could tear this inner tranquility. His famous ‘Dandi March’ from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi was a revolution for an Independent India. Participation of thousands of Indians in this 385 Km march completed in 24 days showed the British the power of non-violence and unity. Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Action speaks louder than words’ policy is an inspiration to us all.
Once a man was selling a talking parrot. A couple was impressed by the way the parrot talked that they took him home. On the way, the caged parrot thought to himself, “I talked and got myself trapped in this cage. I long to be free, so from now on I am going to remain silent.” At home, the couple tried many tricks to get the parrot to talk but no avail. Thinking that the parrot might be shy, the couple coaxed in all possible ways. Eventually, they decided to release the parrot. As soon as the cage door opened, the parrot flew out the cage and out the window. He was free at last and was delighted that his silence brought him his freedom. We can reach great heights if we use fewer words and work more. ‘Less talk’ will keep us out of trouble.
In one of his compositions, Sant Dayalnath advises- “Act rather than talk and you will succeed.”
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