Solitude and silence: Boon and bliss
Solitude has been practised by monks of monasteries, rabbis of synagogues, mullas of mosques and, of course, Ved pracharaks of all shades and hues. Living in solitude for a specific period a day strengthens one's will power.
SHOULD THE Omnipresent Almighty grant me a boon, I would ask for the blessed state of periodic solitude where I exercise the right to enjoy silence. In days of yore the brahmacharis of a Gurukul were blessed with both solitude and silence and they didn’t have to ask for a boon either. Gurukuls were invariably located in sylvan surroundings far away from human habitation to enable the Guru and shishya to teach and learn respectively undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of a normal habitat. No wonder Mahatma Munsh Ram, later known as Swami Shraddhanand on entering the sanyas ashram, had shifted the first ever Gurukul of the Arya Samaj from Gujranwala, now in Pakistan, to Kangri, Haridwar to let the new experiment in education take roots and grow. Indeed the experiment in education was a grand success to win the admiration of Sir Ramsay McDonald, later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Solitude is not sanyas
Is solitude for a sanyasi only? No, certainly not. It is for a brahmachari, a grihastha, and a vanprasth too. Solitude has been practised by monks of monasteries, rabiis of synagogues, mullas of mosques and, of course, Ved pracharaks of all shades and hues. Living in solitude for a specific period a day strengthens one’s will power to remain on the path of righteousness and keep temptations of all sorts at bay. Is it right to shut one’s self in a room and remain cut off from the society? Remaining in solitude doesn’t mean that the individual is an escapist or that he is shunning the fellow human beings. The state of solitude is for a specific period and the period is pre-determined. The individual returns from the solitude and faces the trials and tribulations of a normal householder, albeit fortified by the bliss of solitude.
One who has a tendency to run away from problems presented by life can never practice solitude ardently. He or she will carry the feeling of guilt of cowardice and that feeling would weigh so heavily on the mind as to preclude any form of chintan or meditation. The state of solitude helps an individual in meditating on a mantra and its meaning. Meditation, in turn, strengthens our capacity to think and act. Solitude does not seclude one from society but makes him and her socially effective. Social efficiency is an all-inclusive word and is a litmus test to ascertain whether one is fit to carry the social responsibilities on his and her shoulders without getting tired of life.
“ Ma Tvam Vado Bahu”, that indeed is a Vedic injunction asking human beings not to speak too much. It is imperative for a successful human being to listen first, weigh the words spoken by the other person and then respond appropriately. It is not necessary that one responds to every sentence spoken by a friend or an adversary. One may just give a smile or nod and maintain silence. By not speaking too much and by not raising the decibel of one’s sound, one may save one’s self from contributing to the existing noise pollution. One may wish to be heard in the midst of honking of horns, shouting of slogans by processions taken out by political parties and clashing of groups on petty matters. One can carry placards displaying one’s views and tie a piece of cloth on the mouth to register silent protests against growing corruption in the government and system of governance. Do protest against injustice but please do it silently. It may prove to be more effective in the long run.
When the Aryas pray morning and evening, a mantra in the Vedic Sandhya beseeches the Almighty for a hundred year’s life wherein the devotee first prays for effective hearing power and thereafter for power of speech. Listening to other’s views is important and only then one should put forth one’s own views. If there is no desire to listen, both will speak simultaneously like members of parliament and nothing would be audible. Silence will help us preventing what is called a dialogue of the deaf.
In our school classrooms, the most often uttered words are ‘silent please’. It is spoken by the much harassed class teacher but at times it is just a waste of breath. The students of middle sections are more interested in comparing notes of love life of teenagers than in listening to their teacher. Poor teacher keeps on shouting ‘keep quiet’ but quietness eludes the class. The importance of silence must be brought home to the teenage students who seem to be more impressed with our howling parliamentarians than with the Guru’s wise words. For men and women of their tribe, speech is golden and silence is silver. That is the way it is.
An element of doubt exists in the minds of parliamentarians, lawyers, lecturers, commentators and others who earn their bread by talking, talking and talking. If they practice silence they might lose their jobs. The import of the word silence should be understood correctly by men and women of the speakers’ tribe. But for the speaker of the Lok Sabha or the House of Commons who speaks the least, other speakers may go on with the harangues when it concerns their bread and butter. However, when the day’s job is done, it is indeed time that silence descended. Silence will strengthen their vocal chords, give rest to the brain and replenish the spent energy so that they are ready to fight another battle next day.
Indeed silence is golden and an individual’s all round development of personality is aided by both solitude and silence.
Solitude was a boon granted in the gurukul life without asking for it. Silence was observed for development of Adhyatm or spiritual aspect of one’s personality. The ideal environment of a gurukul may not be available to a resident of metropolitan city like Mumbai or Delhi, not forgetting Kolkata and Chennai, but a resident of a metropolis may still choose to live that blessed life of solitude and silence within the four walls of his house. One has to have the will to go in for the quality life that solitude and silence endow on us.
Is solitude for a sanyasi only? No, certainly not. It is for a brahmachari, a grihastha, and a vanprasth too. Solitude has been practised by monks of monasteries, rabiis of synagogues, mullas of mosques and, of course, Ved pracharaks of all shades and hues. Living in solitude for a specific period a day strengthens one’s will power to remain on the path of righteousness and keep temptations of all sorts at bay. Is it right to shut one’s self in a room and remain cut off from the society? Remaining in solitude doesn’t mean that the individual is an escapist or that he is shunning the fellow human beings. The state of solitude is for a specific period and the period is pre-determined. The individual returns from the solitude and faces the trials and tribulations of a normal householder, albeit fortified by the bliss of solitude.
One who has a tendency to run away from problems presented by life can never practice solitude ardently. He or she will carry the feeling of guilt of cowardice and that feeling would weigh so heavily on the mind as to preclude any form of chintan or meditation. The state of solitude helps an individual in meditating on a mantra and its meaning. Meditation, in turn, strengthens our capacity to think and act. Solitude does not seclude one from society but makes him and her socially effective. Social efficiency is an all-inclusive word and is a litmus test to ascertain whether one is fit to carry the social responsibilities on his and her shoulders without getting tired of life.
Silence is golden
“ Ma Tvam Vado Bahu”, that indeed is a Vedic injunction asking human beings not to speak too much. It is imperative for a successful human being to listen first, weigh the words spoken by the other person and then respond appropriately. It is not necessary that one responds to every sentence spoken by a friend or an adversary. One may just give a smile or nod and maintain silence. By not speaking too much and by not raising the decibel of one’s sound, one may save one’s self from contributing to the existing noise pollution. One may wish to be heard in the midst of honking of horns, shouting of slogans by processions taken out by political parties and clashing of groups on petty matters. One can carry placards displaying one’s views and tie a piece of cloth on the mouth to register silent protests against growing corruption in the government and system of governance. Do protest against injustice but please do it silently. It may prove to be more effective in the long run.
When the Aryas pray morning and evening, a mantra in the Vedic Sandhya beseeches the Almighty for a hundred year’s life wherein the devotee first prays for effective hearing power and thereafter for power of speech. Listening to other’s views is important and only then one should put forth one’s own views. If there is no desire to listen, both will speak simultaneously like members of parliament and nothing would be audible. Silence will help us preventing what is called a dialogue of the deaf.
In our school classrooms, the most often uttered words are ‘silent please’. It is spoken by the much harassed class teacher but at times it is just a waste of breath. The students of middle sections are more interested in comparing notes of love life of teenagers than in listening to their teacher. Poor teacher keeps on shouting ‘keep quiet’ but quietness eludes the class. The importance of silence must be brought home to the teenage students who seem to be more impressed with our howling parliamentarians than with the Guru’s wise words. For men and women of their tribe, speech is golden and silence is silver. That is the way it is.
An element of doubt exists in the minds of parliamentarians, lawyers, lecturers, commentators and others who earn their bread by talking, talking and talking. If they practice silence they might lose their jobs. The import of the word silence should be understood correctly by men and women of the speakers’ tribe. But for the speaker of the Lok Sabha or the House of Commons who speaks the least, other speakers may go on with the harangues when it concerns their bread and butter. However, when the day’s job is done, it is indeed time that silence descended. Silence will strengthen their vocal chords, give rest to the brain and replenish the spent energy so that they are ready to fight another battle next day.
Indeed silence is golden and an individual’s all round development of personality is aided by both solitude and silence.
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