Pashyanti

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Pashyanti or Paśyanti or paśyantī (Sanskrit: पश्यन्ति or पश्यन्ती), the Sanskrit term which means 'see' is derived from the word paśya meaning 'to see' and paśyat meaning - seeing, beholding, a harlot or a particular sound.^[1] In Indian philosophy the notion of individuality, which is the third level of personality and the seed of all thoughts, speeches and actions is called Pashyanti , meaning 'that which witnesses'.^[2]

The Shiva-Shakti dance generated a rhythmic spiritual sound which the Vedic Rishis termed as Nāda Brahman, the initial primordial sound of extremely high frequencies that were beyond one’s imagination. They were aware of the subtle secrets of nature and knew that the gross-level sound related to corresponding spiritual, cosmic and semi-cosmic vibrations which were divine sounds. Solving the subtle riddle they found the four states of Vāni (speech or sound) – Parā (the spiritual sound of Brahman), Madhyama (the cosmic sound of Vāstu=Purusha), Pashyanti (the semi-cosmic sounds of Vibhootis) and Vaikhari (the gross-level sounds of gross objects and living beings). The ripples of Samashti-Prānas produce semi-cosmic vibrations which are visible through cosmic sight alone; the Rishis applied the term Pashyanti to this observation because they could observe the semi-cosmic colours of the stimulated Samashti-Prānas corresponding to spoken alphabets, which observation is also known as Darśana, Indian philosophy is called Darśana. They concluded that all vowels are divine alphabets for they produce divine words or Mantras.^[3] Thus, Pashyanti refers to the visible sound which is ordinarily experienced as a feeling or a mental picture. Each level or state of sound corresponds to a certain plane of existence, a certain state of consciousness; the ability to experience the different levels of sounds depends upon the refinement of consciousness. When sound out through the mouth as spoken syllables it is named Vaikhari-vac; the finer sounds that exist as a thought prior to expression are inaudible sounds, the sound existing in between the formation of a thought as an idea, feelings and image, and its expression on the material level as speech or action is named Madhyama-vac but the sound that leaves its audible nature and manifests as a feeling, a wordless idea or some visual imagery is named Pashyanti-vac which is intuitive in nature and beyond defined linguistic forms or frameworks.^[4]

Bhartrihari explains that Vaikhari, the most external and differentiated level of language, on which speech is uttered by the speaker and heard by the hearer has its temporal sequence fully developed; Madhyama represents the thinking level of the mind; Pashyanti is the finest relative level where there is no distinction between the word and the meaning and there is no temporal sequence, and Parā is the fully unmanifest level of language beyond Pashyanti. He associates the Pashyanti level of language with sphota, representing a meaning as a whole, existing in the mind of the speaker as a unity. Sphota or the whole-meaning comprises dhvani (the word-sound) and artha (word-meaning).^[5] Haney points out that the unity of name and form, of sound and meaning, on the level of sphota in Pashyanti applies mainly to Sanskrit language, and Artaud is of the opinion that the language beyond speech is the language of nature whose grammar has not yet been discovered; Pashyanti representing the subtlest level of nature is the closest to nature itself.^[6]

Even though Bhartrihari considers Pashyanti to be the highest level of language for it is the word without temporal sequence but Pashyanti contains the inherent impulse toward expression in time and space. Pashyanti borders on two dimensions – Jagrat chetna or refined ordinary waking consciousness which determines the force of expression, and Turiya chetna or the transcendental consciousness which determines the non-sequenced unity of sound and meaning intimated by the trace; these bring to the fore two kinds of infinity – that of dissemination, of unlimited extension within space, time and causality; and that of Turiya and Pashyanti, of transcending duality through unity amidst diversity. According to Advaita school the access of the unity of language and consciousness on the level of Pashyanti and Parā results in the siddhis referred to as attainments or accomplishments in the Yoga Sutras.^[7] Pippalada tells Satyakama Jabala that the status of the seeker depends on the depth of meditation, he uses two significant words, Abhidhyanam (dhyana) and Mātrā (degree), also used by Patanjali; meditation has three matras or levels, the one who has gone beyond Vaikhari and Madhyama and reached the Pashyanti stage of meditation can become one with the Absolute and need not be born.^[8]

Sankara explains that Pashyanti corresponds to the junction point between the ordinary waking state and pure consciousness. A word spoken or thought in the ordinary waking state is only a partial expression of an eternal meaning or transcendental signified.^[9]

Tantra, like the Vedas, recognizes four levels of speech. Vaikhari is the audible speech located in the throat and manifest during the waking state; Madhyama is thought located in the heart and manifest during the dream state; Pashyanti is illumined speech located in the navel and manifest during the deep-sleep state, and Parā is the transcendent located at the root center and manifest during Samadhi. The power of speech must be brought down to the base of the spine to allow the energy of consciousness to ascend upward as Kundalini to awaken higher potentials. Pashyanti is the state of seeing, the perceptive or the illumined word; it is the sound that perceives and reveals the truth. Tara represents the illumined word.^[10]

Yogakundalyupanishad III.18-19 tells us that sound sprouts in Parā (supreme) form, it becomes two-leafed (that is first manifested) in Pashyanti (radiant) form, buds in the Madhyama (subliminal) form and blooms in Vaikhari (acoustic) form; sound thus produced will become unmanifested, when the order is reversed. Shabda Brahman is the source of sound and is in the form of sound which is unmanifest, therefore it is called Parā and appears to express the kinetic part of the static quiescent eternal reality.^[11]

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