The Ancient Metaphysics of Sound & Light
The Unstruck Chord, The Point of Light, The Mantra as Manifestation.
Hi all, I’m returning to offer a few sections from the Mantra section of MTA. This particular piece is somewhat technical in it’s discussion of the ancient metaphysics of sound, light and consciousness. The whole universe arises from Sound and Light. Sending Love, CMM
“From the Supreme stillness arises the subtle vibration: the Nāda.
Bindu stands as the seed, and Kalā unfolds creation.
He who perceives this sacred sound in the heart
Merges with the Lord of all.”
“As the Yogi’s breath is stilled and mind set on the inner Light,
The subtle chord of Nāda resounds in the radiant core.
Hearing it, dissolving in it, the self becomes the Self—Shiva.”
The Unstruck Chord and the Audible Mantra
The Tirumandiram is an important spiritual text from South India, composed by the sage Tirumūlar (often dated between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, though scholarly opinions vary), and it’s the foundation of a much older tradition known as Tamil Siddhant. The book has over 3000 verses (called tantras or mandirams), and addresses a wide range of topics: devotion, love, yogic practice, mantra, tantra, ethics, as well as some profound teachings on metaphysics and consciousness.
One of the important concepts that appears in the Tirumandiram is Nāda, often translated as the “primordial sound” or “cosmic resonance.” It’s the subtle vibration or current of energy that underlies creation and can be experienced in deep meditation.
As much of this part of the book has to do with the very human practice of achieving a unified state of consciousness through mantra, I want to explore the relationship between Nāda and mantra. They aren’t the same thing, but they are connected in practice.
Nāda is the primordial vibration that precedes any distinct syllable. Often called the unstruck chord (or anāhata sound), it does not arise from an external cause. It is the inner resonance of pure consciousness itself.
Mantra on the other hand is a deliberate arrangement of phonemes charged with spiritual potency. It is chanted aloud or repeated mentally, and it has form and rhythm that guide the practitioner’s concentration.
Chanting mantra with devotion and focus gradually refines the mind and stills the flow of wandering thoughts. In the initial stages, the chanting may be verbal, audible to the outer ear, and supported by the body’s breath and vocal cords. As the practice deepens, the mantra becomes softer, more internal, eventually transforming into a silent repetition that carries the awareness inward. Through sustained attention, the mind grows calm and begins to attune to the subtle vibrations within the body’s channels.
In this interiorized state, a different kind of sound may reveal itself—a sound not produced by the tongue or breath, but rather perceived as a spontaneous pulse arising from the depths of one’s being. That inner pulsing is Nāda.
Mantra is the door, an accessible point of entry through which practitioners engage the mind and senses, anchoring them in a sacred formula that points toward the Divine. Nāda is the sanctum, the direct perception of the underlying cosmic resonance that pervades all creation.
When attention rests steadily on the mantra, the gross levels of sound become progressively subtle, leading the practitioner from external chanting to mental recitation and finally to a realm of pure, formless vibration. In this realm, the aspirant experiences the same fundamental force from which the syllables of the mantra first emerged.
Although one might conceptually separate them, in practice they serve each other in a unified way. The overt, structured sound of the mantra trains the mind to be focused and receptive, ready to sense the unstruck sound that is ever-present beneath the chatter of daily life. Nāda is the very matrix of sound, the cosmic hum that underlies every uttered mantra.
Because of this, the Tirumandiram holds that through consistent mantra practice—carried out with devotion and proper technique—one can tune in to Nāda and realize the deeper truths of the Self.
In its highest culmination, the experience of Nāda carries the consciousness beyond the confines of the limited ego. Merging into the anāhata vibration draws the practitioner closer to the boundless presence of the one unifying energy of all creation. Thus, mantra becomes a powerful vehicle to enter the stream of Nāda, and Nāda becomes the gateway to an experience of unity with the Supreme. By embracing both the external chant and its inner resonance, seekers trace sound back to its source, ultimately finding that this source is none other than the Self shining within.
Sound and Light
In the Tamil worldview, sound and light are two complementary expressions of the same divine energy. As discussed, sound arises as Nāda, the subtle, unstruck vibration that underlies all creation. From Nāda arises Bindu, sometimes envisioned as a concentrated point of light that contains within it the entire cosmos in seed form. Creation unfolds outward from this union of vibration and luminosity.
On a metaphysical level, Nāda and Bindu are inseparable: wherever there is the vibration of the Divine, there is also the radiant spark of awareness, and vice versa.
In deep meditation, the yogi experiences the interplay of subtle sound and inner light as overlapping currents in consciousness. When the mind becomes very still through practices such as mantra repetition, breath control, and contemplation of the Divine, these two modes of energy emerge from beneath the usual mental chatter. First, one may sense a gentle hum or inner sound, the Nāda. Alongside that, a soft glow or radiance may arise, felt in the heart or at specific subtle centers in the body. Both experiences point to the same underlying truth: the immediate presence of the Supreme shining within.
Sound is the dynamic movement of this truth, carrying the mind beyond words and concepts. Light is the luminous clarity of the Self that dawns as the deeper layers of perception open. When one experiences the unstruck sound of Nāda, it often merges into a radiant stillness that is both vibratory and luminous. Similarly, when one contemplates the inner light, one may begin to perceive it resonating with a silent, cosmic pulse. In this way, sound and light weave into each other, guiding consciousness from the outer world to the subtle realm, and finally into oneness with Śiva.
Ultimately, the distinction between Nāda as sound and Bindu as light dissolves in the highest realization. Both are portals to the same infinite awareness. Through them, the seeker comes to know the Divine as the very core of one’s being. By following the thread of sound, one meets the radiance of light; by immersing in the luminous point, one hears the universal vibration. Both serve as pathways, leading the aspirant into a direct encounter with the source of all sound and all light, the ineffable reality beyond name and form.
