What is Mauna Yogam?

Only Mauna Yogam (Silence & Solitude) helps one realise one's Self.

Yoga or Yogam means ‘being one with nature’ or being ‘one with the Existence’ itself. The more we move ourselves away from nature, the more struggles we face in life.

Apparently, there are many streams or types of Yogam such as Raja yoga, Kriya yoga, Bhakti yoga and Jnana yoga. Each serves its purpose wonderfully well if one practices it rightly. But all of these Yoga streams must bring one to Silence (Mauna Yogam). If not, one must check whatever yoga they are engaged in. One should not go on practising without attaining the state of Shanti (absolute rest). The very reason why one comes to any kind of yoga is to have both physical and mental well-being. However, it shouldn’t stop there. Well-being is not our ultimate aim. Humans come into this world with only one purpose, and that is Self-realization. That’s what the LIFE within all the beings is throbbing for and not for the wrongly-assumed purposes like attaining money, pleasures or any short-lived happiness.

Once you achieve something that you were chasing, the hangover is there for sometime but that recedes sooner or later. Even the dream-come-true events in your life have lost their charm or have become an aversion now. So, one keeps doing something new to maintain that happiness. Can this go on forever? That’s why people become tired, and some go to the extent of depression or being suicidal,l too. They don’t know what went wrong.

Is there even such a thing as the “happily-ever-after” aspect in life? Well, let’s ask ourselves a question here. What’s that one thing that if I do in my life, then I don’t have to do anything more? What if I achieve that one thing that can make me truly feel happy and contented forever? The only option is to know who you truly are by realising your own Self. There are absolutely no other options. All these life shortcuts and pleasures of life will not fetch you that ever-existing restfulness.

You must know that you’re not going to attain anything. Only what is already there, that you will know or attain. What is ‘not’ there cannot be known or attained anyway. So, what you must know is this:

“You are already a Jnani, Yogi or a Realised one. But because of lifetime habits and conditioning, the mind, its illusory ideas and identifications are hiding your true nature from you.”

Your true nature and original true state is 'Mauna' (silence). From that true state of yours, you come out to function in the world. Or in other words, your true source state is 'Mauna', which means that you go out to the world to function temporarily from the state of silence and not the other way round. But you’re always anchored in your state of 'Mauna' (silence).

Habitual conditioning of the mind makes you think that you have lost silence, which is not at all correct. How can you leave your source or be away from your source? So, no matter how you’re functioning in the world, knowing and holding on to that wisdom that “my source is Silence and that never changes; but I am operating in the world temporarily, based on my prarabdha (prescribed) karma. And that is absolutely ok to be that way. Only this wisdom will free you. Anything else is just a temporary patch. Mauna Yogam is a simple Silent sitting.

What is Atma Vichara (Self-enquiry)?

Who am I?

Thoughts will come and go. In fact, thoughts only appear to disappear, not to disturb you. In case a thought is not disappearing and making you get stuck, then ask yourself a question:

Q: “To whom is this thought appearing?”

Ans: To me.

Q: “Who is this me? Who am I?

Upon enquiry, that particular bothersome thought will die down. And you will be back in your source, silent sitting. No matter how many disturbing/deviating thoughts happen, keep going through this process of 'ATMA VICHARA' ('Who am I', Self-enquiry). This is the most direct and immediate way to realise yourself.

If you are established in Silence, you are restful, irrespective of what goes on in the world. Any turbulence of worldly life does not touch you. Being restful means absolutely peaceful, even when an untoward event happens. This doesn’t mean one will not do what is required, but one will not succumb to situations and react rather than consciously respond. Such a person can be called a Mauna yogi as he has himself established in Mauna Yogam.

Silent sitting is not meditation. Silent sitting cannot be called meditation, but meditativeness. Meditation is a doing, whereas Silence is just being. There’s an ocean of difference between Silence & meditation. Meditation means you need ‘you’ and an ‘object’ to hold on to and sit. There is a meditator and an object of meditation, and therefore, the mind must be used to meditate because here, the meditator is the mind. Whereas, in a restful, silent sitting, a person is not focusing on an object such as a God, any part of the body or following any particular meditation technique. In Silence, it is just a ‘being’, even when thoughts appear, one sits witnessing the thoughts, as if the thoughts do not belong to him. Because thoughts will come and thoughts will go. One is just a silent observer of all that comes and goes.

'Maun' or 'Mauna' means silence in Sanskrit. But 'Maun'  means more than what the word silence conveys. 'Maun'  is not just ‘not talking’. The state of the truly enlightened yogi or the realised one, whether he speaks or not, is 'Mauna'.

'Maun' is the natural state of Being for the realised one. He may talk, he may be busy in the world, but still his state of existence is 'Maun'. That’s because his very presence conveys silence or 'Mauna'. The power of silence is in the “state of his silence”, not in what he says or does not say.

How does one come to Mauna Yogam?

One can directly come to Mauna Yogam if one is spiritually mature. But, by and large, one generally comes to Mauna Yogam after sravana, manana, nidhidhyasana. People who are driven by various worldly desires will generally take a long time to come to  Mauna Yogam, after going through various other yoga streams such as Hatha yoga, Kriya yoga, etc. This does not mean that these other yoga streams are any less needed for these souls, who are living materially but very much still outwardly.

How does one get established in the Mauna Yogam?

• Sravanam (Being part of Jnana Yogam Satsangs, listening to the wisdom of atma, the Self)

• Mananam (Contemplating/reflecting on the wisdom learned)

• Nidhidhyasanam (Atma Vicharam, Self-enquiry)

• Atma Bodham (Self abidance - continued prolonged Silence, DAILY & CONSISTENTLY)

• Ekanta (Solitude) - Retiring, secluding oneself from people, books, mobile, etc. - just living only with food for the body but no other food for the mind.

• Ekanta is the final step before one realises OneSelf.