By Swami Harshananda
Anāhatanāda literally means ‘sound produced without beating’.
When a yogi practices prāṇāyāma[1] and achieves purification of the nāḍīs[2], he starts hearing melodious sounds of praṇava or Oṃkāra. Since these sounds are generated without any beating (āhati) of two objects[3] they are called ‘anāhata-nāda.’ The sound is normally heard through the right ear whether open or closed. However, it is more distinct when the ears are kept closed.
Some authorities say that the sound can also be heard if the ajapāmantra is repeated one lakh times.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore