Quiet Time

WHY SILENCE?

Silence helps a person understand things in a better way. During ancient times, rishis and saints had stressed the importance of silence for a reason. Today, people might think that if an individual is silent, they know nothing. However, there is a lot of energy in silence. Just as simple as sitting erect and silently helps a lot of energy flow through a person’s body. When a person is silent, they have a lot of concentration as the mind is calm. When the mind is not at peace, it indulges in one thought or another. With a calm mind, things are perceived in a better way. Therefore, keeping this in mind, the elderly had always advised the younger generation to stay silent.

IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE

The importance of silence can be further explained with the help of a short story. Once, a student had asked his master to help him recollect the Vedic chants that he had been learning for a long time. He told his guru that no matter what or how many times he tried to recollect the chants, it was in vain. The guru was very clever and questioned the disciple as to what he did in his spare time. He asked him if he did any meditation or undertook any spiritual practices. The disciple answered negatively. Instead, he said that he talked a lot and his mind was always relentless. The guru then, in efforts to help the disciple had suggested that his disciple stop talking gradually and try to sit quietly for 10 minutes a day, and increasing it slowly. The guru had guaranteed the disciple that he would witness the power of silence and feel uplifted. The disciple obliged and followed his guru’s words. After a week of practicing what his guru said, the disciple was able to recite the entire Vedic chant with utmost ease. Thanking the guru, the disciple had then practiced silence every single day and later on, taught a few other fellow disciples the importance of silence.

SILENCE AND PEACE

And from this story, it can be concluded that silence preserves energy, giving a person much more concentration. The more silent a person is, the less trouble they get into. This is because when a person talks, there are chances that they might unknowingly offend others. Hence, silence holds much more importance in a person’s life, and it essentially offers peace and harmony both to the person, as well as people around them.

Reference : Sathya Sai Education in Human Values, A Curriculum for the Development of Character and Emotional Literacy by Carole Alderman