Let's turn technical linguistics to the practical spiritual significance of the Hindu teaching about the divine Word.
Going back at least to the great Sankhya master Kapila, Hindus have thought that the medium sound travels through is space. This has provided plenty of laughs for modern Western scholars who know that sound waves cannot travel through the vacuum of space. What they don't know is what Hindus actually mean by the word Shabda, which is translated into English as " sound".
There are four levels of sound in Hindu understanding. You'll need to grasp this point if you want to understand why Hindus say Shabda Brahman, " the Word is God":
1. Vaikari : Physical sound you hear with your ears.
2. Madhyana : Verbal thoughts heard with your inner ears.
3. Pashyanti : Abstract concepts perceived in your inner ear.
4. Para Vak : Unmanifest meaning inherent in silence. Truth which abides in deep meditative states.
" Okay ", you're probably thinking, " Run that by me again".
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