Now, the practice of nāda.Having closed the ears with the fingers and blocking them with effort, there is heard the silent sound, the nāda that leads to liberation.

This verse introduces the specific technique of nāda yoga:

Atha nādānusandhānam — “now, the investigation of nāda.”Atha marks a new topic.Anusandhāna is systematic search, persistent following.

Sampuṭitau karṇau — ears closed.Sampuṭa means to close tightly.The technique known as ṣaṇmukhī mudrā (seal of the six doors) is used: the ears, eyes, nose and mouth are covered with the fingers.

Nirudhya prayatnataḥ — blocking with careful effort.The pressure must be sufficient to exclude external sounds.

Niḥśabdaḥ nādaḥ — the silent sound.Paradox that describes the inner nothingness: it is sound but it does not come from the outside;It’s silent but you can hear it.

Tārakatāṃ gataḥ — who has attained the liberating quality.Tāraka is what crosses the ocean of saṃsāra.

The Bihar School describes this practice as extremely powerful for internalization.By cutting off external sensory stimuli, attention naturally turns inward, where internal sounds are discovered.

The practice is simple but requires patience: listening to the silence until subtle sounds emerge.