Mantra Dhāraṇā · Dhāraṇā 20
तन्त्र्यादिवाद्यशब्देषु दीर्घेषु क्रमसंस्थितेः । परव्योमवसाने चिन्ताय परतत्त्ववित् ॥
tantry-ādi-vādya-śabdeṣu dīrgheṣu kramasaṃsthiteḥ | paravyomavasāne cintāyā paratattvavit ||
In the prolonged sounds of string instruments and others, which settle gradually — at the end, in the supreme space of contemplation, the supreme reality is known.
Twentieth dhāraṇā. Bhairava speaks of music. Tantry-ādi-vādya-śabdeṣu — in the sounds of string instruments and others. Prolonged sounds (dīrgheṣu) that settle gradually (kramasaṃsthiteḥ). The sound of a vibrating string that fades, thins, disappears.
Follow that sound. Do not analyze it. Do not think about note, tuning, instrument. Follow the thread of sound as it dissolves into silence. Paravyoma — the supreme space, the sky beyond sky. That is where sound disappears.
Paratattvavit — knower of the supreme reality. Music is natural meditation. Every dying note points the way to the silence that holds all sounds. Musicians intuit this. Yogis verify it.