Maun मौन

Maun

Maun or silence is not only physical/speech non-communication but also the silence of mind. Both external and inner chatter needs to stop. In maun, the mind needs to be thoughtless.

The most basic spiritual practice is learning silence. For spiritual growth, one's speech must be pure. To acquire purity of speech, the practice of silence is a must. Silence brings introspection, connection with self, and good thoughts. Inner strength and stability increase with the practice of maun.

Maun vrat can be practiced for any period. Initially, the person needs a quiet external environment to practice silence. Later on, he can practice silence even in a noisy and disruptive external environment.

Complete external silence is not possible. Even nature has sound. There is the sound of blowing wind, moving leaves and tree branches, flowing water, rain, birds, animals, etc. Even if we are indoors and alone, we hear the sound of machines such as refrigerator, a/c, furnace, dishwasher, etc. Assume that there is no sound in the external environment and there are no sounds in indoor place still we can hear our heartbeats, stomach gurgling, inhalation, exhalation sounds, etc.

Anyone can practice silence and get the benefits of it. Religious beliefs, social status, financial status are irrelevant for the practice of silence.

In maun vrat, the person can talk about spirituality. He can practice devotion, worship, and offer prayers. However, he should not talk about the material world. During maun vrat, do not communicate with sign language, writing, or gestures. Do not think about tasks to be done. Do not use this time to plan the vacations or giving an apt reply to someone. Office work while practicing maun vrat is not going to help you in calming your mind. Do not set a time and keep looking at the clock.

For maun, people usually quote the following verses from Bhagwad Gita and Chanakya Neeti

Bhagwad Gita chapter 17, verse16

मनः प्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः ।
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ॥ १७-१६॥
मनकी प्रसन्नता? सौम्य भाव? मननशीलता? मनका निग्रह और भावोंकी शुद्धि -- इस तरह यह मनसम्बन्धी तप कहा जाता है।

Chanakya Niti (Chap. 11 – Shloka 9)
ये तु संवत्सरं पूर्णं नित्यं मौनेन भुञ्जते ।
युगकोटिसहस्रं तैः स्वर्गलोके महीयते ॥
जो व्यक्ति एक साल तक भोजन करते समय भगवान् का ध्यान करेगा और मुह से कुछ नहीं बोलेगा उसे एक हजार करोड़ वर्ष तक स्वर्ग लोक की प्राप्ति होगी.

Maun is at four levels- sharir, vaani, indriya, and man.
At the level of body- gestures, actions
Speech- people may stop talking during periods of depression, loneliness, etc. However, the maun of vaani means no desire to speak.
Indriya maun- talking can be with tongue, eyes, touch, smell, hearing. Indriya maun means silence of senses. It is pratyahar.
Maan ka maun- means reaching above all desires.

Some of the advantages of silence are :

• Tranquility and peace of mind.
• Introspection and inner peace
• Control over thoughts and speech
• Ability to Focus on the given tasks. Where there is silence, there is concentration and undivided attention.
• Serenity and calmness around the human beings who practice silence.
• Silence can also reveal profound truths, and it is essential for meditation and to acquire knowledge.
• It can be a therapeutic tool in anger and anxiety management
• Energy conservation
• Enhanced creativity
• Refined personality
• Increase in self-determination and confidence, self-discipline, willpower.
• Increases tolerance, observation, analysis
• Decrease of noise pollution.
• Fewer chances of quarrels, arguments, and heated exchange of words.
• Avoidance of use of foul language, slang, verbal abuses, swearing, etc.
• No scope for debate and disagreement.
• Silence gets peoples attention
• Silence can be an answer
• Silence can mean politeness and also empathy
• Sometimes silence can be louder than words
• Silence can be the most powerful as well as impactful communication.
• Sometimes silence is a good negotiation
• Helps in making better decisions
• It calms peoples
• It helps in healing
• Noise increases stress level. Silence helps in decreasing stress levels.
• Spending time in silence has positive effects on the body. It can reduce blood pressure, boosts the immune system, reduce blood cortisol, promote hormone regulation, and prevent arterial plaque formation.
• Psychological benefits of silence can include enhanced creativity, focus, self-control, self-awareness, perspective, and spirituality.
• With the practice of silence, ego goes away

The fifteenth day of the Shukla period of Magha is well known as Mauni Amavasya. The word Mauni means silence. On this day, complete silence is observed.

Some people who practiced maun vrat
Mahavir. Buddha, Madhavacharya, Ganesh while writing Mahabharat, Mahatama Gandhi, Arjun.

Hindi words for maun are चुप्पी, मौन, शांति, सन्नाटा, नीरवता, गुप्त भाव, खामोश, सुनसान, उपलक्षित, गर्भित, अनकहा, शान्त, चुपचाप, वाक्‌संयम, स्थिर, अचल, मूक, गूंगा, चुप, शांत, बद्ध-जिह्व, बेज़बान, अल्पभाषी, चुप्पा, ख़ामोश

Quotes

• Highest form of grace is silence
• Silence and smile are two powerful tools
• Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer
• The quieter you become, the more you can hear
• Silence is the most powerful scream
• Those who know do not speak
• Work hard in silence and let your success make the noise
• Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than the silence
• Everything that exists came out of silence. Thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Words come out of the void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness
• Listen to silence, it has so much to say
• Saying nothing says the most
• silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom
• Silence is a source of great strength
• Silence is a true friend who never betrays
• Silence is more eloquent than words
• The wiser you become, the more comfortable you are with silence

Movies
A quiet place

Silence is not always pleasant as it can bring with it conflicting and unpleasant thoughts. Grief and depression can become the predominant emotions during silence. Silence can be a sign of cold war, bad relations, abuse, ego, misuse of power, harassment, showing off, pretending to be busy, speech issues, not understanding other person or language, etc. Silence can hurt people and destroy and end relationships. Silence may be an indication of loneliness, isolation, and emptiness, withdrawal, punishment.

We never say many important things either because of fear or do not want to risk the relations and friendship.
Sometimes sympathy and compassion leave us silent.

Silent treatment

Do not confuse maun with silent treatment. The silent treatment is a refusal to communicate verbally with another person, even when other person wants to talk. People who use the silent treatment may even refuse to acknowledge the presence of the other person. It can be used to avoid other person, to punish him, or make him feel guilty. It can also be a sign of communication skill deficiency. It can be used on a single person, group of people, family members, etc. Resolution of silent treatment depends on many factors e.g. reason for it, situation, relationship, attitude of victim and enforcer, environment, support system, social system, etc.
Its synonyms are shunning, stonewalling, ghosting, ostracism, banishing, disconnection, outcasting, rejection, exclusion, withholding, etc.

Questions and answers:

1. Is silence the same as maun vrat?
   The answer is no. Silence means not speaking or uttering words. Maun is at different levels like body, vaani, mind, mann, indriya, etc.
2. Does maun mean introspection?
   For a beginner, this may be true. However, advanced practitioners make their minds thoughtless, so even introspection does not happen.
3. How does maun go with success in today's world?
   Maun increases concentration, creativity, precision, innovation, etc. These all lead to success. However, there is no definition of success. Everyone has to decide for himself what success means to him. Also, everyone has a purpose for his life, and only that person knows how he can use his sanskaras and values while living in the external world and move towards his life goal. Dharma should be the foundation of all four ashrams.
4. Can I do maun vrat while driving?
   No. Maun vrat means not contemplating anything. While driving, you need to remember and follow traffic rules. Your mind needs to focus on so many things. The brain is not thoughtless while navigating roads and directions, so maun vrat is not a real thing during that time. You can practice silence but not maun vrat while driving.

Bharti Raizada

Following is a Whatsapp forward

मौन का महत्व
मौन का अर्थ केवल चुप रहना नहीं है।
मौन एक गहरी साधना है जिसके माध्यम से मनुष्य अपने भीतर की परतों को हटाकर अपने वास्तविक स्वरूप का परिचय प्राप्त करता है।
मौन अपने भीतर के सौन्दर्य और गहराई को निहारने की एक अनूठी प्रक्रिया है।
नब्बे प्रतिशत मुसीबतें संसार से कम हो जायें,यदि लोग थोडा कम बोलें।
आध्यत्मिक जीवन में जिसने भी ऊँचाइयों को छुआ है, उसने मौन का सहारा अवश्य लिया है।
महावीर स्वामी ने बारह वर्ष तक मौन रखा और गौतम बुद्ध ने छ:वर्ष तक, जिसके पश्चात उनकी वाणी दिव्य हो गई।
मौन वास्तव में वह संजीवनी शक्ति है जिससे व्यक्ति के प्राणों की ऊर्जा का पुन:विकास एवं उत्थान होता है।
नित्यप्रति तीन या चार घंटे का मौन रखना अत्यन्त लाभदायक है।
मौन के निरन्तर अभ्यास से वाणी पवित्र होने लगती है और उसमें सत्यता जाग्रत होती है।
ऐसा व्यक्ति वाणी से जो भी बोलता है,वह सच होने लगता है। उसके व्यक्तित्व में गंभीरता आने लगती है और मन एकाग्रता की ओर वढता है।
मौन शान्ति का सन्देश है। यह स्वयं को ईश्वर से जुडने का सबसे सरल उपाय है। इसलिए जहाँ भी आप हों जो भी आप कार्य करतें हों,प्रयास कीजिये कि अपने व्यस्त दिनचर्या में से कुछ क्षण निकालकर संकल्पबद्ध होकर मौन साधना में उतरकर परम शान्ति का अनुभव करें।
यह एक श्रेष्ठ तप है जो हमारे ऋषि-मुनियों की अमूल्य धरोहर है |

Maun is the fifth-largest town in Botswana.
The name Maun is derived from the Seyei word 'maung', which translates 'the place of river reeds'. Before the arrival of Batawana Maun was a small Yei village. The village in 1915 became the capital for the Tawana people. The capital was transferred from Toteng after victory over Ndebele King Lobengula.
In a broader sense Maun is a gateway for exploring much of northern Botswana; for example it is the natural hub for visitors from outside the region to explore the Tsodilo Hills and the Makgadikgadi Pans. The Thamalakane River discharges to the Boteti River, whose seasonal high flow reaches the Makgadikgadi.

Bharti Raizada