Shankha Nada
Darshana, Manana, Pathana

By Swami Shantananda

In Sanskrit, the word shankha means “conch.” Gurumayi has given her intention, vision, and guidance to the creation of this painting of a shankha. This painting provides Siddha Yogis with a means to explore Gurumayi’s Message for 2014.

Darshana , manana , and pathana describe an approach you can take in your exploration of the shankha . These Sanskrit words mean “view,” “reflect,” and “study.” Behold the image of the shankha and reflect on its significance in light of Gurumayi’s Message for this year. Read and study this exposition to dive deeper into the power of Gurumayi’s Message. And listen to shankha nada —may your being resonate with the primordial power.

On the Siddha Yoga path, the shankha is one of the instruments played to invoke Shri Guru’s grace. Shankha nada, the sound of the conch, is said to purify the environment and one’s own being. The particles of sound issuing from the shankha allow the particles of the mind to become serene.

The conch in this beautiful painting belongs to the species Turbinella pyrum L., found in the coastal areas of South India and Sri Lanka. This conch is in the dakshinavarti shape, turning toward the right; such rare dakshinavartishankhas are treated as precious jewels.

In the Puranas the shankha is associated with Lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi. They are often portrayed holding a conch, which represents the shankha nada that creates and sustains the universe. The Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata, extol the significance of the shankha. For example, the main protagonists fly flags with the image of the shankha. The most famous of these shankhas was the Panchajanya that belonged to Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

This painting of a resplendent shankha, envisioned by Gurumayi and created according to her guidance, symbolizes the soundless sound AUM. Meditating on this shankha will give rise to the sound AUM within. The Puranas relay that this sound, arising from within, is created by the Lord when manifesting the cosmos; AUM is the originator of all sounds, forms, and living beings in the universe.

A Shaivite scripture, the Vijnana Bhairava, says:

One who is steeped in nada—which is the Absolute in the form of sound, which is the unstruck sound ( anahata) vibrating within, which can be heard only by the ear that becomes sensitive through yoga, which resounds uninterruptedly, and which rushes headlong like a river—attains the Absolute.

As you listen to the sound of the shankha and receive its darshan, let your attention be immersed in the sound. Allow your focus to draw you within.

Gurumayi's Message for 2014 is

Gurumayi’s Message for 2014