Right behind the darkness of closed eyes are the wondrous forces of the universe, and all the great saints; and the endlessness of the universe…wrote Paramahamsa Yogananda speaking about the beauty of silence. Yes, it is …for the world of spirituality is the world behind the closed eyes that brings the innate divinity. For the bestowed brand of Sai Fraternity, 'Sailence' is the best of the boons offered by the Avatar of the age, writes Prof. N. Kasturi on the magic behind the silence in the Divine Presence of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, as published in Sanathana Sarathi, May 1977.

'Sai'- lence

"Silence" is a word included in dictionaries of the English language. According to the lexicographers, it means: "Absence of sound; abstention from sounding; taciturnity; flavourlessness.” It is a negative phenomenon, a vacuum where something is not, an exercise in denial, an adventure of withholding. We abstain from speech when fear benumbs the tongue, when shock puts the brain out of action, when passion overwhelms, and when authority commands. At birth, we swallow a gasp; at death, we hide a groan. We weigh the pros and the cons and when reason tells us that ‘silence is golden and speech is gilt' we lapse into silence and pride ourselves on our cleverness. Often, the words we have are trivial currency for the massive transactions in which we are involved and so, we are forced into silence! We speak of the 'silence' of the tomb; dead men tell no tales. We speak of the 'silence' of snow clad peaks, where a whisper might trail off an avalanche. We speak of the awesome silence on the moon where a whimper commits suicide on the lip. We speak of the 'silence' of the desert, for, we believe that the vast waste is devoid of the murmur of leaves, the chatter of birds, the gurgle of rills, and the inquisitive dialogues of insects. We speak of the silence of the ocean bed, where no echo can be heard of the roar of waves, or the grunts, squeaks and squeals of aquatic folks. But, when all is said that can be said about "Silence" it is but flavourless, as the dictionary says. It is but a temporary manacle on the mouth, a some time relief for the ear, a poetic fantasy falsified by facts, a dream of anaemics disgusted with shrieks and shouts.

Let us turn to Sailence! This word is not found in dictionaries. No lexicographer has commented on it. For, it is too ethereal to be swaddled in syllables, too fine and filamental to be voiced about in vocabularies. It is a positive state of mental peace; it is a vibrant experience of individuals; it is a valued treasure; it is far richer and fuller than Silence; it is a reward eagerly sought for; it is a possession highly valued; it is an achievement won by Sadhana.

When the pilgrim leaves behind him the higgle haggle of the bazaar and enters the temple, when he passes through the pillared halls, the painted corridors and sculptured mantaps, when he picks his way through the dim lit passages and steps, and stands before the Inner Shrine, he is greeted by the Sailence, in the presence of Embodied Infinity. Sai is all the Gods before whom man bows, kneels or prostrates. He greets with His Grace all pilgrims in all lands in all ages.

When you proceed through any spoke, to take shelter from the gyrations of circumferential existence to the axis, where calm prevails and Sailence reigns, it is Sai, the All comprehensive Will, Intelligence, Existence, and Bliss that welcomes you and enfolds you in invigorating Love. Sailence is the home where all children of Sai find rest when, tired of the game of worldly life, they run to the lap of the Mother. It is the home in the region beyond A, U and M, beyond the bounds of wakefulness, dream and sleep. It lies where the Pranava fades into the faintest of fancy. Sailence is the height to which the soul climbs when it yearns to reach the cloud from which it fell on its way to the sea of Grace where it was born.

We get a foretaste of the Bliss that Sailence. Is, when we sit face to face with Sai, communing with Him in the language of the Heart, intent on offering the little 'i' to the parent 'I' that He is. Those who have installed Sai in their hearts can immerse themselves in that effulgent Sailence, even when they are engaged in the tasks of daily life. Like the fishes that come up every few minutes to fill their lungs with life-giving air, they can, through the inner compulsion of Love, dive into that Sailent pool in their hearts and draw sustenance and salvation there from. They can assert, “In Sai we live and move and have our being. In Sailence, vice grow and thrive and find our meaning and worth.” May that Sailence be the dynamo that activates us into Lamps of Love and Sources of Light.