Being one amongst my New year resolution to undertake 6 new experiences across this year, “Silence” has always amazed me! It was something I always wanted to try but wanted to do it in my present environment, amongst people.
What inspired me?
Speech is one the most profound strengths we humans have been blessed with. And I feel that most of the times we speak unnecessarily, only because we have been given the liberty to do so. There were couple of instances in my life where I wanted to address something badly, but for some or the other reason I kept quiet. Surprisingly it worked for my benefit, which eventually led to attaining utmost peace of mind. This made me wonder– if a moment of silence can be so beneficial, imagine practicing silence as a routine! And that was when I thought of at least observing half day a week in silence. And honestly, when I thought of starting it, I was under the impression that it would be very easy not to speak for 7-8 hours, but soon I realized that I was wrong.
What I did?
During my first week, I was so excited about the whole maun vrat thing that I got up an hour early than my usual time. I was up by 4 am with a big smile on my face & was looking forward for the whole experience. Having informed all my near & dear ones the previous day & also my maids, I ensured that no one gets any kind of surprises with my experiential endeavor. Also, to ensure 100 percent commitment to the whole experience, I avoided any form of media during this time. All I do is read, write, meditate & just be there with myself & my thoughts.
Let me enumerate one incident that distinctly caught my memory. It was my first maun vrat, and I was sitting in my room, writing something when I heard something fall in the kitchen. Wanted to get up, check it at once but then I controlled. After sometime, my maid came & told me that the whole bottle full of freshly squeezed lemon juice a previous day, fell from her hand & all the juice spilled. I was quite upset but my silence saved her & me both 😬. I did feel helpless as I couldn’t speak, but I remained there. And eventually, this whole thing passed away peacefully without me saying anything to her. In turn, what she did was worth mentioning. She had just got lemons from her parents’ house a day before which she got at my place & again squeezed all the lemons & filled up the container. I realised it much later in the day & told her not to do so but she did not agree. It was all because I let it go without saying anything.
The rest of the day went by with few missed calls, few mistakes by maids & few things that did not happen my way. But, at the end of the day all of it had passed away peacefully. Finally, at 12 pm when I started to speak, I did not feel the need to address those issues, which normally I would have, in annoyance. Then every Tuesday, it was the more or less the same routine, some good things, some not so good things but eventually, all that I achieved was peace & I kept learning new things with each experience.
How was the experience ?
As I mentioned earlier, before trying it, I had a strong feeling that it would be difficult to remain silent for 8 hours. But I was wrong. It was not only difficult but extremely challenging, than I had thought, because it is very difficult to control yourself when you really want to speak & let your feelings out. But at the end of half day, I felt so peaceful that I started looking forward to next Tuesday.
Also, you know it has been good for you & others when next morning your maid comes & she greets you & you greet her in return & she is surprised & asks jokingly “aaje tamaru maun vrat nathi” (Today you are not observing silence)?That’s when it hit me that it’s ok to let go off few things. You need not react every time. You are at peace & others also feel the positivity of it. Now, not just Tuesdays, but other days too, I don’t see the need to speak without any reason. It has only helped me achieve more positivity. Yes, but I am human & do get upset but except for one incident, I did not react & let it pass.
What I learned?
Few things I learned during this experiment:
- First of all, I thank God for this wonderful blessing called speech. It’s very hard when you want to say something but you can’t. That is when you realize that how many things we take for granted.
- Silence is the power. Use it to your benefit. No matter how badly you want to address some thing that upsets you, stay silent for sometime & let it pass. In most cases, you wont regret it.
- End result to silence is always peace.
- Nothing is urgent unless it’s the matter of life & death. Putting your mobile/ laptop/ other media away for sometime & staying with your thoughts in silence will only strengthen your inner self.
- Silence is also a form of letting go. Letting go off is not that difficult because once you let go, all that you experience is peace.
- Respond rather than react.
Tips for those willing to try maun vrat:
1. Invest just 4-5 hours to start with
2. Inform your near & dear ones in advance
3. Plan your maun vrat day schedule, the previous day to avoid any distraction
4. Reading, writing & listening to inspiring speeches are the best way to be present to your thoughts
- Rani
The Meaningful Lifestyle