Book II / I

Shabd

In Sanskrit Shabd is a root but we do not know its construction, as with other words. It means awaz (sound), akhar (Word), kalam (talk), Ism (name), zamir (essence), bachan (spoken word), wazahat (exposition), sarahat (clarity), izhar (expression), taqrir (speech), etc.

Whatever is spoken or heard is Shabd, and it reveals the real nature of things and explains the hidden reality or mystery thereof. But in the terminology of the Saints, the term Shabd has a much deeper significance, quite different from its commonly accepted meaning.