Swami Sivananda About Mouna

The organ of speech is a very great distracter of the mind. Too much talking indicates that the man is rajasic (restless). Talking makes the mind outgoing. Mouna (vow of silence) is almost death for the worldly man. It is a great blessing for the spiritual aspirant.

A worldly man always wants company and talk. This is his nature. Energy is wasted in this idle gossiping. Conserve this energy by mouna and utilise it for the contemplation of the divine. If you observe mouna for two months you will realise its advantages. Then you yourself will not leave the practice. If the organ of speech is checked then the eyes and ears come under control quite easily.

Mouna develops will power. It checks the impulse of speech. It is a great help in the observance of truth and the control of anger. Emotions are also controlled and irritability vanishes. A mouni (one who observes mouna) uses measured words, and his speech is very impressive. A mouni first thinks whether his speech will wound the feelings of others, what sort of impression it will make on the minds of others, and so on. He is careful in his speech. He is thoughtful and considerate. He weighs each word before it comes out of his mouth. He can stay for a long time in seclusion. Practise. Feel the joy and peace of silence for yourself.

If you wish to observe mouna, you should keep yourself perfectly occupied in japa (repetition of God's name), meditation and mantra-writing. Do not mix with others. Do not come out of your room frequently. The energy used for speech should be sublimated into spiritual energy. It should be utilised for meditation. Then only you will enjoy serenity, calmness, peace and inner spiritual strength.

During mouna, introspect. Watch the thoughts. Then you will come to understand the ways of the mind and its workings. You can notice how the mind runs from one object to another in a moment's time. You will derive immense benefit from the practice of mouna. Real mouna is silence of the mind. Physical mouna eventually leads to silence of the mind.

Mouna of the mind is far superior to the mouna of speech. Mouna should come by itself. It must be natural. Forced mouna is only wrestling with the mind. It is an effort. If you live in truth, then mouna will come by itself, and there will be absolute peace.