Early Speculations about the Significance & the Powers of the Word The Tantric speculations & practices that will be considered in the following chapters are not, in India, something outlandish or strange, however unexpected or excessive they may appear to us in some respects. They emerged in a rich & ancient culture where, from the outset, so it seems, the Word was given a prominent position. Thus, before studying these speculations, the ancient notions on the subject on the subject should be first of all briefly reviewed. This preliminary survey may appear somewhat hurried & incomplete. But a deeper investigation would fill a whole volume, while this is meant only as a short preface to, or a kind of basic framework of, what will follow. The Manifestation of Sound :- The activity of divine consciousness which brings the universe into existence, & which at the highest level, is, as we have seen, pure light, prakasa, is often described, especially in the Trika, as a flashing forth, a radiance, a luminous vibration. This is conveyed by such terms as sphuratta, ullasa, & others. This vibrating effulgence, as much as that of consciousness, is that of the Word at its ultimate stage: we shall see later how paravac is defined as consciousness (cit) & glittering light (sphuratta). Manifestation, as it is born out of the Word & along with it, may thus be understood as a flashing forth which gradually becomes obfuscated. This occurs through a series of transformations & condensations of sound or phonic primal energy, which gradually brings forth (but in a never-ending process, for it takes place beyond time) the manifested universe, a process that takes place analogously in human beings, within whom sound (and then speech) will develop following a process corresponding to that of the cosmogony, & where the phonetic symbols appear as closely related to visual metaphors referring to the Word’s aspect of light. *** (SRI SATGURU . I.BOOK . C)