Vak is not only speech or language in Indian traditions, but the inner consciousness which becomes articulated expression. Ancient Indian traditions treat speech as a gradual movement from the subtle unmanifested level of consciousness to audible sound. The above process is traditionally explained through four levels of Vak or speechPara - The supreme unmanifested speech Pashyanti - The level of inner vision or intuitive cognition Madhyama - The level where inner vocalisation or linguistic form takes place. Vaikhari - The articulated audible speech. Para represents the deepest potential of expression. There is no separation between the speaker, speech, and meaning. It is associated with the subtle level of consciousness. Before we consciously formulate a sentence, there is a pre verbal intention. It is mysterious in nature. The second level is Pashyanti. At this stage speech is seen not spoken. At this level speech exists as an image or vision.

 

There is no differentiated sequence of words. This is quite interesting to know that modern cognitive science believes that thoughts do not always start in words. This is a stage where images, emotions, intentions and conceptual whole are experienced before they are converted into words. The next level of speech is Madhyama, the internal stage of verbalisation. Here, the mind begins to organise the intended meaning into the linguistic structure. We silently frame a sentence before we speak. We hear internally without processing external sounds. This corresponds to inner speech described in psychology and cognitive neuroscience. At this stage many processes take place. Words are selected and the grammar is organised.

 

The sequencing of words takes place and intended meaning is monitored. Finally comes the Vaikhari speech, the audible sound. Now the intention to speak travels through the mechanism of speech production. According to modern neuroscience, the brain first establishes an intention to speak. It then retrieves appropriate linguistic representations and converts them into motor programming. The motor system converts neural commands into acoustic vibrations. Thus, what begins as an inner intention, eventually becomes sound in the external world. The Vedic model of Vak provides a remarkable framework for reflecting upon the progressive externalisation of cognition. The Rig Veda contains the celebrated Vak hymn. Later on grammar, Yoga, and philosophy developed very sophisticated reflections on speech, meaning, and consciousness. In his famous text Vakyapadiya Bhartrihari adds another dimension to the theory of Vak.

 

According to this theory of Sphota, the listener apprehends an integrated meaning. Sound, word, meaning, and consciousness are all integrated in the understanding of speech. Bhartrihari propounds that the sound immediately disappears after the word is uttered, still the listener understands the whole meaning because there is an integration in the science of speech. Yoga picked up this theory and developed a whole frame of Nada Sadhana or the spiritual practice of sound. Different types of chanting and Mantra repetition have their origins in this fundamental theory of the Vedic Vak. Grammarians like Panini and Patanjali have also formulated their grammatical and linguistic concepts based upon this Vak theory. In his Ashtadyayi Panini presents the architectural structure of Vak, while in Mahabhshya Patanjali discusses its linguistic correlates.