determine one’s state of health. Finally, the varÓnamay ̄ıaspect concerns
pronunciation of the varÓnas, the sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet. Each of
the forty-nine sounds is a manifestation of the vaikharior audible form of
sabdabrahman ́ , and according to the T ̄antric text Íarada Tilaka, each
sound is associated with either the iÓda-nad ̄ ̄ı (governing vital currents), or
the pi ̇ngala-nad ̄ı(governing mental currents). For instance, short vowels
are contained in pi ̇ngala ̄ and long vowels in iÓd ̄a.To appreciate how this
functions concretely, pronounce aloud and compare the different qualities
of the Sanskrit short vowel a(‘uh’), and the long vowel ̄a(‘aah’). Shah hy-
pothesizes that the excess of vital current can produce erratic functions
within the body-mind complex, while the excess of mentalcurrent may
lead to physical inflexibility and rigidity in the personality.^67
Vyaas Houston, founder of the American Sanskrit Institute (War-
wick, New York), corroborates the claim that oral Sanskrit can influence
psychophysical states. In his discussion of how a person can become ex-
quisitely aware of the unique resonance of each of Sanskrit’s forty-nine
sounds, he compares the effects of uttering aspirated and unaspirated
consonants:
... one of the great pleasures of the Sanskrit language lies in the alter-
nation between minimal-breath and maximal-breath consonants. The
minimizing of breath while producing a consonant, when for example,
touching the tip of the tongue behind the teeth in ta, brings about an in-
tensely focused one-pointedness of concentration; while a consonant re-
leased with maximal breath, like thahas an expansive liberating effect.
It releases pressure from the heart and chest, and creates a happy re-
laxed feeling.^68
M ̄antric utterances thus have application as a religious therapeutic using
the medium of speech: correct pronunciation of suitable combinations of
letters produces resonances that can equilibrate the circulation of ener-
gies in a person. Shah writes that this therapeutic application of
kuÓnÓdalin ̄ı’s varÓnamay ̄ıaspect can be performed by a healer on behalf of a
patient. The first three aspects, however, can be utilized only by an indi-
vidual whose T ̄antric practice has developed her power to use kuÓnÓdalin ̄ı’s
manifestations on behalf of her own health.^69Sacred MusicT ̄antric music and dance are religious arts expressing the two fundamen-
tal manifestations of primordial Íaktior energy: vibration and move-
ment. Íiva is known as NaÓte ́svara, lord of the dance (√naÓt‘to dance’).tantra and aesthetic therapeutics 155