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this is an excerpt from
http://sri-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.in/2008/06/silence-in-teachings-of-sri-ramana.html
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the mostly widely revered advaita teacher of the 20th century, always maintained that silence' was his primary and most direct teaching. Abiding in and as the Self, as the unmoving substratum of manifestation, he emanated a silent radiance that quietened the minds of those who were drawn to him. This silent presence resolved the doubts and problems of those who came to see him, and on occasions even gave them a direct glimpse of the Self. Sri Ramana did, of course, answer questions as well, but he frequently said that the silent force which spontaneously radiated from him was the highest and purest form of his teachings.
When Sri Ramana spoke on the subject of silence, he usually used the Sanskrit word mauna'. In using this term he made it clear that he was not indicating a mere absence of sound; rather, he was referring to the unmoving, silent, peaceful state of the Self that is beyond and prior to the antonyms of noise and physical quietness.
The Nature of Mauna
The mauna that is wholly and solely the Self is a state in which the consciousness that says I', being [revealed as] ignorance, dies away. This alone possesses excellence. If you ask why, the answer is: The desire for objects is the true cause of sorrow, whereas mauna is the expanse of being wherein there are no objects to desire.'
Mauna is the State of the Guru
Guru and disciple are only described as different through the imaginary feeling of being limited to a form. In the mauna union, the summit of jnana in which these two ideas [Guru and disciple] merge through the true experience of the Self, is there even a trace of speech and breath? As the ego, the cause that creates the sense of difference, is destroyed, the minds of the two become one through their real nature, pure being, and cease. In such a situation the talking and listening that consist of spoken words, which take place between the two, are of no use.
The Shining of Mauna in the Heart
A person should not extrovert his attention through esteeming and knowing external objects. Instead, he should enquire and know his ever-present true state and abide in the Heart. By doing so, the individual-consciousness that says I' falls away, and pure mauna shines. This pure mauna is indeed the consummation of jnana.
The host of thoughts and intentions is extremely difficult to renounce. When, with these thoughts and intentions completely abandoned, the ego enters the Heart, mauna, the experience that has taken the form of the fullness, swarupa, shines in the Heart. Only this mauna is the excellent paravak [transcendental speech]. This you should know.
Attaining Mauna through self-enquiry
Bhagavan: The most valuable thing in the ocean lies on its floor. The pearl is so small a thing, yet so valuable and so difficult to procure. Similarly, the Self is like the pearl: to find it you must dive deep down into the silence, deeper and ever deeper, until it is reached. (Conscious Immortality, 1st ed. p. 168)
Bhagavan: Of course everybody, every book says, Be quiet or still'. But it is not easy. That is why all this effort is necessary. Even if we find one who has at once achieved the mauna or supreme state indicated by summa iru' [be quiet' or be still'], you may take it that the effort necessary has already been finished in a previous life. (Day by Day with Bhagavan, 11th January, 1946)
Referring to mauna, Sri Bhagavan said, Silence is of four kinds: silence of speech, silence of the eye, silence of the ear, and silence of the mind. Only the last is pure silence and is the most important. (Sri Ramana Reminiscences, p. 62)
Question: Is the state of being still' a state involving effort or effortless?
Bhagavan: It is not an effortless state of indolence. All mundane activities, which are ordinarily called effort, are performed with the aid of a portion of the mind and with frequent breaks. But the act of communion with the Self [Atma vyavahara] or remaining still inwardly is intense activity which is performed with the entire mind and without break.
Maya [delusion or ignorance] which cannot be destroyed by any other act is completely destroyed by this intense activity which is called silence' [mauna]. (Upadesa Manjari, chapter two, question four. The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi, pp. 55-56.)
Referring to mauna, Sri Bhagavan said, Silence is of four kinds: silence of speech, silence of the eye, silence of the ear, and silence of the mind. Only the last is pure silence and is the most important. The commentary of silence is the best commentary as illustrated in Lord Dakshinamurti. Only silence is the eternal speech, the one word, the heart-to-heart talk. Silence is like the even flow of electric current. Speech is like obstructing the current for lighting and other purposes.' (Sri Ramana Reminiscences, p. 62)
Question: Mauna means abiding in the Self, doesn't it?
Bhagavan: Yes. That is so. Without abiding in the Self, how could it be mauna?
Question: That is just what I am asking. Would it be mauna if one were to completely refrain from speech without at the same time having an awareness of the Self and abiding therein?
Bhagavan: How could real mauna be achieved? Some people say that they are observing mauna by keeping their mouths shut but at the same time they go on writing something or other on bits of paper or on a slate. Is not that another form of activity of the mind?
Question: Is there then no benefit at all in refraining from speech?
Bhagavan: A person may refrain from speech in order to avoid the obstacles of the outer world, but he should not consider that to be an end in itself. True silence is really endless speech; there is no such thing as attaining it because it is always present. All you have to do is to remove the worldly cobwebs that enshroud it; there is no question of attaining it. (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, 3rd September, 1947)
what i could derive from these conversations is that
be keeping silent,
we will be avoiding unneccessary arguments,
and refrain ourselves from trying to poke in our nose in others issues
a lot of energy is saved by keeping mum
ramana maharishi has suggested to observe mauna vrat ( keeping silent) at least for one day a week
it can bring lot of changes in ourselves
he says whenever you are about to speak
think twice
will that speech be of any use to you
are you going to get benifitted , or someone else is going to ge benefitted
only then you can speak and that too limited ( to the point)
by needless speach you are not only wasting your time but the precious time of others as well
the more you conserve your words the more gyaani you become
is what ramana says
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