Bells heard are usually a sign of progress in sadhana, progress to come.1
*
The sounds of bells and the seeing of lights and colours are signs of the opening of the inner consciousness which brings with it an opening also to sights and sounds of other planes than the physical. Some of these things, like the sound of bells, crickets etc., seem even to help the opening. The Upanishad speaks of them as brahmavyaktikarani yoge.2
*
Your bells etc. mentioned by you as recent experiences were already enumerated as long ago as the time of the Upanishads as signs accompanying the opening to the larger consciousness, brahmanvyabhivyaktikarani yoge.3
*
The hearing of bells is usually a sign of an opening of the consciousness; it is mentioned in the Upanishads as one of such significant sounds and is well known to Yogis.4
*
Such sounds (bells, bees, crickets etc.) are stated in the Upanishad to be signs of realisation approaching. They come very commonly when the inner or subtle consciousness is awake.
*
The hearing of the bells has always been considered a sign or a premonition of the opening of the inner being to spiritual experience.5
*
Both of these [the sound of OM and of church bells] are usually sounds that indicate the opening or attempt to open to the cosmic consciousness.6
~ Sri Aurobindo
References:
- CWSA Vol. 30, Letters on Yoga-III, P: 185
2. CWSA Vol. 30, Letters on Yoga-III, P: 111
3. CWSA Vol. 35, Letters on Himself and the Ashram, P: 235
4. CWSA Vol. 30, Letters on Yoga-III, P: 431
5. CWSA Vol. 30, Letters on Yoga-III, P: 112
6. CWSA Vol. 30, Letters on Yoga-III, P: 113
« Back to Glossary Index