THE SOUND OF THE PULSAR

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,

They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe.

These opening lines, sung by the Beatles in Across the Universe, capture the sense of sound as an unstoppable, cosmic flow. That very image resonates with the Sanskrit tradition: the Maheshvara Sūtras, the primordial sequence of Sanskrit letters, are said to emanate from Śiva’s ḍamaru.

Maheshvara Sutra is the sound of the ancient most Sanskrit alphabet sequence.

 It emanates from Shiva's damru. The sound made by Shiva's damru is 

the sound of the Pulsar. Pulsar sounds are audio representations

of the radio pulses, emitted by rapidly rotating neutron stars, 

converted from electromagnetic signals into audible sound.

This Maheshvara sutra is also a healing mantra.

Pulsars are highly magnetized, rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation along their magnetic poles. As the star spins, these beams sweep across space like a cosmic lighthouse, producing regular pulses detectable on Earth. The rotation periods vary widely, from milliseconds to several seconds, giving each pulsar a unique "voice" when converted to sound. These unique voices collectively the alphabet of the Sanskrit language..

Encyclopedia Britannica states that the Sanskrit language (from Sanskrit saṃskṛta, 'adorned, cultivated, purified') is an Old Indo-Aryan language in which the most ancient texts are the Vedas, more prominently, the Rig Veda, and the Upanishads, which came into existence on the banks of the Sapta Sindu rivers. It also states that scholars generally ascribe the Vedas to 1500 BCE. There is much room for debate about the Aryan invasion and the dating of the Vedas, but that is not the subject of the post here.

In the Indic tradition, it is said that Sanskrit was introduced to human civilisation by the sages of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma entails a universal code of conduct, a description of the duties applicable to all humanity. Santana Dharma, later came to be known as Hinduism, which is its exonym; it is what the outsiders called Sanatana Dharma, which was the philosophy, the way of life, the code of conduct and path to god, practised in India. There are many theories why the name Hindu emerged, but none of those is relevant to the origin of Sanatana Dharma. India, like Hindustan, is an exonym; the endonym is Bharatavarsha or Jambhudwipa. 

A famous verse in Sage Panini’s Ashtadhyayi says that Panini's grammar, which is in current use, in its original form, was graced by Lord Shiva himself. 

Shiva's damru and the Sanskrit Alphabet: Rig Vedic literature states that it is Shiva himself who created language and passed on its 'sounds' to humankind. Hence, the first known organised sounds of Sanskrit are known and presented as the Maheshvara Sutra - Maheshvara being another name of Lord Shiva. Here is the verse from Panini's Ashta-Dhyayi which states the same:

"At the end of His Cosmic Dance,
Shiva, the Lord of Dance,
with a view to bless the sages Sanaka and so on,
played on His Damaru fourteen times,
from which emerged the following fourteen Sutras,

popularly known as Shiva Sutras or Maheshvara Sutras"

The fourteen sounds of the Maheshwara Sutra, also known as the 'akshara-samamnaya', or the 'recitation of phonemes', is also the most ancient known Sanskrit alphabet sequence. Interestingly, this sutra is at the same time a powerful Mantra; the vibrations of its sound are known to have healing powers, and hence this sutra has also been used by sages for healing. It was used in Kashmir Tantric practices for curing diseases, waking up the unconscious and is known to have sometimes revived the dead. Here is the sequence of the 14-sounds:

1. अ इ उ ण् |
2. ऋ ऌ क् |
3. ए ओ ङ् |
4. ऐ औ च् |
5. ह य व र ट् |
6. ल ण् |
7. ञ म ङ ण न म् |
8. झ भ ञ् |
9. घ ढ ध ष् |
10. ज ब ग ड द श् |
11. ख फ छ ठ थ च ट त व् |
12. क प य् |
13.श ष स र् |
14. ह ल् |

The Sound of the Pulsar is the Sound of the Sanskrit alphabet: Interestingly, modern astrophysics has revealed a parallel cosmic rhythm. NASA has converted the periodic signals of pulsars—rapidly rotating neutron stars—into audible frequencies. These stellar vibrations, though astrophysical in origin, strikingly resemble the cadence of Śiva’s ḍamaru. Just as the Sanskrit varṇamālā is said to emanate from the damru’s beat, the pulsar’s rhythm can be envisioned as a celestial echo of this primordial sound, linking the alphabet’s sacred vibration with the universe’s own pulse.”

The sound of the Pulsar is the sound of the Sanskrit 

alphabet emanating from Shiva's damru.

The alphabet emanates from the pulsar or the damru.

The fourteen sutras contain all the letters of the Sanskrit varnamala- the svaras (vowels) and all the vyanjanas (consonants). The sounds of the alphabet originated from Lord Shiva's 'damru', which in this context appears to be a sophisticated sound device.

The Sanskrit alphabet sequence is known as the 'Varna-mala'. The word 'varna' (वर्ण) means a 'syllable' and all the energies related to that syllable - colour, presiding force, the mouth part used to pronounce each syllable, the related body part, etc. 

Sanskrit is known as the language of the gods. Its fundamentals are scientific, and most of its theory is way beyond the cognition of an average learner. In his paper 'Mantra & Initiation', Pandit Rajmani Tignuit states, "....on a more subtle level, the Sanskrit phonemes relate to the energy currents which lie deep within the interior of the human body. Each of the 72,000 currents has a distinct sound, although they are too diffuse and vague to be enunciated distinctly. Moreover, the yogis have identified places in the body where two or more energy currents cross. In mantra shastra, the point where two energy currents intersect is called a sandhi, the point where three energy currents cross is called marma shthana, and the point where more than three energy currents converge is called a chakra. Here at the chakras, the vibratory patterns of energy are strong and vibrant. At the centre of each chakra, a distinct sound predominates, and other distinct sounds are centred around it. That is why, in kundalini yoga, each chakra is represented as having a particular letter at its centre, as well as a letter on each petal........ ".

It is for this reason alone that Sanskrit cannot be regarded as a derived language. Its source is cosmic, like that of mathematics. Each alphabet is generated in the form of sound energy, conjunct with its meaning. If the sound shifts, the meaning dissolves. In other words, any distortion renders both the meaning of the word and the vibration generated out of sync and therefore erroneous.

In kundalini yoga, each chakra is represented
as having a particular letter at its centre.

In a mantra, a different part of the body is invoked and healed by reciting a different alphabet of the 'varnamala'. The power lies in the vibration caused by the mantra. Hence, the sound has to be perfect, for it is also in tandem with its meaning. If the vibration changes, it is no longer effective. The Maheshwara Sutra is a healing mantra too, as mentioned above, its sounds are arranged in a sequence, designed to create vibrations which it is said have the power to revive the sick or dying.

No script is known to have ever been formulated for the Vedic mantras or alphabets in the earliest times. The requirement for a script, in the context of Sanatana Dharma, was considered irrelevant. The scriptures were passed on through smriti (memory) and shruti (hearing). The emphasis was on 'uccharana' or correct pronunciation. The belief was that the script could emerge or dissolve at any time.

In the context of Hindu philosophy, therefore, where the emphasis was on the study of the power of sound, on the primordial sound of the omnipresent Om, on meditation, on the unity of supreme consciousness, on sutras, on mantras and on telepathy, a script was considered redundant for it did not serve any function.

Suggested Links:

1. The Origin of Sanskrit

THE CHANNELING OF THE WATER OF THE GANGES - 1

The descent of the Gaṅgā: The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa narrates in detail the celestial descent of the Gaṅgā, describing how the sacred river was brought down from the heights of svarga—the Himalayas—to the plains of Bhāratavarṣa. This episode situates the Gaṅgā not merely as a geographical river but as a divine current linking heaven and earth.

The role of King Sagara Long before Śiva was entrusted with bearing the force of the Gaṅgā’s fall upon his matted locks, the preliminary task was undertaken by the sons of King Sagara. Sagara, renowned as one of the mighty rulers of the Ikṣvāku dynasty—of which Śrī Rāma was a later scion—stands at the center of this narrative of dynastic duty and cosmic consequence.

The sons of Sagara: Sagara had one biological son, Asamañja, born of his senior queen Keśinī, and many other sons born of his junior queen Sumati. The Rāmāyaṇa describes these latter sons as nurtured in jars filled with ghṛta (clarified butter), sustained by nurses until their birth. The text gives their number as sixty thousand, a figure that should be read symbolically as “innumerable.” The reference to ghṛta may be understood as a metaphor for a life‑sustaining fluid, a poetic rendering of embryonic nurture.

Sumati, their mother, had received a boon that her progeny would be “highly energetic and of great renown,” while Keśinī’s boon ensured that her single son would carry forward the royal lineage. Thus, the narrative juxtaposes multiplicity with continuity: countless sons embody vigour and fame, while one son embodies dynastic succession.

Asamañja’s training of the brothers: In due course, Asamañja—the elder son of Keśinī—was charged with instructing his jar‑born siblings. The Rāmāyaṇa portrays him as cruel, noting his practice of immersing the boys in water until they surfaced gasping for breath. This harsh discipline suggests that the brothers underwent a form of rigorous initiation, preparing them for the monumental task ahead. The narrative foreshadows their destiny: once their mission is fulfilled, they are consumed by fire and reduced to ashes.

The Aśvamedha Yajña: The great undertaking begins with the Aśvamedha yajña. The brothers are commanded to follow the wandering aśva. Although conventionally translated as “horse,” the behavior attributed to the aśva in the epic does not correspond to that of a mere animal. Its mysterious movements invite interpretation: Vālmīki may be encoding a symbolic or technological referent, with the aśva functioning as a ritual or cosmic marker rather than a literal steed.

Present-day Ashva

The vanishing of the aśva The aśva repeatedly disappears from sight, only to reappear later. At one point, it vanishes for so long that rumors spread of Indra’s theft. Yet the brothers themselves witness it plunging into the earth, raising clouds of dust as it descends. This enigmatic behavior compels them to pursue it beneath the surface, transforming their ritual duty into a cosmic excavation.

The 'ashva' disappearing into the earth?

The vast excavation: Driven by necessity, the brothers dig relentlessly. Their search for the vanished aśva expands into an immense excavation, stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Vindhya range, and onward until they reach the ocean. The scale of this endeavor is staggering, consuming an immeasurable span of time and effort, and inscribing their labor upon the very geography of Bhāratavarṣa.

The channel.

King Sagara’s vigil Throughout this enterprise, King Sagara remains steadfast. He declares that he will wait, together with his grandson Anśumān, until the brothers have penetrated the depths of the earth. Their quest extends to rasātala, the penultimate subterranean realm, lying just above pātāla. The excavation spreads far and wide, reaching the limits where the earth is encircled by the oceans. In this way, the epic situates the sons’ labor within a cosmological framework, binding dynastic duty to the layered structure of the universe.

The ashva as excavator As the search for the vanished aśva continues, Vālmīki’s description begins to suggest that the brothers themselves are not digging, but rather operating the aśva, which performs the excavation. The narrative shifts from human labor to a symbolic or mechanized agent, underscoring the enigmatic nature of the aśva.

The channel and the pillars The excavation produces a channel, and the imagery expands: the mountains are likened to elephants supporting the earth. Once the waters are released, the structure functions as a reservoir. The aśva digs so deeply that massive supports—likened to elephants yet appearing as mountains—must be erected to uphold the four quarters of the earth. These supports are named Virūpākṣa, Mahāpāda, Sumanāsa, and Bhadra, cosmic pillars stabilizing the terrestrial plane.

The surrounding mountains are like 'elephants'
the pillars that hold the Earth.

The confrontation with sage Kapila With the channel complete, the ritual of Sagara reaches its climax. The brothers discover that the supposed horse‑thief is not Indra but the sage Kapila. When they accuse him of repeated thefts, Kapila utters a single syllable—hum—and reduces them to ashes. The logic of the narrative reveals that there was never truly a theft: the jar‑born sons were created solely to labor, and once their task was fulfilled, they were dissolved.

The transition to Śiva’s role Although the channel is prepared, King Sagara cannot proceed with the second phase of the project. At this juncture, the task of bringing the Gaṅgā from the Himalayas into the plains is entrusted to Śiva, who has already demonstrated his cosmic capacity in undertakings such as the Sāgara‑manthana. The divine intervention marks the transition from human effort to celestial agency.

Dynastic succession and Bhagiratha’s vow Sagara’s jar‑born sons perish, and his elder son Asamañja is banished for cruelty. The lineage continues through Anśumān, who resolves to bring the Gaṅgā down to earth to sanctify the souls of his uncles. Yet it is only his grandson Bhagiratha who, through perseverance and with Śiva’s guidance, succeeds in accomplishing this task after a long interval. The Gaṅgā’s descent thus becomes inseparably linked with Bhagiratha’s name.

The reservoir and its legacy:  When the Gaṅgā is finally released, the four massive pillars serve as the reservoir’s supports. The epic imagery resonates into later tradition: temples bearing the names Virūpākṣa, Mahāpāda, Sumanāsa, and Bhadra stand as enduring reminders of this cosmological architecture. In this way, the mythic engineering of the Gaṅgā’s channel is memorialized in sacred geography and temple nomenclature.

THE SANSKRIT & TAMIL CONNECTION - THE TEMPLE OF PETRA, JORDAN

Jordan gets its name from the River Jordan. The origin of the name 'Jordan' is generally traced to the ancient Semitic word 'Arda'. 'Arda' in turn comes from the Hebrew 'Yorad', which is derived from the Aramaic 'Yarden' or 'Jarden' meaning 'down-flowing' or 'that which descends'. 

Let's go a step further and check out the Sanskrit connection. In Sanskrit, the verb in the context of 'flowing down' is 'jharat' (झरत्), and the root word is 'jhara' (झर), which means 'sprinkling' or 'waterfall' and is used to describe water bodies or rivers etc. There are rivers all over the world which have names close to the 'jhara' sound, such as the 'Jari' which is the northern tributary of the River Amazon; River Jara in Melbourne; the Jara River - a tributary of the Susita River in Romania; or Lake Jara in New Mexico - not to mention many more in India and Nepal.

Now let's look at the Temple of Petra in Jordan. Petra in Ma’an, is the home of Jordan's most ancient race - the Nabateans. Petra is a complete city carved in a mountain - its rocks are mostly red or pink in hue. Many have put forth the view that the Temple of Petra is a Temple of Shiva owing to the carved Shiva Linga in the mountain. 

The Shiva-Linga of Petra Temple, Jordan.

Lord Shiva is a Vedic God

It is said that the name Petra derives from the Greek word 'pietra' which means 'stone' a reference to the rocky landscape of the area. But it is highly likely that the Greek 'pietra' is a distorted form of the Sanskrit 'prastar' (प्रस्तर) which means 'rock'. In her blog Jayshree Saranathan states that there is a Tamil link too - 'paarai' is the Tamil word for stone, and that might itself be linked in some way to the Sanskrit 'prastar'.

The Bible, the Egyptian campaign accounts and the Amarna Tablets refer to Petra with names such as 'Sela', 'Seir' and 'Pel'.

Shila' (शिला), a close cognate of 'Sela' too means 'rock', 'mountain' or 'rocky-mountain' in Sanskrit. Even the word 'pal' (पल) is linked to 'stone' and occurs in Sanskrit as 'upala' (उपल) or as 'shonapal' (शोणोपल), which means 'red-stone' - thus explaining the name 'Pel' from the ancient texts.

The Biblical Manuscript or the 'Dead Sea Scrolls' say that the original name of Petra was 'Rekim' or 'Rekem'. The Semitic name 'Rekem', translated as colourful',  was inscribed on the Petra temple passage wall - the passage was called the Siq or Sic. This inscription 'Rekem' was visible until a couple of decades ago, when a bridge was built over the passage wall such that, sadly, the inscription is no longer visible.

In any case, it is interesting to note that a close Sanskrit cognate of 'Rekim', the Sanskrit 'Recin', pronounced Rechin (रेचिन्), means red powder and describes the hue and colour of the temple.

It is known that the original Aramaic texts say that the oldest known name of Petra is Rekem-Geya which is very interesting. It translates as 'Red-Gaya' from Sanskrit. Gaya is an ancient Vedic-Hindu pilgrimage site in Bihar in India. Ancient Indian tribes that migrated West from Bihar (then called Magadh) right up to Greece are known to have built temples en-route and given them Vedic names. To read more about the link of Gaya to Greece click here.

Temple of  Petra
Also called Rekem-Geya
or Rekem-Gaya

The Petra Temple area was full of water springs. Several springs still exist in the Petra area today. The Siq or Sic* is a complex geological feature that has many places where water could enter the Petra Temple. In Sanskrit 'Sic' (सिच्) means to soak or irrigate.

It is Moses who is credited with extracting water from below the red rocky arid area that is called Petra today. Until then, say the Aramaic texts, the site of Rekem-Geya was known as 'kadesh'. 'Kadesh' or 'Ku-desh' (कुदेश) in Sanskrit means 'Bad-Land' or 'Inhospitable Land', though from Hebrew it translates as 'sacred land'. It is possible that only when Moses provided water did 'kudesh' acquire the meaning of 'sacred land'.

In some texts the region is also known as Barnia-Kudesh. 'Bhurni' (भूर्णि) in Sanskrit means 'desert' or 'distant'. 'Kudesh' as mentioned above means 'inhospitable'.

Now let's look at the most ancient known settlers of Petra. The name of the tribe was 'Nabha' and they are referred to as the Nabateans. In Sanskrit, the word 'Nabha' (नभ) means the 'Sky'. A cognate of 'Petra' is 'patra' (पतर) - [the 't' here is pronounced as in 'path'] and means 'flying'. Finally, there is another cognate of 'Petra' which is the Sanskrit 'PaTra' (पटर) - [the 't' pronounced as in the English 'pet'], which means 'ray of light'. The 'sky', 'ray' and 'flying' connection to the word 'Nabha' and 'Petra' may be of interest to those who have explained ancient world history by linking it to the 'gods who visited the world from the sky'.

It is also interesting that the Hindu scripture Ramayana mentions a multi-storied temple, built by celestial architect Vishwakarma, far away from India, in the western direction. It is difficult to pinpoint where this multi-storied building might be located, but the fact that one of the highest mountain peaks in Jordon, which is a few kilometres away from Petra, is known as 'Jabal Ram' does make one wonder.

Jabal Ram Peak at the centre,
the second highest point in Jordan
The area around is called Wadi-Rum. Rum is also
pronounced as Ram

Suggested Links:
1. "Is Petra an Ancient Shiva Temple"?: Click Here
2. 'Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams' of India: Click Here
3. From Bharata to India: Chrysee the Golden by M.K. Aggarwal