The word ‘quiet’ means for there to be very little noise or for someone to not talk very much, but the word ‘silent’ means for there to be no sound at all or for someone to not speak at all. The word ‘quiet’ is more commonly used than ‘silent’ because it’s rare that we hear no sound at all. When we use the word ‘silent’, we usually refer to describe a specific situation, but we use ‘quiet’ to describe a person’s mood which can be practiced.
Sitting quietly is a powerful technique for self-improvement. It has great importance in learning process, especially in imbibing higher values of life. Silence gives rise to deeper thoughts and knowledge. Sages and saints, seers and seekers, in all ages and places, have sat in deep silence in order to search profound truth of life. In the depth of that silence the light of knowledge dawned on them. Sitting silently is a challenge for all; especially it is a daunting task for the students or young people. By nature they are full of physical and mental energy & activity. When they are forced to remain silent, it is the silence of closed lips while their minds go on chattering and jumping from one thought to another. Most students do not know how silence can be a source of greater concentration and happiness. Many young people are not aware of the wonderful effect of silence. However for elder people to maintain quietness is comparatively easier due to maturity of their mind and capability to control their emotions.
Practice of quietness may be in form of spiritual prayer or a light form of yogic meditation. Needless to say, practice of quietness has many benefits. It increases concentration, sharpens intelligence, improves mental alertness, self-confidence, inner equilibrium and makes one peaceful. Let us be quiet to know the joy of quietness!
Dr.Mahesh Chandra Panda
Yoga and Spirituality 
Thanks Dr Panda for raising issue of quietness and making me think about it. In younger age, speech and expression has to be learned and is a matter of interaction with environment. But one has to learn to balance between speech and quietness. Over the years speech or expression is super-added with authority of age and expectations of person from the environment when he speaks. Mental peace or unrest is also associated with every expression with growing age. If a person is speaking to play with grandson/daughter, expression may be pleasant, but speech is a significant source of unrest at old age. Self sufficient person speaking only when asked for help Vs person trying to give directions at every moment, are two points of spectrum covering a wide range of personalities. Every person develops a personality over the years and how much a person speaks is part of his personality. Practicing quietness may be a significant unrest for a compulsive speaker at initial stage but he will find lot of peace in practicing quietness. One should examine one’s habits of speech and decide accordingly the significance of quietness in his peace and to his surrounding persons. Unnecessary speech is a definite nuisance to both speaker and listener and one must avoid that. Quietness is a definite instrument of peace and must be practiced.
Wonderful description between quiet and silent. If speech is silver, then silence is golden. I experience myself the benefit of quietness. Mahatma Gandhi had also habit of “Mounabrata”. I remember my childhood days, when teacher says -“be silent”, my lips were closed but limbs were restless. This article reflects that Silence of mind is actual silence. In GITA, Arjuna asks to Lord Krishna about how to control the restless mind. Lord Krishna replies-“Abhyasena tu Kounteya…”. By practice you can control your mind. Not only practice makes a man perfect but perfect practice makes a man perfect.
Respected Sir,
Quietness & Silence in Yoga and Spirituality are two co-factors as co-brothers like Ram and Laxman to defeat Ravan, the demon king of Treta Yuga. In between Shakti Mata Sita is present as activity in between the above two co-factors. Hence Quiet is body means Laxman; Activity is Mind means Sita.Silent is soul means Ram. Here if I will add one more point that is Utility is intellect means Hanuman, would be more appropriate in concept of Yoga and Spirituality. The unit of four persons are meant for end of Ravan ( end of Demons) .So also when the four co-factors mentioned above streamline the four parts of the human being by any procedure as bestowed by seer, sanyasi, saint, seeker & searcher , then definitely six enemies like kama , krodha , lova , moha , mada & mashcharya would remain null & void and then the man of present modern generation would be upgraded to human being & follow the path of satya , dharma , shanti ,prema & ahimsa. This is the perfume of serenity all over the world called Yoga and Spirituality.Hence Quietness is quite worthy topic for man to introspect to become human being.
Thanking You,
Your Divine Brother
Dr.Binod Bihari Naik
Bargarh Odisha
When you are silent, you are in least interaction with disturbing influence of world outside of you. It gets you in contact with your own true self, and it helps to know and realize Self. This silence is eloquent in itself. Words are, in fact, a poor carriers of thoughts and emotions. They fail to convey concepts, thoughts and emotions in its true spirit. Probably, reason why Shankaracharya said that “sabdajaalam mahaaranyam chithabhramanakaaranam”. However, it is important to break silence to communicate and interact in daily life. But they can be kept to minimum as required. It makes life easy for self and others. We can see this when we look around at other living beings. They make noise only when necessary to interact unlike human beings. At all other times,they are at peace with themselves.
Respected Sir,
Thank you for highlighting issue of Quietness & Silence in Yoga and Spirituality. Wonderful description of most important points of quietness benefits.
Thanking you
Deepak Sahu
Blood Bank,S.D.H.Padampur Dist.Bargarh
Dear Sir,
I read your article published on 1st Feb 2013 on Practice of Quietness. Actually you have described the difference between quietness and silence vividly and in beautiful manner. Many many thanks for your depth of culture, knowledge and feelings, your description is hundred percent correct and useful to all. Heartily I praise your wonderful and useful article. Your article is ” Akatya Sathya” or remarkable truth.
Thanking You,
Sri Madhusudan Mahunta
Retd.B.E.E.
C.H.C.Sohela, Bargarh Odisha
Dear Sir,
Namaskar.
It’s a Very Nice Article to know more about the Importance and Impact of Quietness in human life to keep up and maintain the peaceful life.Well Mentioned and Good Learning about Quietness and Silence.
With Regards,
Nageswar
Bhubaneswar Odisha
Respected Brother,
Pranam.
I read your article Practice of Quietness posted on Feb.1, 2013 and was very much influenced. I think silence means to avoid unnecessary talking or not to make noise but calmness & quietness is a different posture having no thoughts in mind & only linked with the Supreme power. One should practice quietness for leading a peaceful life.
Pranam kaka,
A good differentiation between ‘Silence’ and ‘Quietness’. There is a thin line of separation. Talking too much is considered as a loss of energy, so keeping quiet means restore of energy. Practice of quietness is visualizing your own self in inner depth. It has many benefits as you have mentioned in the article. Everyone should practice quietness and enjoy its beneficial aspect.
Thanks for the article.
Dear Dr.Panda,
Your article ‘Practice of Quietness’ narrates the meaning of Quietness & Silence in detail which most of the readers might have thought to be similar in nature; to be honest I was not also aware of the facts as detailed in your article. After reading the article, it is very easily understood to differentiate between Quiet & Silent. Maintenance of silence improves learning process to attain higher values of life, deeper thoughts & knowledge for which many Sages & Saints etc. executed deep silence to search profound truth of life. Benefit from practice of quietness has been very vividly described in your concluding paragraph.
This article is worth reading.
Thanking You.
Sincerely Yours,
Dr.K.C.Sith,M.D.(Medicine)
Retd.Joint Director, DHS Odisha, Bhubaneswar
Respected Sir,
Namaskar.
Your description between ‘silence’ and ‘quietness’ published in your article is a remarkable thought which enlightens our mind and our day to day activity. If a person follows this principle, certainly he will develop his way of life.
With Regards,
Kedarnath Sahu
Science Teacher
Sohela Bargarh Odisha
Mind is the troubled waters of reckless thoughts; doubts; comments; judgments or criticisms. Do we know how calm the troubled waters of mind ? Yoga teaches the technique of quietening the mind.
Namaste Dr. Pandaji,
I read with great interest your article depicting the subtle difference between silence & quietness. When we try to sit quietly & concentrate on a particular thing, even the minutest noise tends to disturb our concentration & one can, in course of time & with practice, overcome these external distractions & when we attain this stage, we can experience bliss with the help of full-quietness.