After the glimpse of freedom, Arjun found himself drawn more deeply into silence. It was no longer something he practiced; it became the ground of his being. Words seemed smaller now, like tiny vessels trying to hold an ocean.
Each morning, he sat by the river without expectation. At first, thoughts would still wander in and out—memories of his family, questions about the future—but he noticed they passed more quickly now. The silence between thoughts grew longer, richer, alive.
One day, a farmer from the village approached him. "Arjun," the man said, "I do not sleep at night. My mind is full of worry. Can you give me a prayer to calm myself?"
Arjun looked at him gently and shook his head. "I have no prayer to give," he said softly. "But sit here with me for a while."
The farmer frowned, confused, but obeyed. They sat together in silence, the river whispering in the background. Minutes stretched into an hour. The man's restless breathing slowed. His eyes softened. When he finally rose to leave, he bowed deeply. "I do not know what happened," he whispered, "but the burden feels lighter."
Arjun realized then: silence itself was a teacher. It spoke without words, healed without effort, revealed without explanation.
That evening, children gathered around him as they often did. Instead of telling them stories, he invited them to listen. "Close your eyes," he said, "and hear the river." The children giggled at first, but soon they grew quiet, their little faces calm and still. When they opened their eyes, they smiled—not because of what was said, but because of what they had felt.
The lesson was clear: silence was not emptiness. It was fullness. It was the voice of the Eternal, speaking in a language beyond sound.
Arjun whispered to himself that night as he lay under the stars:
"In silence, I hear the truth. In silence, I see who I am."
The river flowed on, timeless and patient, its whispers blending with the silence in his heart. And Arjun knew he had found not just a practice, but a teacher that would never leave him.