The Meaning of Om

By ~Gurudevi Ma, Satguru Shri Mahashaktiananda

The Om Symbol -
Om is not a word but is referred to as an intonation, which, like music, transcends the barriers of age, race, culture and even species. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined together, make the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the universe and to contain all other sounds. It is a mantra or prayer in itself. If repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being, the atman or soul. The Om sound may be heard in the inner ear at any time. The duration of hearing the Om sound may vary. The note is usually a high pitched sound. This sacred sound is the Divine Presence of God. The sound of Om balances and clears the mind and uplifts the frenquency of our personal self. The Om sound is chanted for clearing personal space and for healing the body, mind and soul. Chanting Om brings great inner peace and leads to deep meditation. For those who have never heard the Om sound, begin by practicing to listen to the body's inner motor sounds with the ear lobes closed with the middle fingers; while meditating on the spiritual eye. Concentrate on the sounds you hear and eventually you will be able to hear the Om sound. Then it will come and fill your being with joy.

The Power of Om
During meditation, when Om is chanted, a vibration attunes human consciousness with the cosmic consciousness of higher vibration. The momentary silence between each chant invokes peace. The mind moves between the opposites of sound and silence until, at last, it ceases the sound. In the silence, the single thought of Om becomes an experience of pure peace; awareness of the inner true Self. This is the state of bliss, where the mind and the intellect are transcended as the individual self merges with the Infinite Self. Chanting Om brings the experience of the Christ consciousness and oneness with God. This is the

immense power of Om.

Teaching's of Paramahansa Yogananda

My beloved Guru, Paramahansa Yogananda mentioned om/aum numerous times in his teachings; on page 277 of his "Autobiography of a Yogi": "Patanjali speaks of God as the actual Cosmic Sound of Om that is heard in meditation. Om is the Creative Word, the whir of the Vibratory Motor, the witness of Divine Presence. Even the beginner in yoga may soon hear the wondrous sound of Om."

What is Om/Aum?

It is the smallest manra (). It is also called pranav-manra. 'Pranav' () means primordial (; ml). A manra is a phrase or word used for meditation and chanting. A shlok () is a verse. The words 'manra' and 'shlok' have similar meaning. Example: Sacred ancient Indian texts like Ved (), are collections of shlok/s. Some of these shlok/s are used as manra/s. Manras usually begin with om. The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of it's meaning. Examples: 'Om namah Shivya' - , 'Om shni shni' - .

Traditions
Om or Aum is reagarded as important in Hinduism. This symbol is a sacred syllable representing Brahman, the impersonal Absolute of Hinduism omnipotent, omnipresent, and the source of all manifest existence. Brahman, in itself, is incomprehensible; so the Om symbol is used for representing God. Om, therefore, represents both the unmanifest (nirguna) and manifest (saguna) aspects of God. That is why it is called pranava, to mean that it pervades life and runs through our prana or breath. Jainism, Buhism and Sikhism originated from India after Hinism. These religions adopted some of the Hin philosophies and practices. These religions have their own unique form and understanding of Om. Yogi's understand Om as the vibration of God in form. The vibration of Om symbolizes the manifestation of God in form (sguna brahman). Om is the reflection of the absolute reality, it is said to be "Adi Anadi", without beginning or the end and embracing all that exists. The mantra Om is the name of God, the vibration of the Supreme. When taken letter by letter, A-U-M represents the divine energy (Shakti) united in its three elementary aspects: Bhrahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti

(preservation) and Shiva Shakti (liberation, and/or destruction).

Early Vedantic Literature

The syllable Om is described as an all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads. The syllable Om is mentioned in all the Upanishads, specially elaborated upon in the Taittiriya, Chndogya and Mndukya Upanishad set forth as the object of profound religious meditation, the highest spiritual efficacy being attributed not only to the whole word but also to the three sounds a (a-kra), u (u-kra), m (ma-kra), of which it consists. A-kara means form or shape like earth, trees, or any other object. U-kra means formless or shapeless like water, air or fire. Ma-kra means neither shape nor shapeless (but still exists) like the dark energy content of the Universe. When we combine all three syllables we get AUM which is a combination of A-kra, U-kra, and Makra. The Katha Upanishad: "The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma." ~ Katha Upanishad I "The one syllable [evkara, viz. aum] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is the highest. Whosoever knows this one syllable obtains all that he desires. "This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma." (1.2.15-17) The Chndogya Upanishad (1.1.1-1): om ity-etad akaram udgtham upsta / aum iti hy udgyati / tasyopavykhynam "The udgi:t ["the chanting", that is, the syllable om] is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth." The Bhagavad Gi:t (8.13): Uttering the monosyllable Aum, the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the Supreme Goal (i.e., he reaches God). In Bhagavad Gi:t (9.17): Lord Krishna says to Arjuna - "I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable o. I am also the ig, the Sma and the Yajur Vedas."

The Bhagvad Gi:t (17.23): om tatsatiti nirdesho brahmanstrividhah samratah "OM, tat and sat has been declared as the triple appellation of Brahman, who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss." The Meaning of Om or AUM The Mndkya Upani had According to the Mandukya Upanishad, "Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it". Twelve verses of the Vedic teaching called Mndkya Upanihad ( ) explains the sacred word 'AUM'. As per the Sanski grammar (Vykara; ) the vowel 'O' () is sometimes substituted for two consecutive vowels 'A' () and 'U' (); 'Om' is also used instead of 'AUm' (--). Gyar Manra ( ) like many other Vedik shlok/s starts with Om. It is understood that Om () means 'O my (our) Lord' (' '). There is a relation between the words 'Om' and 'Amen'. Om also means 'Ma' which also means 'Mother'. The Om symbol - The 'Om symbol' represents the Om' sound. The 'Om symbol' is called 'On'kr' () or 'Omkr' (-). The 'Om symbol' is used for meditation and worship. The 'Om' sound is written as '' in evaNgar. So '' is a symbol of the word '' in evaNgar, Gujarati, Marathi, Nepali, and Hindi. The 'Om symbol' is usually seen as ''.

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