OOMAHThe Sound of the Galaxy
The word Om (aum, ओम) derives from the Sanskrit. The Om is the primordial sound by which the earth was created. It symbolizes unfolding or expansion- when pronounced, it begins in the lungs, and ends on the lips through nose.
The symbol representing Om is called the omkar (ओमकार), and has four parts, representing the four states of human awareness:
The symbol representing Om is called the omkar (ओमकार), and has four parts, representing the four states of human awareness:
The ordinary waking, or material state:
The state of deep sleep:
The dream state:
Absolute conscience, or the awakened state:
The origin of the syllable OM is lost in the misty past. Its not being specific to any one country or civilization is indicative of its being an universally perceptible sound for the human race. This reason for this universal perceptibility possibly lies in the fact that AAAH is the most natural sound that issues from the human larynx. This is evident when a man cries out naturally in extreme pain, anger or fear. When emotions reach an extreme pitch the articulate sounds evolved by man are not the ones that are heard, but the syllable natural to man which is AAAH.
As a we normally do not go into the meaning and interpretation of our many beliefs. It is sufficient for most of us to know that they are part of the heritage handed down to us by our ancestors and in deference to tradition it becomes our duty to scrupulously and meticulously adhere to them. But by doing things without knowing the meaning behind them do we not deprive ourselves of an insight into our heritage?
Culture can be well appreciated and adapted to changing times if the meaning behind its different constituents is well understood. To develop this understanding one has to look upon all human actions as having originated in human society. While answers to all questions cannot be obtained, the acceptance of this approach at least opens the door to inquiry into the circumstances which gave rise to our revered traditions.
An attempt to interpret our religious beliefs and symbols is a challenging task. Many of these issues defy analysis and call for a judicious combination of the study of the social environment, etymology, aesthetics and philosophy. As far as aesthetics and philosophy go there exists a good deal of subjectivism and value judgement. While talking about etymology and the social environment we are on relatively firmer ground. In this chapter we have taken a set of symbols, beliefs and rituals and have attempted to examine the possible meaning behind them and the reasons which could lie behind their origin. The first religious symbol we take up is that of Om or Omkar.
OM or Omkar (ओमकार)
The syllable OM is quite familiar to a Hindu. It occurs in every prayer. Invocation to most gods begin with this syllable. For instance we have Om Namaha Shivaya, Hari Om, Om Shanti etc. OM is also pronounced as AUM.
Is OM present in Christianity as 'Amen' and in Islam as 'Amin'?
This term occurs in various ancient and modern civilizations. It exists Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
In Arabic the first alphabet is pronounced as aliph. In Greek it is alpha, in the Roman script it is A. Thus in many languages the first letter in the alphabet has the syllable A, with which the word AUM or OM begins. In the Greek alphabet the last letter is Omega which comes very close to OM. Thus the significance of the syllable OM as the beginning and end finds a parallel in many of the scripts associated with ancient languages.
Culture can be well appreciated and adapted to changing times if the meaning behind its different constituents is well understood. To develop this understanding one has to look upon all human actions as having originated in human society. While answers to all questions cannot be obtained, the acceptance of this approach at least opens the door to inquiry into the circumstances which gave rise to our revered traditions.
An attempt to interpret our religious beliefs and symbols is a challenging task. Many of these issues defy analysis and call for a judicious combination of the study of the social environment, etymology, aesthetics and philosophy. As far as aesthetics and philosophy go there exists a good deal of subjectivism and value judgement. While talking about etymology and the social environment we are on relatively firmer ground. In this chapter we have taken a set of symbols, beliefs and rituals and have attempted to examine the possible meaning behind them and the reasons which could lie behind their origin. The first religious symbol we take up is that of Om or Omkar.
OM or Omkar (ओमकार)
The syllable OM is quite familiar to a Hindu. It occurs in every prayer. Invocation to most gods begin with this syllable. For instance we have Om Namaha Shivaya, Hari Om, Om Shanti etc. OM is also pronounced as AUM.
Is OM present in Christianity as 'Amen' and in Islam as 'Amin'?
This term occurs in various ancient and modern civilizations. It exists Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
In Arabic the first alphabet is pronounced as aliph. In Greek it is alpha, in the Roman script it is A. Thus in many languages the first letter in the alphabet has the syllable A, with which the word AUM or OM begins. In the Greek alphabet the last letter is Omega which comes very close to OM. Thus the significance of the syllable OM as the beginning and end finds a parallel in many of the scripts associated with ancient languages.
The different ways in which Omkar is depicted. The syllable OM is not specific to Indian culture. It has religious significance in other religions also. The word Amen used among Christians at the end of a prayer is also said to be derived from the the syllable OM. Although OM is not given any specific definition and is considered to be a cosmic sound, a primordial sound, the totality of all sounds etc., Amen is said to mean 'May it be so'.
Omkar as described in our granthas
OM In Ancient Indian Text
According to the ancient Indian philosophical text i.e. BHAGAWAD GITA it is said that the AUM is the representation of the "Brahma" which is the origin and the energy source of the whole universe. In other words AUM represents God.
Another text called "Mandukya Upanishad" says that AUM is the Atma or Soul who is the owner and controller of each human being and residing in the heart .Further Mandukya Upanishad explains that the three components of OM viz. AUM are representing three states i.e. wakeful, (conscious), dream (subconscious) and dreamless sleep (unconscious).The fourth component as explained stands for "Turiya", a state which is beyond the above three states.
Many Upanishads had explained the detail procedure of meditating AUM, the immediate stages, the experiences and the ultimate spiritual benefits.
It is explained in Kathopanishad as follows.The upanishad claims that goal which all the Vedas equivocally proclaim, which all the austerities speak and write, for which people practice brahmacharya it is this "AUM". AUM is a root of all mantras."Mantras"(also read earlier postings in the blog related to Power of Mantra) is a typical combination of words which affects the surrounding and human being through the vibrations. These mantras are to be chanted for enormous number of times to get the results. The results are miraculous. AUM is a mantra with only one syllable but is the basic mantra. Each and every mantra starts with AUM and mostly ends with AUM.
According to the ancient Indian philosophical text i.e. BHAGAWAD GITA it is said that the AUM is the representation of the "Brahma" which is the origin and the energy source of the whole universe. In other words AUM represents God.
Another text called "Mandukya Upanishad" says that AUM is the Atma or Soul who is the owner and controller of each human being and residing in the heart .Further Mandukya Upanishad explains that the three components of OM viz. AUM are representing three states i.e. wakeful, (conscious), dream (subconscious) and dreamless sleep (unconscious).The fourth component as explained stands for "Turiya", a state which is beyond the above three states.
Many Upanishads had explained the detail procedure of meditating AUM, the immediate stages, the experiences and the ultimate spiritual benefits.
It is explained in Kathopanishad as follows.The upanishad claims that goal which all the Vedas equivocally proclaim, which all the austerities speak and write, for which people practice brahmacharya it is this "AUM". AUM is a root of all mantras."Mantras"(also read earlier postings in the blog related to Power of Mantra) is a typical combination of words which affects the surrounding and human being through the vibrations. These mantras are to be chanted for enormous number of times to get the results. The results are miraculous. AUM is a mantra with only one syllable but is the basic mantra. Each and every mantra starts with AUM and mostly ends with AUM.
OM In Yoga
Patanjali had designed and caste the Science Of Yoga about 2400 years ago (i.e. 400 year BC) in the form of Yoga Sutras, he had explained AUM in Sanskrit verses (sutras).
Patanjali had explained the definition of God and he explains in the sutra that "AUM represents God".He further explains that you can go nearer to God by repeatedly chanting it . The relation between the name and the form is a subject of research and is the subject of great discussions in philosophy and all its branches including spiritual, philosophical.
In yogic practices the relation is of immediate and practical value. Patanjali could see that the relation between a form and the name is closest in AUM and has made use of this quality in his method of meditation.
Patanjali had designed and caste the Science Of Yoga about 2400 years ago (i.e. 400 year BC) in the form of Yoga Sutras, he had explained AUM in Sanskrit verses (sutras).
Patanjali had explained the definition of God and he explains in the sutra that "AUM represents God".He further explains that you can go nearer to God by repeatedly chanting it . The relation between the name and the form is a subject of research and is the subject of great discussions in philosophy and all its branches including spiritual, philosophical.
In yogic practices the relation is of immediate and practical value. Patanjali could see that the relation between a form and the name is closest in AUM and has made use of this quality in his method of meditation.
OM As Perceived By Science
Normally anatomy is studied first and then the physiology. So first we will study the structure of AUM and then its functions.
AUM is composed of 3 elements, 'a', 'u' and 'm'. The fusion of these 3 elements is AUM or OM. The 3 alphabets are pronounced in series.
The air is driven out from lungs through the vocal cords. The cords vibrate and vibrations in the form of airwaves reach to the mouth. The mouth acts as resonator and deepens the vibrations. These vibrations are shaped to form alphabets, which in turn form the words. These vibrations in the form of airwaves travel through air to the ears of listeners. These are converted to nerve impulses and carried to the brain cells. Brain understands the meaning at the end.
These sound waves have certain frequency. We can listen to sounds with the frequency range between 20 to 2000 Hz i.e. cycles per second. The sound below 20 Hz and sound above 2000 Hz is not audible to human ears.
Normally anatomy is studied first and then the physiology. So first we will study the structure of AUM and then its functions.
AUM is composed of 3 elements, 'a', 'u' and 'm'. The fusion of these 3 elements is AUM or OM. The 3 alphabets are pronounced in series.
The air is driven out from lungs through the vocal cords. The cords vibrate and vibrations in the form of airwaves reach to the mouth. The mouth acts as resonator and deepens the vibrations. These vibrations are shaped to form alphabets, which in turn form the words. These vibrations in the form of airwaves travel through air to the ears of listeners. These are converted to nerve impulses and carried to the brain cells. Brain understands the meaning at the end.
These sound waves have certain frequency. We can listen to sounds with the frequency range between 20 to 2000 Hz i.e. cycles per second. The sound below 20 Hz and sound above 2000 Hz is not audible to human ears.
OM As Object of Meditation (it's for u :pji)
We have 5 sense organs through which we get the knowledge. These sense organs need the presence of mind to acquire this knowledge.
The process of meditation requires the concentration of mind on a particular object. But the control of mind is very difficult. This difficulty can be solved if we select "AUM" as an object or target for the concentration in meditation.
AUM can be seen through the eyes, heard by the ears and chanted via tongue. It is somewhat simpler to concentrate on the above 3 sense organs, so it is easy to concentrate the mind directly on the object. This is achieved by fixing AUM as a target for meditation on which 3 sense organs are focused. In addition to this the chanting of AUM has tranquilizing effect on the mind, which helps concentrate easily.
We have 5 sense organs through which we get the knowledge. These sense organs need the presence of mind to acquire this knowledge.
The process of meditation requires the concentration of mind on a particular object. But the control of mind is very difficult. This difficulty can be solved if we select "AUM" as an object or target for the concentration in meditation.
AUM can be seen through the eyes, heard by the ears and chanted via tongue. It is somewhat simpler to concentrate on the above 3 sense organs, so it is easy to concentrate the mind directly on the object. This is achieved by fixing AUM as a target for meditation on which 3 sense organs are focused. In addition to this the chanting of AUM has tranquilizing effect on the mind, which helps concentrate easily.
