There is no Hindu who is not familiar with the syllable OM (AUM). It is almost second nature for us to use it before or at the end of any mantra. Most of us even absent-mindedly chant it or use it without giving much thought to its meaning or why it is so important.

AUM is not merely a word or chant but a sound and vibration that resonates throughout the universe. It is only today that scientists in the Western world have ‘discovered’ the benefits of AUM and that it is the universal sound. But when civilization wasn’t even born in the West, our Rishis had realised what the syllable was (is) and that is what made them evolved beings and one with Parabrahman itself.

Om in Hindu scriptures

Take any Hindu Grantha and the syllable is mentioned in it. In fact, Mandukya Upanishad is entirely dedicated to expounding on this sacred syllable besides explaining the four states of consciousness, the nature of the Universal Being, and the nature of Parabrahma (the Supreme Bhagwan). The concluding part of the Upanishad explains the harmony between the constituents of Om and the four states of consciousness.

The first verse of Mandukya Upanishad says:

“ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदंसर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं।

भुतं भवद् भविष्यदिति सर्वमोंकार एव ।

यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योंकार एव ॥ 1 ॥” 

(Transliteration: Aum iti etad akṣaram idam sarvam, tasyopavyākhyānam bhūtam bhavad bhaviṣyad iti sarvam auṁkāra eva yac cānyat trikālātītaṁ tad apy auṁkāra eva)

It means AUM, the imperishable word, it is everything that is seen in the Universe. Everything that belonged to the past, present and future and also all that is beyond these three states of time is contained within AUM. The Upanishad then explains in detail what AUM means and how it contains the PARABRAHMAN itself.

Taittiriya Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad and Mundaka Upanishad are other Upanishads which elaborately expound on AUM and its significance. Shri Ganesha is venerated as Omkar Swarupa meaning one who is shaped like AUM. Sri Nataraja, a manifestation of Devadidev Mahadev, and His cosmic dance are believed to signify the vibration of the universe. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna “I am the syllable OM” (Chapter 9 verse 17)

Symbolism and its Significance

The symbol comprises three letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. The syllable is known as Udgita or Pranava mantra because it is the primordial sound and also because almost all mantras begin with it. The symbol comprises three curves, a semi-circle and a dot. The three curves are representative of the three states of human consciousness. While the lower curve represents the waking state, the upper curve stands for deep sleep or unconscious state and the one separating the two denotes the dream state.

The dot denotes the Absolute or state of dreamless deep sleep. Since the dot stands for absoluteness, which is the only state that is not affected by Maya, it is separated from the other three. The fourth state is when an individual transcends the three states of consciousness and experiences non-duality; in other words the individual attains enlightenment.

The semicircle separates the dot from the three curves thereby dividing the three states from the fourth or absolute state which is attained only by realised souls (such as Maharishis). The semicircle is representative of Maya that binds individuals to worldly things and effectively holds them back from realising oneness with PARABRAHMAN. What this implies is that an individual has to overcome Maya to attain absoluteness and rise above the three states.

Om in Hindu cosmology and its philosophy

OM is not only the most sacred syllable in Hindu Dharma but is believed to be the very manifestation of PARABRAHMAN. Hindu cosmology states that all life, in fact, the entire creation itself, comes about due to the vibration of the syllable AUM. In other words, without this, the cosmos would disappear.

All schools of Hindu Dharma give their own explanation for the term. While Advaita connects it with all three states being subsumed into one, meaning one needs to transcend this world which is Maya; Dvaita-Advaita believes AUM to be the impersonal sound representation of Sri Hari Vishnu (like Hari Nama is the personal sound representation).

Scientific findings

We live in an age of Westernization. While I’m not opposed to being rational or inquiring before blindly accepting anything (which is what Hindu Dharma also encourages us to do) I find it appalling that we would accept something only if some American or European research corroborates what our Shastras have said.

Well, if we just pause a little and make efforts to read our Shastras then we would know that our Maharishis and Rishis were not merely spiritual and religious but scientists and philosophers as well. They were accomplished souls who used spiritual practices to acquire scientific knowledge.

Vedas state that existence emerged from sound (NAAD) which is what modern scientists believe in the form of the Big Bang theory. Human ears can hear sounds only in the range of 20 to 20000 HZ while the earth produces a sound of 7.83 HZ. This sound produced by the earth is known as ‘earth hum’ and here’s the interesting bit, earth hum corresponds to the frequency of OM.

Maharishis could hear sounds that normal humans could not through their spiritual trances. Cymatics (study of visible sound) shows that sounds have distinct geometry and OM takes on an elliptical shape much like the universe. If that sounds interesting and unbelievable there is more in store. Different chants take on more complex shapes that resemble the various Mandalas that find mentioned in Hindu Dharma and Buddhism.

It is going to be difficult to confine AUM to an article alone. There are so many aspects and dimensions of this syllable that we have been mindlessly chanting (our Maharishis knew its significance and benefits). There are many aspects of Hindu Dharma that scientists in the West are now ‘discovering’.

Our Shastras are not merely religious scriptures but have many scientific, mathematical, philosophical, phonetical and grammatical principles among others. Let us show a little more appreciation for the knowledge handed down by our ancestors instead of looking and waiting for approval from the West.  

(Featured Image Source: Hindu American Foundation)