AUM

Index:
1. Preface – TB Added
2. India That is Bharat
3. Who is a “Guru”
4. Sanatan Dharam
5. Teaching Sanatan Dharam (I)
6.Teaching Sanatan Dharam (II)
7. Core Doctrine of Sanatan Dharam
8. Our Scriptures
9. Namaste
10. Significance of Tilak
11. Aum
12. Swastika
13. Shiva “Linga Form”
– Bel Patra 
– Rudraksha
14. Lord Ganesha
15. Related Topics:
– Healing Properties of Ganga 
– Significance of “108” 
– Significance of “1 rupee coin in Shagun envelop”
16. Sanatan Dharam & Science
– Vishnu Avatar & Charles Darwin Theory of Evolution
– Sanatan Dharam & Development
17. Hindu temples
18. Sanatan Dharam & Ancient System of education
19. Common Mantras

                                                                                                                                             

Om is the most sacred sound and symbol in Hinduism and other religions that began in India. It’s made up of three sounds: a-u-m (in Sanskrit, these combine to make o). This simple sound represents many important sets of three: 

• The three worlds: Earth, atmosphere, and heaven. 

• The three qualities (gunas): Goodness (sattva), passion (rajas), and darkness (tamas). 

• The three holy Vedic scriptures: Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda. 

               Om is believed to hold the essence of the entire universe in a mystical form. 

Om, also written as Aum, is considered the primal sound of the Universe, pointing to the idea that everything is connected as one. This Sanskrit symbol (ॐ, ओम्) represents the Universe and ultimate reality. Hindu scriptures say that the sound of A-U-M was the first sound of creation,  

These sound vibrations can affect a person’s emotions, body, and mind.  

The sound of Om is also linked to Atman (the Self within) and Brahman (the ultimate reality, the entirety of the universe, truth, the divine, the supreme spirit, cosmic principles, and knowledge). This syllable is used at the beginning and end of chapters in the Vedas, Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. The sacred symbol is used during pujas (worship), wedding ceremonies, meditation, and spiritual activities like Yoga. 

The Chandogya Upanishad suggests meditating on the sound of OM, calling it “udgitha” (a chant) and emphasizing its importance. the essence of humans is speech, the essence of speech is the Vedas, and the essence of the Vedas is udgitha (Om). 

The Symbolism of Om; The Om symbol is widely recognized, and the combination of its curves, crescent, and dot has specific meanings: 

1. The Mind’s Journey: The “OM” symbol is seen as a map of the mind’s journey through different states of consciousness. 

1. The top curve represents the unconscious state or deep sleep (sushupti). It symbolizes a state of total unawareness, like a deep, dreamless sleep where we are withdrawn from both physical and mental activities. 

2. The middle curve represents the dream state (“Swapna”), the state between deep sleep and being awake, also known as the subconscious. 

3. The semicircle or crescent at the top symbolizes “Maya,” the illusion that ties an individual’s soul to the material world. 

4. The dot at the very top represents enlightenment (turiya), a state where a person achieves harmony with absolute reality. 

5. The large lower curve represents the normal waking state (jāgrat), where the mind identifies with the physical body and experiences the world through the senses. 

 

                     

By chanting OM, it’s believed that one can go beyond these three states of material consciousness and reach the “dot” of enlightenment. 

2. The Three Gunas: “Om” also represents the three basic qualities found in nature, known as gunas. These three – sattva (harmony), rajas (passion and energy), and tamas (inertia) – depend on and support each other. They are present in all humans, plants, and animals to varying degrees, creating a unique balance in everything. 

3. Reflection of Lord Ganesha: The Om symbol is also seen to resemble Lord Ganesha, starting with his elephant head. The upper curve is like his head or face, the lower curve is his belly, and the twisted curve on the right is his trunk. 

The Om syllable is also known by other names like Onkara/Omkara and Pranav/Pranava. 

 Om symbol in various scripts. (Few examples) 

   

Devnagari Ligature   Devnagari       Eastern Nagri      Ik Onkar              Ik Onkar              Jain Symbol                                                Assamese             Gurmukhi         Cursive form 

                                            

      Chinese                  Hangul (S Korea)     Katakama (Japan)  Hudum             Nataraja- Om form 

                                                                                      

Nataraja dancing in a pose that resembles the Devanagari form of Om. This is explained as representing Om as a symbol of all “consciousness, universe” and “the message that God is within a person and without.”