Aum

"Aum" (also Om) ॐ is a mystical or sacred syllable in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions. It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred exclamation to be uttered at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or previously to any prayer or mantra and also is said in the beginning of any puja (religious ritual). The Mandukya Upanishad is entirely devoted to the explanation of the syllable. The Symbol is written on the tongues of children in honey when they are born.

Origin, name and written symbols

With preceding "a" or "ā", the "o" of "om" in Sanskrit grammar in sandhi (Sanskrit: संधि, "joining") does not form vriddhi ("au") but guna ("o") per IAST|Pāṇini 6.1.95.

The Sanskrit name for the syllable is "IAST|praṇava", from a root "IAST|nu" "to shout, sound, praise", verbal "IAST|pra-nu-" being attested as "to make a humming or droning sound" in the Brahmanas, and taking the specific meaning of "to utter the syllable "om" in the Chandogya Upanishad and the Shrauta Sutras. More rarely used terms are "IAST|akṣara" or "IAST|ekākṣara", and in later times "IAST|omkāra" becomes prevalent.

A popular depiction of the Aum syllable in the Devanagari script ( at U+543D).

It is also believed that after a very long time of meditation the Purusha Sukta revealed the word AUM as being the truth.Fact|date=September 2007

In Tamil "Om" (Tamil: ஒம்) literally means "Yes", "Yes, it is".

In Hinduism

The syllable "Aum" is first described as all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads.Today, in all Hindu art and all over India and Nepal, 'Aum' can be seen virtually everywhere, a common sign for Hinduism and its philosophy and theology.

Upanishads and Sutra literature

The syllable is mentioned in all the Upanishads, specially elaborated upon in the Taittiriya, Chandogya and Mandukya 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-kāra"), "u" ("u-kāra"), "m" ("ma-kāra"), of which it consists. "A-kara" means form or shape like earth, trees, or any other object. "U-kara" means formless or shapeless like water, air or fire. "Ma-kara" means neither shape nor shapeless (but still exists) like the dark matter in the Universe. When we combine all three syllables we get AUM which is a combination of "A-kara","U-kara", and"Ma-kara". ["Satyarth Prakash by Swami Dayanand Saraswati"]

The Katha Upanishad has::"The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they live a life of continence, I will tell you briefly it is "Aum":"The one syllable ["IAST|evākṣara", viz. "Aum"] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is the highest. Whosoever knows this one syllable obtains all that he desires. :hi..."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) [:"IAST|sarve vedā yat padam āmananti / tapām̐si sarvāṇi ca yad vadanti / yad icchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti / tat te padaṃ saṃgraheṇa bravīmy / om ity etat //":"IAST|etad dhy evākṣaraṃ brahma / etad dhy evākṣaraṃ param / etad dhy evākṣaraṃ jñātvā / yo yad icchati / tasya tat //":"IAST|etad ālambanaṃ śreṣṭham / etad ālambanaṃ param / etad ālambanaṃ jñātvā / brahmaloke mahīyate //"]

The Chandogya Upanishad (1.1.1-1) states::"IAST|om ity etad akṣaram udgītham upāsīta / om iti hy udgāyati / tasyopavyākhyānam":"The "udgitha" ["the chanting", that is, the syllable om] is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth."

The Bhagavad Gita (8.13) has::"Uttering the monosyllable "Aum", the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the superior goal. "

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali states in verse (1:27)::"tasya vacakah pranavah" which translates as, "God's voice is Aum." In the following sutra it emphasizes, "The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of its meaning". [ [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/yogasutr.htm Yoga Sutras of Patanjali] , English translation by Bon Giovanni. (sacred-texts.com)]

Puranic Hinduism

In Puranic Hinduism, "Aum" is the mystic name for the Hindu Trimurti, and represents the union of the three gods, viz. "a" for Brahma, "u" for Vishnu and "m" for Mahadev which is another name of Shiva. The three sounds also symbolize the three Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda).

According to Hindu philosophy(see Mandukya Upanishad), the letter A represents creation, when all existence issued forth from Brahma's golden nucleus; the letter U refers to Vishnu the god of the middle who preserves this world by balancing Brahma on a lotus above himself, and the letter M symbolizes the final part of the cycle of existence, when Vishnu falls asleep and Shiva has to breathe in so that all existing things have to disintegrate and are reduced to their essence to him. More broadly, Aum is said to be the primordial sound that was present at the creation of the universe. It is said to be the original sound that contains all other sounds, all words, all languages and all mantras.

Dvaita

Vaishnava Dvaita philosophies teach that 'Aum' is an impersonal sound representation of Vishnu/Krishna while Hari Nama is the personal sound representation. A represents Krishna, U Srimati Radharani and M jivas. According to Sridhara Svami the pranava has five parts: A, U, M, the nasal bindu and the reverberation (nada). Liberated souls meditate on the Lord at the end of that reverberation. For both Hindus and Buddhists this syllable is sacred and so laden with spiritual energy that it may only be pronounced with complete concentration.

Advaita

In Advaita philosophy it is frequently used to represent three subsumed into one, a common theme in Hinduism. It implies that our current existence is "mithyā" and "maya", "falsehood", that in order to know the full truth we must comprehend beyond the body and intellect the true nature of infinity. Essentially, upon moksha (mukti, samadhi) one is able not only to see or know existence for what it is, but to become it. When one gains true knowledge, there is no split between knower and known: one becomes knowledge/consciousness itself. In essence, "Aum" is the signifier of the ultimate truth that all is one.

Examples of Three into One:
* Creation (Brahma)- Preservation (Vishnu)- Destruction (Shiva) into Brahmanthe Atman, the Atman
* Waking- Dreaming- Dreamless Sleep into Turiya (transcendental fourth state of consciousness)
* Rajas (activity, heat, fire) - Tamas (dullness, ignorance, darkness) - Sattva (purity, light, serenity/shanti) into Brahman
* Body, Speech and Mind into Oneness

In proper names

When "Aum" is a part of a place name (for example Omkareshwar), or is used as a man's name, it is spelled phonetically using ordinary letters of whatever Indian alphabet is used in the area. The adherents of Arya Samaj always use the ordinary letters अ, ऊ and म to write Aum.

In Jainism

In Jainism, Aum is regarded to be a condensed form of reference to the five parameshthis, by their initials "A+A+A+U+M" ("IAST|o3IAST|m"). The Dravyasamgrah quotes a Prakrit line: : _sa. ओम एकाक्षर पञ्चपरमेष्ठिनामादिपम् तत्कथमिति चेत "अरिहंता असरीरा आयरिया तह उवज्झाया मुणियां":"IAST|oma ekākṣara pañca-parameṣṭhi-nāmā-dipam tatkabhamiti ceta "arihatā asarīrā āyariyā taha uvajjhāyā muṇiyā"":"Aum" is one syllable made from the initials of the five parameshthis. It has been said: "Arihanta, Ashiri, Acharya, Upadhyaya, Muni" .

Thus, _sa. ओं नमः (IAST|oṃ namaḥ) is a short form of the Navkar Mantra.

In Buddhism

Buddhists place om at the beginning of their "Vidya-Sadaksari" or mystical formulary in six syllables (viz., om mani padme hum) As a seed syllable ("bija mantra"), it is also considered holy in Esoteric Buddhism.

With Buddhism's evolution and breaking away from Vedic/Hindu tradition, Aum and other symbology/cosmology/philosophies are shared with the Hindu tradition. This character often appeared as "" in Buddhist scripts in East Asia.

See also

*Mandukya Upanishad
*Pranava yoga
*Sound symbolism
*Mantra

References

External links

* [http://www.atmajyoti.org/med_om_in_upanishads.asp Aum in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras]