• about
•    
• register
•    
• contact

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. As the creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound "OM".(5) Before creation began it was "Shunyakasha", the emptiness or the void. Shunyakasha is more than nothingness, because everything existed in a latent state of potentiality. The vibration of "OM" symbolizes the manifestation of God in form. "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.(6)

Upanishads and Sutra literature

{{See|Mandukya Upanishad}} 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.(7)The Katha Upanishad has: The Chandogya Upanishad (1.1.1-1) states: The Bhagavad Gita (8.13) has: The Bhagavad Gita (9.17)has: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 Oḿ. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas."The Bhagvad Gita (17.23) has: In the following sutra it emphasizes, "The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of its meaning".(8)

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.

Thai

In Thailand times, Thais make Thai scripts and an om in the end: .

Advaita

In Advaita philosophy it is frequently used to represent three subsumed into one, a triune, 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, samādhi) 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 sacred triunes (three in ones):{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} * Creation (Brahma)- Preservation (Vishnu)- Destruction (Shiva) into Brahman 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
• Generate(Brahma-Saraswati), Operate(Narayan-Lakshmi), Destroy(Shiv-Shakti) as GOD within
• Satchitananda

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|o3}}{{IAST|m}}). The Dravyasamgrah quotes a Prakrit line: Thus, ({{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 well as most other mantras and dharanis. As a seed syllable (bija mantra), it is also considered holy in Esoteric Buddhism. The syllable is often written with the Chinese character {{script|Hant|(:wikt:唵|唵)}} (pinyin ') or {{script|Hant|(:wikt:嗡|嗡)}} (pinyin ') in Buddhist texts of East Asian provenience.

"Onkar" in Sikhism

Guru Nanak dev ji writes that, "From Onkaar, the One Universal Creator God, Brahma was created. He kept Ongkaar in his consciousness. From Ongkaar, the mountains and the ages were created. Onkaar created the Vedas."(9) Khushwant Singh writes that, "The concept of om, which is somewhat elusive in Hinduism, is crystallized in Sikh theology and is given a status of symbol - the symbol of God." The singularity of God is expressed in the saying, Ek Onkar ("There is one God").(10)Guru Nanak's teaching about God is summed in the Sikh Mool Mantra.(11)

Notes

1. Wazir Singh, Aspects of Guru Nanak's philosophy (1969), p. 20: "the a, u, m of aum have also been explained as signifying the three principles of creation, sustenance and annihilation. ... Onkar in relation to existence implies plurality, ... but its substitute Ekonkar definitely implies singularity in spite of the seeming multiplicity of existence. ..."



2. Sri H.W.L Poonja, 'The Truth is', Published by Samuel Weiser, 2000, ISBN 1-57863-175-0



3. Mandala Yoga



4. Om, Amen and Amin



5. Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda , The hidden power in humans, Ibera Verlag, page 15., ISBN 3-85052-197-4



6. 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).In Hinduism, Om corresponds to the crown chakra and diamond white light. Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda , The hidden power in humans, Ibera Verlag, page 213., ISBN 3-85052-197-4



7. Satyarth Prakash by Swami Dayanand Saraswati



8. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, English translation by Bon Giovanni. (sacred-texts.com)



9. BOOK, Siri Guru Granth Sahib (English Translation), 3rd, 929,weblink



10. BOOK, Singh, Khushwant, Khushwant Singh, The Sikhs,weblink Kitagawa, Joseph Mitsuo, The religious traditions of Asia: religion, history, and culture, RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2002, 114, 0-7007-1762-5,



11. BOOK, Mahinder N. Gulati, Comparative Religious and Philosophies, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2008, 330, 8126909021,

External links

{{Commons category}}

• Aum in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras

{{Hinduism_(compact)}}{{Buddhism topics}}Aumأُم (هندوسية)ওঁÓmAumOmOmOm̐ओमAumאום (מנטרה)ಓಂაუმOmAumഓംOhm (mantra)オーム (聖音)OmMantra OmOmОм (индуизм)ॐAumÓmAumOm-tavuAumஓம்OmОм (індуїзм)اوم唵