OM (AUM)
This is what we hear about OM: The past, the present and the future are OM, And That beyond these three is also OM. – (Mandukya Upanishad)
OM is the most popular and universally recognised Hindu symbol and also the most popular word in Hindu chants and prayers. It is the Divine Word and the originating sound of the universe. It was through meditation that the seers and sages of Vedic times arrived at the idea of a universal sound, eternally resounding in the universe, which they saw as the very origin of the created world.
There is a depth of philosophical meaning in OM and reciting it correctly has a profound effect on the mind and body.
One of the reasons why we can understand OM to be the universal sound is because it covers the entire spectrum of sound that human speech is capable of. The first sound of OM (pronounced AUM) is ‘A’ (as in around), which originates from the lowest point of the throat. The remainder of the word requires the involvement of every region of our speech-apparatus up to the closing of the lips, where the word terminates with ‘M’.
Because OM starts very low in the diaphragm and travels upward, it has an ascending (uplifting) effect on the one who chants it. Energy is transferred in an upward motion all the way up to the highest centres of consciousness in the head, enhancing the upward movement from our lower centres of consciousness (chakras) to the higher ones, which is an important part of spiritual practice.
The three sounds that make up OM (AUM) correspond to the entire cycle of the universe. ‘A’ corresponds to the creation, ‘U’ to the preservation and ‘M’ to the destruction and dissolution of the universe. Therefore the three stages of AUM, ‘A’, ‘U’ and ‘M’ are connected with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva respectively. The silence that occurs between two repetitions of AUM represents that which is beyond the universe and inexpressible in human speech. This is why the scriptures say: ’The past, the present and the future are OM and That beyond these three is also OM’.
These are just some of the meanings of OM. There is much more that is simply beyond the scope of this article. Ultimately, it is said that the entire content of the Vedas is enshrined within OM. OM symbolises everything – the means and the goal of life, the universe and the Truth behind it, the material and the Sacred, all forms as well as the Formless. Deeper meanings of OM are sure to reveal themselves to those who chant it and meditate upon its meaning.
By Rajesh Patel
This article has been re-published from the blog Hindu Perspective.
Prashant Parikh says
March 18, 2013 at 8:51 pmhariH Om. I appreciate your writing, thank you, for the most part it is helpful to others, however one of the primary corrections I would like to make (if I may?), is that Om is pronounced as ‘Om’ alone. Not as ‘AUM’.
Rajesh Patel says
March 21, 2013 at 8:01 pmAccording to Vamadev Shastri:
Om consists of three sounds; the vowel ‘a’, the vowel ‘u’ and the nasalized ‘m’ sound. Hence it is sometimes written as Aum.
Kind regards.
Prashant Parikh says
March 22, 2013 at 7:59 amIt is written as AUM, it is not pronounced as AUM, that is all I’m saying. The A+U sound becomes O. Please let me know where anyone authoritative states it is pronounced as AUM…
Rajesh Patel says
March 24, 2013 at 6:14 pmNamaste,
In response to whether anyone authoritative says it is pronounced Aum, there is no authority in the way Sanskrit words and mantras are rendered in English, because English is less precise in pronounciation in spellings. E.g. “enough” could be “enuff”, whereas Indic languages are precise. But the reason for me personally choosing Aum is that “cAUse” has a longer stretch than “tOm”, therefore the “AU” indicates a slightly elongated pronunciation.
Kind regards & Jai Bhavani
narasimmaraju rekandar says
April 12, 2013 at 6:58 pmThank you for more INFORMATION about “Om” And THANKS TO YOU More information of Omkaram(Aum)
Saijayanisita says
August 7, 2015 at 8:03 amOm is an universally chanted mantra which has its origination in the Hindu spiritual texts. We can hear it being said in almost every Hindu ritual. But what we fail to understand is why it is chanted and how it should be chanted.
The sheer beauty of the Om mantra is the link it has with the universe. Interestingly, when Om is chanted, the frequency at which it vibrates is 432 Hz. It is exactly the same as the vibrational frequency of all the elements present in nature. What this basically signifies is that we are spiritually and physically in harmony with the world we live in.
Another thing that we have to keep in mind is that in order to create the correct vibrational frequency, the mantra has to be enunciated in the right manner to reap the benefits. OM is pronounced as AUM and it mainly consist of 4 syllables. A,U,M and silent syllable.
The first syllable A is pronounced as a prolonged ‘Awe’, U is pronounced as a sustained ‘Oo’ and M is recited as a prolonged ‘Mmm’. Finally, the silent syllable is nothing but a deep silence that extends to infinity. During the chant, different parts of our vocal box is activated creating a different part of the throat to vibrate. Overall, the syllables of AUM is said to embody the divine energy which we commonly refer to as Shakti.