OM or Aum

OM or Aum is the most famous mantra or sacred sound of the Hindu tradition. Sometimes called the pranava, the roaring sound, OM is understood in Hinduism as the fundamental vibration or pulsation of reality. The early texts of the Upanishads discourse on the many meanings of Om. It is the considered to be the source of reality, the original or seed sound (bija) out of which the entire universe is born, in which it is sustained, and into which it is finally dissolved. The theological analysis of OM associates it with many other triads: the gods Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva; the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states; the past, present, and future; the qualities of darkness, energy, and intelligence; and the energies of will, knowledge, and action. These and other such triads reveal that the sound OM contains all possible realities, even as it points to the brahan, the transcendent and absolute reality beyond the visible universes. As such, the mantra OM is considered to be the most efficacious vehicle or tool for reaching that ultimate reality. In a soteriological sense, the sound OM is considered to be the most potent mantra and the source of all of the "70 million" mantras of Hinduism. Used in meditation, OM is thought to lead the yogin to the ultimate experience of the absolute consciousness. [P.M.-O.]

Last modified: Wednesday, 27-Apr-2005 14:14:53 EDT