The name of God
Tasya Vachakah PranavahaTajjapah Tadartha Bhavanam
Tatah Pratyakchetanadhigamopyantarayabhavascha
Everything that is known has a name. You talk of a world and it is called the earth. It is represented b a map. The letter Om, is written in Sanskrit, is a map to describe God. Patanjali says that the word t describe God is Om. It is considered as the root sound of all the letters and words. It is considered as the essence of speech and sound. The sound of thunder, the sound of a crashing wave, the sound of a flowing river, the sound of a revving engine or a concorde jet, the sound of the air inside a sea shell - all vibrate with Om.
Om is a combination of three letters A (as in aunt) - creation, U (as in pooh) - preservation and the nasal M (as in hmm...) - destruction. Many call the word God as Generator, Operator and Destroyer which is synonymous with Creator, Preserver and Destroyer that Om stands for.
Om or Aum may be a gift of the Sanskrit language of ancient India, but Aum is present in words of blessing such as Amen or Ameen.
Setting aside the philosophy of the sound Om - Patanjali says that repeated chanting of the Mantra (a sound tool), Om, feeling the essence of the consciousness that ir represents all along the chanting, is a technique to turn the wavering mind to one's own essence by making it one-pointed.
This removes the several obstacles to the realisation of one's being. The obstacles to such a realisation are listed out in the subsequent Sutras.
At Ukhimath in the Himalayas recently, I came across a Brahmachari by name Sudhir, who was particular that I sat down and chanted 'Om' along with him in the evenings. He explained that the house of the mind is always littered with thoughts. Om is the broom with which one can sweep away those thoughts and experience pure consciousness.
What I write here is almost always born out of a direct experience. Some with these Sutras too. As I began to study and write them, I was seized by some unnameable indolence (an obstacle enumerated in the next Sutra). It was a kind of laziness that made me push aside my books and pen and just lie down exhausted. I experimented with the chanting of Om loudly and later silently to remove this obstacle. And soon, I find myself writing and completing this post with a picture that has just been taken too! It is a sound that has the energy to work in our lives.
- Swahilya Shambhavi (swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)
19 comments:
Swahilya,
"Om is the broom with which one can sweep away those thoughts and experience pure consciousness" - what a lovely image!The vibrations of Om will definitely clear up all obstacles.Lovely picture and explanation.
Meena.
Welcome Meena.
First the vocalized breath, the initiative to creation.
Then the forceful sound, by forming the lips to the shape of a cricle, reminiscent of the origin, of the eternal cycle of life.
Finally closing the lips while maintaining the vibration for a while, before reverting to silience.
Seems to me a composite yet simple sound, symbolizing life itself.
Yes AVC: That's one reason why Om is the most worshipped sound in India. It is the sound that's closest to silence.
Dear Swahilya,
You are certainly enlightened, you are a liberated being. Please let me know if my gut feel is right. I admire your insights.
An ardent admirer
Dear Swahilya,
As you know, I like comparing different traditions. Today I wrote a little piece on my blog with respect to another word, held high in the tradition to which I belong. There are so many similarities in all of these schools of thought (and practice), but perhaps the differences are even more interesting to explore.
Once again, thank you for the inspiration!
Amen is said so fast and at the end of a prayer. Om sounds like it goes on forever.
Good morning, Swahilya. :D
Hugs, JJ
Anonymous: There is light already in everything in this Universe and I also move about in that light. I am also one of the many many crores of beings that share that light. Everything in this Universe is in a state of Enlightenment always.
will check it out AVC.
JJ: The speed is not there in the word, but the way it is used unconsciously as a matter of habit!
The same Amen can be chanted by taking in a deep breath and letting it out with the sound of Aaaaamennnn.....That's a mantra by itself.
dear swahilya, thank you for the explanation of the meaning of OM. I like the comparison with a broom to sweep away the litter of thoughts.
I am quite impressed by the length of the last sanskrit word and I thought we germans were masters of building long words, but that one tops every word I have seen so far.
Hi Ray, thank you. If you really are looking for long words, there may be many many more longer words which is usually a combination of several root words together! They are also split while chanting.
Fantastic expression of AUM, thank you!
Good One swahilya, AUM is sundaram, benediction, pranavam etc etc etc, but it is there everywhere. If you take a conch and keep it close to your ears, it will resonate AUM
Beautiful shot and well explained too! Chanting loudly indeed is so effective. sometimes, just being with the silent inner chanting too is so immense.
Welcome Krishna Shankar and Fruitu. Merging Point: Thank you. Silence is there in the sound...but to experience it takes a little bit of settling down for the activity oriented mind and here chanting aloud helps.
Lovely and insightful as ever!!
Thank-you for this. It is amazing. I have not used OM, however due to you creating a better understanding, I will incorporate this into my meditation.
Welcome Mark!
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