Om in Tantra

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Dear Godly denizens,

Upanishadic ideas lead to the speculations about om

in the Tantric literature where concepts like nâda, bindu, kalâ,

shakti, etc. abound. The Shâradâ-Tilaka-Tantra (1.108) describes the

cosmogonic process in terms of the production of sound as follows:

>From the supreme Shakti—pure Consciousness combined with the factor

of lucidity (sattva)—comes the most subtle sound (dhvani), which is

marked by a preeminence of the factors of lucidity and dynamism

(rajas). Out of the dhvani develops the subtle sound (nâda),

characterized by a mixture of the factors of lucidity, dynamism, and

inertia (tamas). This subtle sound, in turn, gives rise to the

energy of restriction (nirodhikâ), which has an excess of the factor

of inertia. This ontic principle emanates the "half-moon" (ardha-

indu, written ardhendu), which at this lower level again shows a

predominance of the factor of lucidity. Out of it comes the

vibratory source point (bindu), the immediate source of all letters

and words. These form mantras, which are thus manifestations or

vehicles of Shakti.

 

This scripture (1.8) further explains that the bindu is itself

composed of three parts, viz. nâda, bindu, and bîja ("seed"). The

first part has a predominance of Consciousness (i.e., Shiva), the

second a preponderance of Energy (i.e., Shakti), and the third an

equal presence of Consciousness and Energy. Such esoteric accounts

of the evolution of sound remain relatively unintelligible outside

of Tantric practice; however, they become increasingly meaningful as

the practitioner makes progress on the path of mantra-vidyâ

or "mantric science."

 

The primordial sound is uncaused. In the language of Kashmiri

Tantrism, it is pure vibration (spanda). According to the Kirana-

Tantra (copied in 924 C.E.), om resides in the throat of Shiva and

is the Divine itself. This scripture also describes it as the root

of all mantras, stating that upon articulation it becomes vâc

("speech"), corresponding to the Greek concept of logos.

 

As we get higher up the ladder of ontic unfoldment, we encounter

ever more subtle energies. Thus the mâtrikâs are the subtle

alphabetic counterpart to their corresponding audible sounds; the

bindu is subtler than the mâtrikâs, and the nâda is still more

subtle. As the Yoga-Shikhâ-Upanishad (2.21) states, "There is no

mantra higher than the nâda." In old graphic representations of the

om-kâra, the nâda symbol is drawn or painted as an inverted crescent

above the bindu, which suggests that the nâda is prior to the bindu.

Later the crescent placed below the bindu emphasized that the nâda

contains the bindu. Both graphic representations make the same

point, however.

 

The nâda itself has various levels of subtle manifestation.

According to the Hamsa-Upanishad (16) it manifests in ten different

ways. First there is the sound cini, then cini-cini. The third

sounds like a bell, the fourth like the blast of a conch, whereas

the fifth has the quality of a harp sound. The sixth through the

ninth respectively resemble the sounds of cymbals, flute, kettle

drum, and tabor. Only the tenth type, which is like a thunder clap,

should be cultivated. Various physiological symptoms are said to

accompany these sounds. Thus when the fourth sound is heard (in the

right ear), one's head begins to shake, while the fifth sound causes

the subtle center at the root of the palate to stream with the lunar

ambrosia, and so on. The final sound alone is accompanied by

identification with the supreme Absolute (para-brahman).

 

Some Tantras differentiate between mahâ-nâda (also called nâda-anta)

and nirodhinî, which is transmuted into bindu. This is also called

tri-bindu because it is subdivided into nâda, bindu, and bîja. In

this case, the nâda is correlated with shiva, the bindu with shakti,

and the bîja with both Shiva and Shakti. The ultimate Reality itself

can be viewed as a point origin, and as such is sometimes referred

to as para-bindu or transcendental germinal point.

 

Om is the ultimate bîja-mantra. The idea of om being the root of

other mantras may actually have given rise to whole idea of bîja-

mantras, which are root sounds associated with particular deities.

They are special high-potency sounds or vibrations giving direct

access to the spiritual realities for which they stand. The Mantra-

Yoga-Samhitâ (71) calls om the "best of all mantras," adding that

all other mantras receive their power from it. Thus om is prefixed

or suffixed to numerous mantras:

 

Om namah shivâya. "Om. Obeisance to Shiva."

Om namo bhagavate. "Om. Obeisance to the Lord [Krishna or Vishnu]."

Om namo ganeshâya. "Om. Obeisance to [the elephant-headed] Ganesha."

Om namo nârâyanâya. "Om. Obeisance to Nârâyana [Vishnu]."

Om shânte prashânte sarva-krodha-upashamani svâhâ. "Om. At peace!

Pacifying! All anger be subdued! Hail!" (Note pronunciation: sarva-

krodhopashamani)

Om sac-cid-ekam brahma. "Om. The singular Being-Consciousness, the

Absolute."

 

The Mahânirvâna-Tantra (3.13) calls the last-mentioned brahma-mantra

the most excellent of all mantras, which promptly bestows not only

liberation but also virtue, wealth, and pleasure.

The para-bindu mentioned above is said to have a masculine and a

feminine side, which are respectively called ham and sa, thus

yielding the sound or word hamsa, meaning "swan," but signifying the

sound of the breath and indeed the breath itself as it enters and

leaves the body. This natural motion of breathing, which is

calculated to occur 21,600 times every day, is called spontaneous

recitation (sahaja-japa) or unrecited recitation (ajapa-japa).

 

The hamsa also stands for the psyche (jîva), which lives through the

breath. This spontaneous mantra is understood as so'ham or "I am

he," that is, "I am Shiva, the ultimate Reality." But ignorance

prevents us from realizing this; hence the need for spiritual

practice. The Yoga-Bîja (156), a comparatively late Hatha-Yoga text,

states that when the prâna enters the central channel, the natural

mantra reverses itself from hamsa to so'ham. Experientially,

however, this is not different from the primordial om, the root

mantra that reverberates through the entire cosmos.

 

The Mantra-Yoga-Samhitâ (73) has this stanza:

 

When people hear the pranava they hear the Absolute itself.

When they utter the pranava they go to the abode of the Absolute.

He who perceives the pranava sees the state of the Absolute.

He who always has the pranava in his mind has the form of the

Absolute.

OM TAT SAT

yOURS YOGICALLY,

Dattu