From OM to AUM--what is the difference?

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Dear spiritual brothers and sisters,

At least two millennia after the sacred syllable om was discovered

by the Vedic seers (rishis), the anonymous sage who composed the

brief Mândûkya-Upanishad utilized this age-old mantra to expound the

metaphysics of Advaita Vedânta. Thus he explained the three

constituent parts (mâtrâ) of the syllable—namely a + u + m—as

symbolizing past, present, and future, as well as waking, dreaming,

and deep sleep. He also spoke of a fourth part that transcends the

other three and concluded his esoteric observations with the

statement that om is the Self (âtman), saying, "He who knows this

enters the Self with the self—indeed, he who knows this!"

 

The importance of the Mândûkya-Upanishad can be gauged from the fact

that the venerable sage Gaudapâda wrote his celebrated commentary

entitled Mândûkya-Kârikâ on it, which was subsequently commented on

at length by Shankara, the great preceptor of the school of

nondualism (advaita). Gaudapâda was the teacher of Govindapâda,

Shankara's guru.

 

Another scripture, given exclusively to explaining the sacred

syllable om is the Atharva-Shikhâ-Upanishad. This scripture begins

with the question: What should one meditate on? The answer is: the

syllable om, which symbolizes the supreme Absolute (brahman). The

text speaks of four constituent parts of this mantra, each having

its own symbolic correlations as follows:

 

1. the sound a — earth - ric (hymn of praise) — Rig-Veda — Brahman —

Vasus (a class of eight deities) — gâyatrî meter — gârhapatya fire —

red — dedicated to Brahman;

 

2. the sound u — atmosphere — yajus (sacrificial formula) — Yajur-

Veda — Vishnu — Rudras (deities governing the region between earth

and heaven) — trishtubh meter — dakshina fire — bright — dedicated

to Rudra;

 

3. the sound m — heaven — sâman (sacred chants) — Sâma-Veda —

Vishnu — Âdityas (deities connected with the Goddess Aditi,

symbolizing primordial infinity) — jagatî meter — âhavanîya fire —

black — dedicated to Vishnu;

 

4. "half-part" (ardha-mâtra) — Atharvan songs — Atharva-Veda — fire

of universal destruction — Maruts (deities of the mid-region who are

especially associated with the wind) — Virât — lightning-like and

multicolored — dedicated to Purusha.

 

The most important part is the nasalized "half-part" sound m, which

brings its own illumination and causes the life force (prâna) in the

body to rush upward into the head. This Upanishad further states

that the om sound is called om-kâra because it sends the currents of

the life force upward (ûrdhvam utkrâmayati) and that it is called

pranava because it makes all the life currents bow down

(pranâmayati) before it. The text concludes by stating that the om

sound is Shiva.

 

Interestingly, in Tantra-Yoga, the serpent power (kundalinî-shakti)

resting in the psychoenergetic center at the base of the spine, is

said to be coiled up three and a half times. Very likely, this

captures the same idea as in the notion of the three and a half

units of the om sound. The Tantras would presumably modify the

Upanishad's final claim to replace Shiva with Shakti, which in the

form of the kundalinî rises upward and while doing so assimilates

the life currents. In fact, the ascent of the serpent power is

accompanied by manifestations of ever more subtle sound.

 

According to the Amrita-Bindu-Upanishad (4), only the silent part of

the sound m leads to the soundless, invisible Abode, the ultimate

Reality. This scripture explains breath control (prânâyâma), a very

important aspect of yogic discipline, as the recitation of the

gâyatrî-mantra: tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhîmahi dhiyo yo

nah pracodayât). This mantra is to be recited together with the

pranava and the vyâhritis ("formulaic utterances," notably the words

bhûh bhuvah svah, standing for "earth,mid-region," and "heaven"

respectively). This sacred mantra should be recited three times in a

single breath.

 

The Amrita-Nâda-Upanishad (2ff.) recommends that one should mount

the "chariot of the om sound," make Vishnu one's charioteer, and

steer steadily toward the ultimate Reality. As one approaches the

supreme Self, one should abandon the chariot and enter the splendor

of the Self by means of the unsounded letter m. This is the silent,

subtle part of om.

 

This Upanishad prescribes breath control, especially retention of

the breath, as a means of controlling the senses and focusing the

mind upon the inner world. It defines Yoga as the state of restraint

over a period of twelve units or measures (mâtrâ), that is, twelve

recitations of om. It promises the dawning of wisdom within three

months of diligent and continuous practice, an inner vision of the

deities within four months, and final liberation within a mere six

months. Of course, one must be able to sustain unwavering

concentration for that span of time in order to succeed. For most

people, this is an impossibility. For, as one Vedic seer-bard

(rishi) complained in the Rig-Veda (10.33.2), "My mind flutters here

and there like a bird."

 

According to the Dhyâna-Bindu-Upanishad (15), the pranava is the

bow, oneself is the arrow, and the Absolute is the target. This

metaphor is first found in the Mundaka-Upanishad (2.2.3-4). It also

calls the pranava imperishable and states that its "fine end" cannot

be expressed. Another favorite metaphor, also recapitulated in the

Dhyâna-Bindu-Upanishad (22), is that of oneself as the lower

churning stick (arani) and the om sound as the upper churning stick.

By practicing it, one can restrain one's breath and dissolve the

subtle sound (nâda).

 

Through constant cultivation of the subtle inner sound, declares the

Nâda-Bindu-Upanishad (49), the karmic imprints (vâsanâ) left by our

past volitional activity are eradicated. This leads to the merging

of mind and life force. When the mind and the life force are

motionless, the person abides as the subtle sound known as brahma-

târa-antara-nâda, which can be translated as the "innermost sound

that is the brahmic liberator (târa)."

 

A fascinating account of the sacred syllable is given in the Nârada-

Parivrâjaka-Upanishad (8.1ff.), a medieval scripture. Here om is

said to be threefold: the destructive om, the creative om, and the

internal-and-external om (comprising the two former types). Another

threefold division is: the brahmic om, the internal om, and the

practical om. Then the text mentions two more sets: the external om,

the om of the seers (rishi), and the virât om (consisting of the

former two), as well as the destructive om, the Brahma om, and the

om of the half-measure (ardha-mâtrâ).

 

This Upanishad goes on to explain these various forms of om as

follows: The internal om is the single syllable om, which has eight

parts—a, u, m, ardha-mâtrâ, nâda, bindu, kalâ, and shakti. The

phoneme a is said to consist of 10,000 parts, the phoneme u of 1,000

parts, the phoneme m of 100 parts, and the ardha-mâtrâ of an

infinite number of parts. The creative om is described as having

qualities and the destructive om as having none. The virât om is

said to consist of sixteen units (morae). In addition to the above-

mentioned eight parts (which are explained below), the sacred

syllable also has kalâ-atîta, shânti, shânti-atita (written

shântyatîta), unmanî, mana-unmanî (written manomanî), purî,

madhyamâ, pashyantî, and parâ. This text also refers to 64 and 128

parts of the sacred syllable, but it makes the point that ultimately

its designated object—the Absolute—is singular.

 

 

 

To all adhyaatmic bhai aur behene,

My Om and pranams,

Yours yogically,

Dattu