Guest guest Posted October 29, 2001 Report Share Posted October 29, 2001 Could somebody please explain the spelling of "Om" in Sanskrit? From the stylized way it's normally written, with my ignorance of Sanskrit, I can't figure out the individual letters. The reason I'm puzzled is that I just noticed that the first word of the Mandukya Upanishad is spelled like this (I'm being careful this time to follow the transliteration table on http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/transliteration.html): om But the usual calligraphic representation of the word seems to have an anusvara and, I guess, no m -- I can't figure out what the loopy thing on the right side is supposed to be exactly. Can somebody explain? A million billion thank yous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2001 Report Share Posted October 29, 2001 dear rob it is written as single syllable but with two letters- the first letter consists of the longer" o" and the next letter is " mmmmm" so it pronounced as "oooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"- in chating of 'om", you take two thirds of the time for ' o' and one third of the time for "m". The " om" , which is the primal sound of universe and hence, occupies the next position only to god( sound represents the ubiquitous akash which is hving only one guna- god has no gunas), consists of three syllables on break up_'a", "u" and "m" a stands for brahma the generating function of god which is represented by the belly/natal in our body( nabhi) chant only 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa', you will notice the chanting emanates from your belly. u stands for vishnu, the sustaining function of the brahman> it is represented by the chest. and m stands for the destroyance of ignorance ( or maheshwara)and it is represented by the brain. Thus aum karam stands for the three functions of the almighty. let me close this piece with a prayer to the goddess "aum" aum karam bindu samyukatm,nityam dhyayanti yoginaha kamadam mokshadam chaiwa aum karaya namo namaha {i meditate upon that aum which along the with bindu is always meditated by yogis. It is capable of fulfilling of our desires and lo, the very salvation of atman) with love to all, kishore--- Rob Sacks <editor wrote: <HR> <html><body> <tt> Could somebody please explain the spelling<BR> of "Om" in Sanskrit? From the stylized way<BR> it's normally written, with my ignorance of<BR> Sanskrit, I can't figure out the individual<BR> letters.<BR> <BR> The reason I'm puzzled is that I just noticed<BR> that the first word of the Mandukya Upanishad<BR> is spelled like this (I'm being careful this time<BR> to follow the transliteration table on <BR> <a href="http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/transliteration.html):"> of Service</a>.</tt> </br> </body></html> _________________ *NEW* Messenger for SMS. Now on your ORANGE phone *NEW* Visit http://in.mobile./smsmgr_signin.html''>http://in.mobile./smsmgr_signin.html'>http://in.mobile./smsmgr_signin.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2001 Report Share Posted October 31, 2001 Hi kishore, Thanks very much for the information. One thing still puzzles me -- how do we get from the letters "OM" to the way it's usually drawn, with the loop on the right and the symbol on top that looks like a dot on a saucer? Love, Rob - "k s" <t00234 <RamanaMaharshi> Monday, October 29, 2001 8:41 AM Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Spelling of OM? > dear rob > > it is written as single syllable but with two letters- > > the first letter consists of the longer" o" and the > next letter is " mmmmm" so it pronounced as > "oooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"- in chating > of 'om", you take two thirds of the time for ' o' and > one third of the time for "m". ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2001 Report Share Posted October 31, 2001 Dear Rob, > the symbol on top that > looks like a dot on a saucer?.... is called a nAsikya or nasal utterance which is analogous to anusvAra. i.e. it is produced with mouth closed, through the nose. The rest is just a stylised representation of the letter / o /. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2001 Report Share Posted October 31, 2001 Dear Miles, Thanks very much. I see that om is spelled with an m in MacDonell's dictionary. Is the nAsikya an alternative way of writing m or are there two spellings or has the spelling changed or...? Regards, Rob > is called a nAsikya or nasal utterance which is analogous to anusvAra. > i.e. it is produced with mouth closed, through the nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2001 Report Share Posted October 31, 2001 Dear Rob, Ultimately it is the pronunciation that is important. I suggest that the nasal content is part and parcel of the preceding vowel element and never becomes a fully independent nasal stop. If this is the case then strictly speaking /m/ is not entirely correct. It is, however, convention. i.e. When standing independent or followed by a vowel the rules of sandhi state that /m/ should be used. (Then, it seems, the nasal must be pronounced as a stop because the mouth must open.) It is largely academic. Pronunciation is the key. When chanted on its own, there is no need to pronounce a full stop. > Dear Miles, > > Thanks very much. I see that om is spelled > with an m in MacDonell's dictionary. Is > the nAsikya an alternative way of writing > m or are there two spellings or has the > spelling changed or...? > > Regards, > > Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2001 Report Share Posted November 1, 2001 Dear Miles, Thanks very much. It's a privilege to be able to receive such knowledgeable answers. And you are very kind to indulge my off-list questions! I'll try to be more conscious of where I am posting in the future. The idea that pronunciation is the key seems to be an important general point with regard to Sanskrit spelling, and I will keep it in mind. Best regards, Rob - "Miles Wright" <ramana.bhakta <RamanaMaharshi> Wednesday, October 31, 2001 6:53 PM Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Spelling of OM? > Dear Rob, > > Ultimately it is the pronunciation that is important. I suggest that the > nasal content is part and parcel of the preceding vowel element and never > becomes a fully independent nasal stop. If this is the case then strictly > speaking /m/ is not entirely correct. It is, however, convention. i.e. When > standing independent or followed by a vowel the rules of sandhi state that > /m/ should be used. (Then, it seems, the nasal must be pronounced as a stop > because the mouth must open.) It is largely academic. Pronunciation is the > key. When chanted on its own, there is no need to pronounce a full stop. > > > > Dear Miles, > > > > Thanks very much. I see that om is spelled > > with an m in MacDonell's dictionary. Is > > the nAsikya an alternative way of writing > > m or are there two spellings or has the > > spelling changed or...? > > > > Regards, > > > > Rob > > > > > Post message: RamanaMaharshi > Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- > Un: RamanaMaharshi- > List owner: RamanaMaharshi-owner > > Shortcut URL to this page: > /community/RamanaMaharshi > > Your use of is subject to > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2001 Report Share Posted November 1, 2001 hello the loop u r referring to is the "o" and the dot with the 'saucer'( it is crescent actually)is called 'bindu" and refers to 'm' hope i am clear kishore _________________ *NEW* Messenger for SMS. Now on your ORANGE phone *NEW* Visit http://in.mobile./smsmgr_signin.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2001 Report Share Posted November 1, 2001 Dear Rob and friends, Your questions made me more curious, so I found these wonderful websites telling more of the significance of OM. Perhaps some of you may find them of interest as well. The essence of sacred knowledge is word and sound, and the essence of word and sound is OM. - the Upanishad The Symbol Om Just as the sound of Om represents the four states of Brahman, the symbol Om written in Sanskrit also represents everything. The material world of the waking state is symbolized by the large lower curve. The deep sleep state is represented by the upper left curve. The dream state, lying between the waking state below and the deep sleep state above, emanates from the confluence of the two. The point and semicircle are separate from the rest and rule the whole. The point represents the turiya state of absolute consciousness. The open semicircle is symbolic of the infinite and the fact that the meaning of the point can not be grasped if one limits oneself to finite thinking. http://www.omsakthi.org/worship/mantra.html This next one is more scholarly, and by George Fuerstein! It is quite information dense. http://www.yrec.org/om.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2001 Report Share Posted November 1, 2001 Dear kishore, Thanks very much! Very clear. This has been quite a thorough education about the word Om! Best regards, Rob - "k s" <t00234 <RamanaMaharshi> Thursday, November 01, 2001 7:53 AM Re: [RamanaMaharshi] Spelling of OM? > hello > > the loop u r referring to is the "o" and the dot with > the 'saucer'( it is crescent actually)is called > 'bindu" and refers to 'm' > > > hope i am clear > > kishore > > _________________ > *NEW* Messenger for SMS. Now on your ORANGE phone *NEW* > Visit http://in.mobile./smsmgr_signin.html > > > Post message: RamanaMaharshi > Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- > Un: RamanaMaharshi- > List owner: RamanaMaharshi-owner > > Shortcut URL to this page: > /community/RamanaMaharshi > > Your use of is subject to > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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