Brahmi Muhurtham, Omkara, and various other ramblings thrown in for good measure

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Aum Sri MahaGanapataye Namaha,

Sri Saraswathye Namaha,

Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Saraswati,

Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha!

 

Why is Brahmi Murtham so important?

 

It is during Brahmi Muhurtham (a period defined as " approximately 45 minutes

prior to sunrise, " usually falls between 3:30am and 5:30am) that the

monosyllable " Om " (A-U-M) is most clearly heard in the quiet life-giving rays of

the morning sunrise. Omkara is produced as a spontaneous nada that is both

ubiquitous and inter-penetrating - it is everywhere, nowhere, and also within

and between everything that exists. It is the origin of all names and forms,

yet, itself has neither a name nor a form - though it has a Sanskrit symbol, it

is only a symbol and not the actual Omkara itself. Indeed, the true Omkara

itself has no actual tangible " form " aside from its " representation " as a sound

vibration (any description of such a sound wave would also be only a symbolic

representation, and not the wave itself, for which there can be no accurate

representation). The scriptures say that Omkara is verily Ganapati himself.

Therefore, by attuning oneself to the

Omkara one can receive the blessings of Ganapati - removal of all obstacles

that are impediments to one's progress. This applies to all fields of activity

in life - from school (learning), to business, to the spiritual progress. It is

during this time that life (with respect to a particular sun-facing hemisphere)

is just beginning to wake up due to the subtle energies being

received through the solar rays into the prana nadis of the body. If one arises

at

the early hour, and meditates in solitude, one can clearly perceive the

sound of the Omkara which is nothing but Brahman itself, and be filled with the

bliss of Ganapati's grace in all one's endeavours. Observing silence (no matter

what) and being inwardly contemplative is very important - otherwise, the

opportunity to receive these energies into the conscious mind is lost.

 

Science of The Omkara.

 

Let us first consider the " intoned " Omkara that we are all familiar with. You

should actually " intone " the Om sound before reading this next section, and try

to examine it inwardly as you read this, it will greatly help you to understand

what I am about to describe.

 

If we were to examine the fourier spectrum of the Omkara (the power spectrum, or

a graph that shows " frequency vs. time " ), we would see a broad initial onset

peak at the lower frequencies (such as that heard when intoned deeply from the

" kumbha " or stomach region, when the diaphram is fully extended and the stomach

takes on the shape of a pot), and we would see that at the throat level it has a

much higher frequency, until it finally exits the mouth via the closed lips.

The sound itself is produced by three separate modes (of vibration), each of

which is generated by an independent vibrating column of air whose length is

measured at variable distances extending from the base of the stomach, all the

way up to the lips. The total length of the air column, from stomach to lip,

will of course make a difference in the final depth of the sound that is output.

If you examine the effects of this verbal intonation more closely you will also

hear a secondary

resonance effect that occurs in the bones themselves, and in particular in the

skull. This secondary resonance extends all the way from the base of the spine,

through the upper limit of the head/skull cavity, when the Omkara is properly

intoned with correct enunciation, duration, and so on. It is said that the

entire Sanskrit alphabet was formed from the Omkara, and we see that indeed this

is the case, since all possible combination of phonetic sounds are produced as

combinations of the different regions of vibration that occur along the pathway

from the stomach to the lips. Essentially our body is like a giant " flute " **

with three " holes " that regulate the length of the air column.

 

**Sidenote: At the more subtle level, there is a similar analogy that can be

drawn with respect to the seven chakras and the Sushumna nadi, wherein the flow

of prana directly corresponds with the flow of breath (hence, the importance of

pranayama as a means for spiritual evolution to attain " yoga " ). This is the

basis for the inner meaning of the " rasa leela " between Krishna and the gopis.

When the gopis were dancing around Krishna as he played the flute, they were

actually absorbed in the " rasa " (sweet essence) of the Anahata nada produced by

the sound of His flute - the nature of this sound is such that once heard, it

will completely absorb the listener. By playing His flute, he is causing the

vibration/dance of your chakras to generate the inward explosive feeling of pure

Sat-Chit-Anandam to arise.

 

If we break up the " generators " (sources) of the sound, we find that there are

three essential modes that comprise the verbally intoned Omkara - and these

three modes correspond to the three fundamental components of the sound " Om "

represented as A-U-M. A component is the Akara, or Brahma tattva. U represents

the Ukara, or Vishnu tattva. M represents the Makara, or Maheshwara tattva.

The Akara sound originates in the longer pathway from the base of the stomach to

the lips, and has a fairly long wavelength (low frequency). The Ukara sound

originates in the throat region, where the trachea meets the esophageal cavity,

and extends to the lips, forming a secondary fundamental wavelength (shorter

frequency). The Makara sound originates and terminates at the lips themselves,

and has the highest frequency (smallest wavelength) of the three modes. The

combination of the three modes, and the alternation in the placement of

attention from one mode to the

next, generates the familiar sound of Omkara that we hear as the physical

sound. The three different columns of air vibrate together, while a fourth

" bubble " of air tracks the specific region of the pathway that we are focusing

our attention on. The fourth air bubble traverses the pathway from the stomach

region, and can be forced upwards to eventually reverberate from within the head

cavity itself. This air bubble acts to amplify the specific sound of a

particular vibrating column - allowing us to " hear " the distinct evolution of

the Omkara from A to U to M - even though technically all three modes are

vibrating simultaneously, one of the three is being emphasized more than the

others at any given time in the intonation. This entire process comprises the

physical sound of Omkara that is symbolic of the " true " Omkara. At this point,

please note, I am differentiating between the physical " Omkara " sound produced

by intonation, and the " true " Omkara.

There is a difference. The true Omkara is not a self-generated noise - it is a

spontaneous vibration that arises from the Anahata chakra, and is known as the

" Anahata nada " ( " unstruck note " ). It is known as the unstruck note as it is

not the result of any mechanical process (e.g., the sound of two hands clapping,

or the sound of two objects striking one another). That is, the true Omkara has

no " physical " source, or " physical " medium per se - the medium is consciousness

itself. The sound is actually a direct byproduct of the movement of the

consciousness itself - indeed, the Omkara is considered to be the " first "

vibration (spandana) that occurs in the process of creation. A yogi that has

practiced meditation using the various physical and mental postures and

processes will be " in tune with " the resonant frequency of the Omkara, allowing

Him/Her to hear its spontaneous flow from the Anahata chakra. This spontaneous

flow of the unstruck sound is

the 'Anahata nada'. I refer to the process of becoming aware of this sound as

" tuning " since the system of chakras and the physical body act as a kind of

crystal radio transmitter/receiver. By physically intoning the Omkara, we are

preparing our mental equipment, and the subtler equipment of our 'subtle body'

to pick up this spontaneous sound that is constantly reverberating throughout

the Universe. The subtler equipment is continually receiving input ( " prana " )

from the Omkara, as it is the very basis for our ability to be " conscious " - but

with poor receptivity, due to our inability to pay attention to the subtle

sound. Our worldiness (attention to the external) essentially drowns out the

subtle (inner) sounds of the Self. Once one's consciousness is " tuned " to pick

up this spontaneous sound, the sound itself is said to absorb the mind back into

its source. Remaining in dhyanam (meditation/contemplation) becomes spontaneous

and effortless. This

is why in Hinduism, the Omkara has such importance/significance. It is indeed

considered Brahman itself, and is both the goal as well as the means to attain

the goal. A yogi that yokes His/Her mind to this fundamental sound, can ride it

like an escalator back to the source with very little effort. This is why the

practice of Nadopasana is said to be the easiest path to God, as the mind is

easily charmed by music (and in particular, specific notes), and allows itself

to be wholly absorbed into it. The snake that is the mind, is lured by the

sound of the Anahata, to resolve itself back into itself by means of the inner

" drishti " (inward sight). When once the Anahata nada is heard, you will be

drawn to continue to listen to its higher, more subtle, frequencies, in

meditation (dhyana), until you follow its " long tail " back to the source of the

sound. The source of the sound being the Self. It is said that as your mind

travels farther and farther (in

dhyana) up the higher frequency long-tail of the sound, it will ultimately

reach the state " beyond " (turiya) the most familiar states of consciousness

(jagrat: waking, swapna: dream, sushupthi: deep sleep) in which the mind is

silenced and only the Self remains in its pristine glory as Sat-Chit-Ananda.

 

The significance of the Omkara is that it is the primordial sound. It is the

true form of Ganapati himself, and vice-versa. This is the significance of the

relationship between Nada and Ganapati. This is why Ganapati is considered to

be " foremost " among musicians, as well as a lover of music. In the beginning

the supreme consciousness alone existed as Sat-Chit-Ananda. It thought " Let One

become Many " and breathed " Om " ...and so the duality of perceiver and perception

arose (as well as the concept of separation from that original One-ness).

( " ...In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

God. " John 1:1) From this duality, the entire universe came into being. Omkara

is prana itself (hence, pranava mantra) - all life receives its energy from it,

though not all life is aware of it - the Omkara sound is the origin, expression,

and continuity of consciousness (life) itself. This sound is known as the

Anahata nada (the

" unstruck " sound) as it has no physical origin, does not appear to require a

physical 'medium' (e.g., air), and is not the result of any kind of interaction

(i.e., ordinary sounds are produced as a result of the striking of two objects).

In Zen, there is a famous koan (mental paradox/puzzle): " What is the sound of

one hand clapping? " which directly indicates the unspeakable characteristic of

the " unstruck " sound. The nature of the Anahata nada is such that there is

nowhere where it is not. Wherever you are, there It is. The yogic explanation

is that Anahata nada arises from the interaction of the Vayu tattva (gana, or

the " category " that is designated by the vayu principle) with the Anahata chakra

- causing it to sing the Anahata nada ( " Anahatam-adhi vayu ganam " - from the

song " Gana Gana munaku pathi ayna, Ganapathi Doraku Jayam Jayam... " ). From an

" objective " viewpoint, it is everywhere; from a subjective viewpoint, it is

wherever *you* are. It

is a direct byproduct of the movement of consciousness itself - that is, it is

the first vibration of consciousness that is also its own indication. Ganapati

being Omkara itself, is worshipped by its intonation. This is why ALL prayers,

mantras, etc. one says Om before beginning. It gives meaning, power, and

effectiveness to all mantras (mental/psychological codes), yantras

(sensory/visual codes), or tantras (physical/postural codes). Without it,

nothing is effective.

 

As Swamiji has sung: " Om Iti Brahma, Eka-Akshara... " Om itself is verily

Brahman, the mono-syllabic letter. The first letter.

 

Did you not know that Swamiji's songs have such deep meanings? Listen again

with a fresh ear. Think deeply on their meanings and be energized by them

( " Bhakthi saadhana Sat-Chit-Anandaaaa! " ). Each time you meditate/contemplate on

their meaning, you will understand more and more. Swamiji has repeatedly

emphasized that He has explained everything there is to explain in His songs, in

a way that is lively and uplifting, and not boring, verbose, and infinitely long

as these emails can be.

 

Sometimes (Most times), when you look at Swamiji doing Sri Chakra puja, you get

an unmistakable and overwhelming feeling that Ganapati himself is sitting in

front of you doing Sri Chakra puja...aaa Ganapati dora ku (Swamiji ki) jayam

Jayam!

 

Jaya Guru Datta.

 

Jaya Guru Datta.

Jaya Guru Datta.

 

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Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?