Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 So Says Sai It is laid down at Prasanthi Nilayam that the early dawn recital of 'Om' should be done 21 times. This number is not arbitrarily fixed. It has the significance of its own. We have the five karmendriyas (Senses of action), five jnanendriyas (Senses of perception). We have also Pranas (the five vital energies or air), to sustain us. Then we have five koshas (sheaths) enclosing Divine Spark, that is reality. They total up to twenty. Hence the recitation of OM, twenty one times purifies and clarifies all the 20 components, makes man the 21st entity ready for final merger with reality. The jeevathathwam (life principle) merges with parathathwam (supreme reality). The jeevathathwam may be pictured as a rider on the twenty headed horse. Finally you end Pranava recital with the recital shanthi three times. That completes the process of clarification and purification. The first call of shanthi (peace) is for the purity of aadhibhoutik (body) part of the self. The second call is for the purity of aadhidaivik (the mind). The third is for the purification of the aadhyaathmik (the spirit). This pranava recital will tone you up, calm all agitations in the mind and quicken the downpour of Grace. Om is the primeval sound, the sound caused by the vibration of the creation through the emergent Will of the formless and attributeless (the Nirakaara, Nirguna Brahman) and is referred to as Sabdhabrahman (Divine Transcendental Sound). It is a composite of the sound of 'A' 'U' and 'M'. Just as G, O, and D, taken together is pronounced 'GOD' (not jeeodee), so too the letters A, U and M are uttered as 'OM'. 'A' emanated from the gullet, 'U' from the tongue lying in the interior of the mouth and 'M' from the lips. But when 'OM' is uttered the sound emanates from the navel. 'OM' must be recited slowly and with deliberation. The sound must be like an aircraft, first approaching from a distance to the spot where you are, and then flying away again into the distance (soft at first, but gradually becoming louder and louder and then relapsing into silence, this silence after the experience being as significant as the Pranava). 'U' is the zenith, the Kailash (abode of God) reached by the sound in its adoration. 'A' is the initial nadir and 'M' the final. Source: Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. XIV. P. 17-18-19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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