tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6003842492898156462024-03-08T11:52:47.988-08:00AUM - OMNaresh Kadyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08419516306288297445noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600384249289815646.post-49107946806803444432008-02-23T15:28:00.000-08:002008-02-23T15:29:06.953-08:00<img src="http://dingo.care2.com/c2news/icon_noteText_27_gray.gif" id="link-x1" border="0" /> <script type="text/javascript">note_it_setup('x1', 374874447, 647782,true);</script> <div class="news_item"> <!-- begin news_item.tpl --> <h1 style="margin: 0pt 0pt 5px; font-size: 18px;"><a id="feed_title-647782" class="xxfeed_title" href="http://aum-om.blogspot.com/">AUM - OM - NARESH KADYAN</a></h1> <a href="http://www.care2.com/news/member/374874447/647782" style="float: left;"><!-- begin new_item_thumbnail.tpl --> <div class="news_thumbnail_box"> <img src="http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/c2c/share/64/647/778/647782_370.jpg" border="0" width="246" /></div></a></div>Naresh Kadyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08419516306288297445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600384249289815646.post-10271282796390897722008-02-23T15:04:00.000-08:002008-02-23T15:06:31.596-08:00<h1 class="firstHeading">Aum</h1> <h3 id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<!-- start content --> </h3><div class="dablink">This article is about the mystical syllable. For other uses, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUM" title="AUM">AUM</a>.</div> <div class="dablink">"Om" redirects here. For other uses, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_%28disambiguation%29" title="Om (disambiguation)">Om (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 102px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aum.svg" class="image" title="Devanagari Aum"><img alt="Devanagari Aum" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Aum.svg/100px-Aum.svg.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="83" width="100" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aum.svg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari" class="mw-redirect" title="Devanagari">Devanagari</a> <i>Aum</i></div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 102px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kannada_OM.png" class="image" title="Kannada ಓಂ"><img alt="Kannada ಓಂ" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Kannada_OM.png/100px-Kannada_OM.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="71" width="100" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kannada_OM.png" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannada" class="mw-redirect" title="Kannada">Kannada</a> <i>ಓಂ</i></div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 102px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tamil_om.png" class="image" title="The symbol Aum in the Tamil script"><img alt="The symbol Aum in the Tamil script" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Tamil_om.png/100px-Tamil_om.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="107" width="100" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tamil_om.png" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> The symbol Aum in the Tamil script</div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 102px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TibAum.png" class="image" title="The symbol Aum in Tibetan script"><img alt="The symbol Aum in Tibetan script" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/TibAum.png/100px-TibAum.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="117" width="100" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TibAum.png" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> The symbol Aum in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_script" title="Tibetan script">Tibetan script</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 102px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Om_siddham.jpg" class="image" title="The symbol Aum in Siddham script"><img alt="The symbol Aum in Siddham script" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/68/Om_siddham.jpg/100px-Om_siddham.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="107" width="100" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Om_siddham.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> The symbol Aum in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddham_script" title="Siddham script">Siddham script</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 152px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:O3m_AryaSamaj.PNG" class="image" title="ओ३म् O3m (Aum), as rendered in Devanagari by the Arya Samaj"><img alt="ओ३म् O3m (Aum), as rendered in Devanagari by the Arya Samaj" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ef/O3m_AryaSamaj.PNG/150px-O3m_AryaSamaj.PNG" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="98" width="150" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:O3m_AryaSamaj.PNG" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: 125%;" class="Unicode" lang="inc-Deva" lang="inc-Deva">ओ३म्</span> <span class="Unicode"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluti" title="Pluti">O3</a></span>m (<strong class="selflink">Aum</strong>), as rendered in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari" class="mw-redirect" title="Devanagari">Devanagari</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arya_Samaj" title="Arya Samaj">Arya Samaj</a></div> </div> </div> <p><i><b>Aum</b></i> (also <b>Om</b>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari" class="mw-redirect" title="Devanagari">Devanagari</a> <span lang="sa" lang="sa">ॐ</span>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayalam_language" title="Malayalam language">Malayalam</a>: ഓം, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_language" title="Telugu language">Telugu</a> ಓಂ, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language" title="Tamil language">Tamil</a> ஒம், Chinese: 唵 ) is a mystical or sacred <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllable" title="Syllable">syllable</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_religion" class="mw-redirect" title="Indian religion">Indian religions</a>. It is placed at the beginning of most <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_text" class="mw-redirect" title="Hindu text">Hindu texts</a> as a sacred exclamation to be uttered at the beginning and end of a reading of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedas" title="Vedas">Vedas</a> or previously to any prayer or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra" title="Mantra">mantra</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukya_Upanishad" title="Mandukya Upanishad">Mandukya Upanishad</a> is entirely devoted to the explanation of the syllable.</p> <table id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents"> <tbody><tr> <td><br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script> <p><a name="Origin.2C_name_and_written_symbols" id="Origin.2C_name_and_written_symbols"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Origin, name and written symbols</span></h2> <p>With preceding <i>a</i> or <i>ā</i>, the <i>o</i> of <i>om</i> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit_grammar" title="Sanskrit grammar">Sanskrit grammar</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhi" title="Sandhi">sandhi</a> (Sanskrit: संधि, "joining") does not form <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vriddhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Vriddhi">vriddhi</a> (<i>au</i>) but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guna" title="Guna">guna</a> (<i>o</i>) per <span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87ini" title="Pāṇini">Pāṇini</a></span> 6.1.95.</p> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a> name for the syllable is <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">praṇava</span></i>, from a root <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">nu</span></i> "to shout, sound, praise", verbal <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">pra-nu-</span></i> being attested as "to make a humming or droning sound" in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmanas" class="mw-redirect" title="Brahmanas">Brahmanas</a>, and taking the specific meaning of "to utter the syllable <i>om</i>" in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandogya_Upanishad" title="Chandogya Upanishad">Chandogya Upanishad</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrauta_Sutra" class="mw-redirect" title="Shrauta Sutra">Shrauta Sutras</a>. More rarely used terms are <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ak%E1%B9%A3ara" class="mw-redirect" title="Akṣara">akṣara</a></span></i> or <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">ekākṣara</span></i>, and in later times <i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">omkāra</span></i> becomes prevalent.</p> <p>A popular depiction of the Aum syllable in the Devanagari script (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aum.svg" class="image" title="Aum.svg"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Aum.svg/16px-Aum.svg.png" border="0" height="13" width="16" /></a>) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligature" title="Ligature">ligature</a> of <span class="Unicode">ओ</span>+<span class="Unicode"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%81" class="mw-redirect" title="ँ">ँ</a></span> (<i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">oṃ</span></i>, encoded in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode" title="Unicode">Unicode</a> at U+0950 <span class="Unicode"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%A5%90" class="extiw" title="wikt:ॐ">ॐ</a></span>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_script" title="Tibetan script">Tibetan script</a> variant <span class="Unicode"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%BC%80" class="extiw" title="wikt:ༀ">ༀ</a></span> at U+0F00, and the Chinese <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%94%B5" class="extiw" title="wikt:唵">唵</a> at U+5535 or <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%90%BD" class="extiw" title="wikt:吽">吽</a> at U+543D).</p> <p>It is also believed that after a very long time of meditation the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purusha_Sukta" class="mw-redirect" title="Purusha Sukta">Purusha Sukta</a> revealed the word AUM as being the truth.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since September 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed">citation needed</a></i>]</span></sup></p> <p><br /></p> <p><a name="In_Hinduism" id="In_Hinduism"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">In Hinduism</span></h2> <table class="infobox" style="clear: right; float: right; text-align: center; font-size: 85%;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="background: rgb(255, 197, 105) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; padding-bottom: 0.3em;"> <p>Part of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hinduism" title="Category:Hinduism">a series</a> on<br /><span style="font-size: 175%;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism">Hinduism</a></b></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 0.75em 0pt 0.15em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Om.svg" class="image" title="Aum"><img alt="Aum" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Om.svg/80px-Om.svg.png" border="0" height="82" width="80" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hinduism" title="History of Hinduism">History</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities" title="Hindu deities">Deities</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_denominations" title="Hindu denominations">Denominations</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythology" title="Hindu mythology">Literature</a></p> </th> </tr> <tr> <td> <div style="background: rgb(255, 197, 105) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy" title="Hindu philosophy">Beliefs and practices</a></b></div> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma" title="Dharma">Dharma</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artha" title="Artha">Artha</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81ma" title="Kāma">Kama</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha" title="Moksha">Moksha</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_in_Hinduism" title="Karma in Hinduism">Karma</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara" title="Samsara">Samsara</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga" title="Yoga">Yoga</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti" title="Bhakti">Bhakti</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_%28illusion%29" title="Maya (illusion)">Maya</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puja" title="Puja">Puja</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandir" class="mw-redirect" title="Mandir">Mandir</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div style="background: rgb(255, 197, 105) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_scripture" class="mw-redirect" title="Hindu scripture">Scriptures</a></b></div> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedas" title="Vedas">Vedas</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads" class="mw-redirect" title="Upanishads">Upanishads</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana" title="Ramayana">Ramayana</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata" class="mw-redirect" title="Mahabharata">Mahabharata</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita" title="Bhagavad Gita">Bhagavad Gita</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana" class="mw-redirect" title="Purana">Purana</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_scriptures" title="List of Hindu scriptures">others</a></i></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div style="background: rgb(255, 197, 105) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b>Related topics</b></div> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_by_country" title="Hinduism by country">Hinduism by country</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_gurus_and_saints" title="List of Hindu gurus and saints">Gurus and saints</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_reform_movements" title="Hindu reform movements">Reforms</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda" title="Ayurveda">Ayurveda</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_calendar" title="Hindu calendar">Calendar</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Hinduism" title="Criticism of Hinduism">Criticism</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hindu_festivals" title="Category:Hindu festivals">Festivals</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_terms_in_Hinduism" title="Glossary of terms in Hinduism">Glossary</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ·</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyotisha" class="mw-redirect" title="Jyotisha">Jyotisha</a><br /></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HinduSwastika.svg" class="image" title="Hindu swastika"><img alt="Hindu swastika" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/HinduSwastika.svg/50px-HinduSwastika.svg.png" border="0" height="51" width="50" /></a></p> <div class="noprint plainlinksneverexpand" style="padding: 0pt; background-color: transparent; white-space: nowrap; font-weight: normal; font-size: xx-small;">This box: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Hinduism_small" title="Template:Hinduism small"><span title="View this template" style="">view</span></a> <span style="font-size: 80%;">•</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Hinduism_small" title="Template talk:Hinduism small"><span style="color: rgb(0, 43, 184);" title="Discussion about this template">talk</span></a> <span style="font-size: 80%;">•</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Hinduism_small&action=edit" class="external text" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Hinduism_small&action=edit" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(0, 43, 184);" title="You can edit this template. Please use the preview button before saving.">edit</span></a></div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>The syllable <i>Aum</i> is first described as all-encompassing mystical entity in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads" class="mw-redirect" title="Upanishads">Upanishads</a>. Today, in all Hindu art and all over India and Nepal, 'Aum' can be seen virtually everywhere, a common sign for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism">Hinduism</a> and its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy" title="Hindu philosophy">philosophy</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythology" title="Hindu mythology">mythology</a>.</p> <p><a name="Upanishads_and_Sutra_literature" id="Upanishads_and_Sutra_literature"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Upanishads and Sutra literature</span></h3> <dl><dd><i>Further information: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukya_Upanishad" title="Mandukya Upanishad">Mandukya Upanishad</a></i></dd></dl> <p>The syllable is mentioned in all the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads" class="mw-redirect" title="Upanishads">Upanishads</a>, specially elaborated upon in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taittiriya" class="mw-redirect" title="Taittiriya">Taittiriya</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandogya" class="mw-redirect" title="Chandogya">Chandogya</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukya_Upanishad" title="Mandukya Upanishad">Mandukya Upanishad</a> set forth as the object of profound religious meditation, the highest spiritual efficacy being attributed not only to the whole word but also to the three sounds <i>a</i> (<i>a-kāra</i>), <i>u</i> (<i>u-kāra</i>), <i>m</i> (<i>ma-kāra</i>), of which it consists.</p> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katha_Upanishad" title="Katha Upanishad">Katha Upanishad</a> has:</p> <dl><dd>"The goal, which all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedas" title="Vedas">Vedas</a> declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they live a life of continence, I will tell you briefly it is <i>Aum</i>"</dd><dd>"The one syllable [<i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">evākṣara</span></i>, viz. <i>Aum</i>] is indeed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman" title="Brahman">Brahman</a>. This one syllable is the highest. Whosoever knows this one syllable obtains all that he desires.</dd><dd>"This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma." (1.2.15-17)<sup id="_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum#_note-0" title="">[1]</a></sup></dd></dl> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandogya_Upanishad" title="Chandogya Upanishad">Chandogya Upanishad</a> (1.1.1-1) states:</p> <dl><dd><i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">om ity etad akṣaram udgītham upāsīta / om iti hy udgāyati / tasyopavyākhyānam</span></i></dd><dd>"The <i>udgitha</i> ["the chanting", that is, the syllable om] is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth."</dd></dl> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita" title="Bhagavad Gita">Bhagavad Gita</a> (8.13) has:</p> <dl><dd><i>Uttering the monosyllable</i> Aum<i>, the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the superior goal.</i></dd></dl> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali" title="Yoga Sutras of Patanjali">Yoga Sutras of Patanjali</a> states in verse (1:27):</p> <dl><dd>"<i>tasya vacakah pranavah</i>" which translates as, <i>"God's voice is Aum."</i></dd></dl> <p>In the following <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutra" class="mw-redirect" title="Sutra">sutra</a> it emphasizes, "The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of its meaning". <sup id="_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum#_note-1" title="">[2]</a></sup></p> <p><a name="Puranic_Hinduism" id="Puranic_Hinduism"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Puranic Hinduism</span></h3> <p>In Puranic Hinduism, <i>Aum</i> is the mystic name for the Hindu <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimurti" title="Trimurti">Trimurti</a>, and represents the union of the three gods, viz. <i>a</i> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma" title="Brahma">Brahma</a>, <i>u</i> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu" title="Vishnu">Vishnu</a> and <i>m</i> for Mahadev which is another name of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva" title="Shiva">Shiva</a>. The three sounds also symbolise the three <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedas" title="Vedas">Vedas</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda" title="Rigveda">Rigveda</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaveda" title="Samaveda">Samaveda</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yajurveda" title="Yajurveda">Yajurveda</a>).</p> <p>According to Hindu philosophy(see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukya_Upanishad" title="Mandukya Upanishad">Mandukya Upanishad</a>), the letter A represents creation, when all existence issued forth from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma" title="Brahma">Brahma</a>'s golden nucleus; the letter U refers to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu" title="Vishnu">Vishnu</a> the god of the middle who preserves this world by balancing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma" title="Brahma">Brahma</a> on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus" title="Lotus">lotus</a> above himself, and the letter M symbolizes the final part of the cycle of existence, when Vishnu falls asleep and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva" title="Shiva">Shiva</a> has to breathe in so that all existing things have to disintegrate and are reduced to their essence to him. More broadly, Aum is said to be the primordial sound that was present at the creation of the universe. It is said to be the original sound that contains all other sounds, all words, all languages and all mantras.</p> <p><a name="Dvaita" id="Dvaita"></a></p> <h4><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Dvaita</span></h4> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnava" class="mw-redirect" title="Vaishnava">Vaishnava</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvaita" title="Dvaita">Dvaita</a> philosophies teach that 'Aum' is an impersonal sound representation of Vishnu/Krishna while Hari Nama is the personal sound representation. A represents <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna" title="Krishna">Krishna</a>, U Srimati <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radharani" class="mw-redirect" title="Radharani">Radharani</a> and M <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiva" title="Jiva">jivas</a>. According to Sridhara Svami the pranava has five parts: A, U, M, the nasal bindu and the reverberation (nada). Liberated souls meditate on the Lord at the end of that reverberation. For both Hindus and Buddhists this syllable is sacred and so laden with spiritual energy that it may only be pronounced with complete concentration.</p> <p><a name="Advaita" id="Advaita"></a></p> <h4><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Advaita</span></h4> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Temple_elephant_2.jpg" class="image" title="Aum symbol on the Temple elephant's forehead"><img alt="Aum symbol on the Temple elephant's forehead" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Temple_elephant_2.jpg/180px-Temple_elephant_2.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="252" width="180" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Temple_elephant_2.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> Aum symbol on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_elephant" title="Temple elephant">Temple elephant</a>'s forehead</div> </div> </div> <p>In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita" class="mw-redirect" title="Advaita">Advaita</a> philosophy it is frequently used to represent three subsumed into one, a common theme in Hinduism. It implies that our current existence is <i>mithyā</i> and <i>maya</i>, "falsehood", that in order to know the full truth we must comprehend beyond the body and intellect the true nature of infinity. Essentially, upon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha" title="Moksha">moksha</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukti" class="mw-redirect" title="Mukti">mukti</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Samadhi">samadhi</a>) one is able not only to see or know existence for what it is, but to become it. When one gains true knowledge, there is no split between knower and known: one becomes knowledge/consciousness itself. In essence, <i>Aum</i> is the signifier of the ultimate truth that all is one.</p> <p>Examples of Three into One:</p> <ul><li>Creation (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma_%28god%29" class="mw-redirect" title="Brahma (god)">Brahma</a>)- Preservation (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu" title="Vishnu">Vishnu</a>)- Destruction (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva" title="Shiva">Shiva</a>) into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman" title="Brahman">Brahman</a></li><li>Waking- Dreaming- Dreamless Sleep into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turiya" title="Turiya">Turiya</a> (transcendental fourth state of consciousness)</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajas" title="Rajas">Rajas</a> (activity, heat, fire) - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamas_%28philosophy%29" title="Tamas (philosophy)">Tamas</a> (dullness, ignorance, darkness) - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sattva" title="Sattva">Sattva</a> (purity, light, serenity/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanti" title="Shanti">shanti</a>) into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman" title="Brahman">Brahman</a></li><li>Body, Speech and Mind into Oneness</li></ul> <p><a name="In_proper_names" id="In_proper_names"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">In proper names</span></h3> <p>When <i>Aum</i> is a part of a place name (for example <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omkareshwar" title="Omkareshwar">Omkareshwar</a>), or is used as a man's name, it is spelled phonetically using ordinary letters of whatever Indian alphabet is used in the area. The adherents of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arya_Samaj" title="Arya Samaj">Arya Samaj</a> always use the ordinary letters अ, ऊ and म to write Aum.</p> <p><a name="In_Jainism" id="In_Jainism"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">In Jainism</span></h2> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jainaum.JPG" class="image" title="This is how the Jain om is depicted in Jain scriptures"><img alt="This is how the Jain om is depicted in Jain scriptures" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3c/Jainaum.JPG/180px-Jainaum.JPG" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="169" width="180" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jainaum.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="" height="11" width="15" /></a></div> This is how the Jain om is depicted in Jain scriptures</div> </div> </div> <p>In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism" title="Jainism">Jainism</a>, Aum is regarded to be a condensed form of reference to the five <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parameshthi" class="mw-redirect" title="Parameshthi">parameshthis</a>, by their initials <i>A+A+A+U+M</i> (<i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">o<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluti" title="Pluti">3</a></span><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">m</span></i>). The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravyasamgrah" class="mw-redirect" title="Dravyasamgrah">Dravyasamgrah</a> quotes a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prakrit" title="Prakrit">Prakrit</a> line:</p> <dl><dd><span lang="sa" lang="sa">ओम एकाक्षर पञ्चपरमेष्ठिनामादिपम् तत्कथमिति चेत "अरिहंता असरीरा आयरिया तह उवज्झाया मुणियां"</span></dd><dd><i><span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">oma ekākṣara pañca-parameṣṭhi-nāmā-dipam tatkabhamiti ceta "arihatā asarīrā āyariyā taha uvajjhāyā muṇiyā"</span></i></dd><dd>"Aum" is one <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshara" title="Akshara">syllable</a> made from the initials of the five parameshthis. It has been said: "Arihanta, Ashiri, Acharya, Upadhyaya, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muni" title="Muni">Muni</a>" .</dd></dl> <p>Thus, <span lang="sa" lang="sa">ओं नमः</span> (<span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="sa-Latn" lang="sa-Latn">oṃ namaḥ</span>) is a short form of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navkar_Mantra" class="mw-redirect" title="Navkar Mantra">Navkar Mantra</a>.</p> <p><a name="In_Buddhism" id="In_Buddhism"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">In Buddhism</span></h2> <p>Buddhists place om at the beginning of their <i>Vidya-Sadaksari</i> or mystical formulary in six syllables (viz., <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum" title="Om mani padme hum">om mani padme hum</a>) As a seed syllable (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bija" class="mw-redirect" title="Bija">bija</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra" title="Mantra">mantra</a></i>), it is also considered holy in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric_Buddhism" class="mw-redirect" title="Esoteric Buddhism">Esoteric Buddhism</a>.</p> <p>With <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism" title="Buddhism">Buddhism</a>'s evolution and breaking away from Vedic/Hindu tradition, Aum and other symbology/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology" title="Cosmology">cosmology</a>/philosophies are shared with the Hindu tradition. This character often appeared as "<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%94%B5" class="extiw" title="wikt:唵">唵</a>" in Buddhist scripts in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia" title="East Asia">East Asia</a>.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><a name="See_also" id="See_also"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">See also</span></h2> <ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukya_Upanishad" title="Mandukya Upanishad">Mandukya Upanishad</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranava_yoga" title="Pranava yoga">Pranava yoga</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_symbolism" title="Sound symbolism">Sound symbolism</a></li></ul>Naresh Kadyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08419516306288297445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-600384249289815646.post-13397169709044825532008-02-23T14:53:00.000-08:002008-02-23T14:54:16.190-08:00<a href="http://www.aumpage.net/images/aum_ani.gif">http://www.aumpage.net/images/aum_ani.gif</a>Naresh Kadyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08419516306288297445noreply@blogger.com0