Aum Om ॐ

Aum (Om) ॐ chanted x3 times Oṃ, Devanagari: ॐ, Kannada: ಓಂ, Tamil: ௐ, Malayalam: ഓം, Telugu: ఓం, Bengali: ওঁ, Odia : ଓଁ or ଓ‍ଁ ), also written as Aum, is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The Om (Brahman) The Universal Soul "God" symbol in Devanagari The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions. The syllable Om is also referred to as onkara (ओङ्कार, oṅkāra), omkara (ओंकार, oṃkāra) and pranava (प्रणव, praṇava). It is the most sacred syllable symbol and mantra of Brahman, the Almighty God in Hinduism. Brahman is Supreme Self, Ultimate Reality, Creator of all Existence. The syllable is often chanted either independently or before a mantra;it signifies the essence of the ultimate reality, consciousness or Atma. The Om sound is the primordial sound and is called the Shabda-Brahman (Brahman as sound). In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual sounds. It refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga. Om came to be used as a standard utterance at the beginning of mantras, chants or citations taken from the Vedas. For example, the Gayatri mantra, which consists of a verse from the Rigveda Samhita (RV 3.62.10), is prefixed not just by Om but by Om followed by the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. Such recitations continue to be in use in Hinduism, with many major incantations and ceremonial functions beginning and ending with Om. Maheshwarananda (2002) suggests that the Om reflects the cosmological beliefs in Hinduism, as the primordial sound associated with the creation of universe from nothing. The syllable "Om" is described with various meanings in the Upanishads. Descriptions include "the sacred sound, the Yes!, the Vedas, the Udgitha (song of the universe), the infinite, the all encompassing, the whole world, the truth, the ultimate reality, the finest essence, the cause of the Universe, the essence of life, the Brahman, the Atman, the vehicle of deepest knowledge, and Self-knowledge". In The Bhagavad Gita, the Epic Mahabharata, Krishna directly states that He is Om. The Bhagavad Gita further mentions the meaning and significance of Om in several verses. For example, Fowler notes that verse 9.17 of the Bhagavad Gita synthesizes the competing dualistic and monist streams of thought in Hinduism, by using "Om which is the symbol for the indescribable, impersonal Brahman". I am the Father of this world, Mother, Ordainer, Grandfather, the Thing to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Om, Rik, Saman and also Yajus. — Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 9.17 The significance of the sacred syllable in the Hindu traditions, is similarly highlighted in various of its verses, such as verse 17.24 where the importance of Om during prayers, charity and meditative practices is explained as follows, Therefore, uttering Om, the acts of yagna (fire ritual), dāna (charity) and tapas (austerity) as enjoined in the scriptures, are always begun by those who study the Brahman. — Bhagavad Gita 17.24, Yoga Sutra The aphoristic verse 1.27 of Pantanjali's Yogasutra links Om to Yoga practice, as follows, तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥२७॥ His word is Om. — Yogasutra 1.27 Jaya Siva Omkara