Mantras - OM

Importance of Om at the beginning of all Mantras

The power and importance of om ॐ is not understood in its proper perspective. It is important that supreme value of this akṣara (अक्षर) om ॐ understood in its proper perspective. In the first place, ॐ is the connecting factor between a mantra, the practitioner and Brahman. Why ॐ is accepted as akṣara? Because Vedas say so and Upaniṣad-s explain this further. This is how it is explained in Vāc (pp 15). “It is likely that the syllable ॐ, the initiator, was also, as early as Brāhmaṇa-s (Brāhmaṇa-s are explained as rules for the employment of the mantras or hymns at various sacrifices, with detailed explanations of their origin and meaning), the continuous humming sound it will become at a later date in the Upaniṣad-s. Though imperceptible, it would underlay the whole ceremony ……”

Rig Veda (I.164.39) subtly refers to ॐ. This verse says, “The Supreme Lord is omnipresent like space and eternal like his word… {word here is explained as ‘upon which akṣara, the indestructible syllable, the supreme position (parame vyoman) of all the gods (viśvedevāḥ} taking their seats}…..the one who understands this comes close to Him and those who do know this cannot reach Him.” In another context it is said, “Somehow it happened that he could not take the essence from one syllable (ॐ); just of ॐ. This syllable (ॐ) became this speech and this speech namely ॐ became the essence of breath……”

The above Vedic references go to prove the importance of ॐ and based on this, Kulārṇava Tantra (XV.56) says, “A mantra in its beginning entails the impurity of birth and at the end of impurity of death. Associated with these two impurities, a mantra does not fructify (impurities are explained as not prefixing and suffixing ॐ).

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (I.viii.1) says, “om iti brahma; om iti sarvam; …..” which clearly says that there is no difference between ॐ and Brahman and this statement is further emphasized by the next verse which is says ॐ is everything (omnipresent). This goes to prove that without ॐ, Brahman cannot be attained. All of us know that the very purpose of Mahāṣoḍaśi Mantra is only liberation (Ṣoḍaśī kevalṁ mokṣa sādhanam – Ṣoḍaśī is meant only for liberation).

Praśna Upaniṣad (V.6 and 7)) says, “He who meditates on three letters of AUM (ॐ) separately will end up being subject to death. But if they are taken together, this meditation is rightly done……If you are able to meditate on that deity in the right manner, you will know the real meaning of ॐ and once you know the meaning, you go far beyond. If you meditate on ॐ as Brahman, it takes you to the higher worlds. It is again through ॐ that you attain the state of peace and fearlessness and you overcome age. You attain immortality and become one with Brahman.” (Please compare this with the last line of the previous paragraph).

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.ii.16) says, “ॐ is Brahman with attributes and also without attributes. He knows this ॐ can get whatever he wishes.” It must be remembered that Brahman without attributes is Śiva and Brahman with attributes is Śakti. There are subsequent verses also to explain this in Kaṭha Upaniṣad.

Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (1) begins with by saying, “ॐ is this phenomenal world. To make this clear, it is the past, the present and future. All this is nothing but ॐ. If there is anything beyond this, that too is ॐ.”

It is also that ॐ is the root mantra out of which all other mantra arise. It is clear that without ॐ in the beginning of any mantra, rest of the bījākṣara-s of a mantra will not have any power. Further ॐ is also compared to prāṇa (vital air; our inhalation and exhalation). Without prāṇa how can we sustain and similarly how can a mantra work without ॐ in the beginning?

There are quotations from Śivapurāṇa. It says, “ॐ, known as praṇava is so called because it is the ideal guide to liberation (mokṣa), by eliminating karma of those who recite and worship it……” There are innumerable references to ॐ and its importance towards attaining liberation. All mantras are practiced for two purposes. One is for realizing the Self and the ultimate purpose is to attain liberation. The latter always succeeds the former and this is the pinnacle of our spiritual journey.

Patañjali in his Yoga sūtra-s (I.27) says, “tasya vācakah praṇavaḥ”. This means that there is no difference between ॐ and Śiva and we know that Śiva is the one who can give liberation and not Śakti, who is only Śiva-jñāna-pradāyinī (Lalitā Sahasranāma 727). This interpretation is reproduced below for easy reference.

“She imparts the knowledge of Śiva, the Ultimate.  Śiva jñāna (knowledge) means the knowledge of the Brahman, which is also known as the Supreme knowledge.  To know Śiva, one should first know His Śaktī, who alone is capable of leading a person to the Brahman or Śiva.  Rāmāyaṇa says ‘wind can be realized through movements, fire can be realised through heat and Śiva can be realized only through Śaktī.’ It can also be said that Śiva is the source of knowledge for Her.

It is said śaṁkaraṁ caitanyam which means that Śiva is both jñāna and kriyā.  He is the sovereign, pure free will in knowledge and action.  Based upon this principle, Śiva Sūtra-s opens by saying caitanyamātmā.  Caitanyam means consciousness of the highest purity and knowledge.  There is no difference between Brahman and the highest form of consciousness.  But how Śaktī alone is capable of unravelling Śiva?  This is answered by Śiva Sūtra (I.6) again which says that by meditating on Śaktī, the universe disappears as a separate entity thereby unveiling Self illuminating Śiva.  The process of such happening is described in Spanda Kārikā (I.8) (another treatise of Kashmiri Saivism) which says ‘the empirical individual cannot ward off the urge of desires.  But entering the energetic circle of the Self (Śiva), he becomes equal to that Self.’ The seeker of Śiva becomes Śiva himself.  This is known as Śiva jñāna and She imparts this kind of Supreme knowledge.

It is also said that Śiva cannot be attained without first realising Śaktī. She alone can lead one to Śiva. Śiva is inaccessible directly. Unless She chooses to impart the required Supreme knowledge, none can realise Śiva. Hence, She is called Śiva-jñāna-pradāyinī.”

Thus there are very strong, authentic and proven evidences to prove that ॐ is the cause of any mantra and if ॐ is not prefixed to any mantra, the mantra becomes ineffective. And if we go with Kulārṇava Tantra and various Upaniṣad-s cited above, one can understand the importance of ॐ and its presence at the beginning of any mantras. If this is not done, then the mantra will not fructify.

To conclude, we must understand that purpose of any mantra is only to get liberation. There is no point in arguing whether ॐ is to be prefixed or not. This has been explained with help of various sources in this particular article. My Guruji told me that without ॐ, mantra will never be fructified. If we place ॐ in the beginning, I have observed that one is able to reach the highest spiritual level within six months. If prefixing ॐ is a mistake, these men and women would not have attained this highest spiritual level. What is important is the goal and our goal is liberation. I am of the opinion that ॐ should be prefixed to all mantras without fail. If this is not followed, then anyone could be wasting his or her precious life in performing fruitless sādhana. Even after this detailed explanation, if doubts still persist, nothing else can be done. Beyond this point, it is not right on my part to comment on this issue and hence, I close this issue with this article.

After having discussed about the importance of praṇava (ॐ) at the beginning of all mantras, we will now proceed to discuss why ॐ is so important. ॐ consists of three alphabets and nāda and bindu. Thus om has five components a, u, m, nāda and bindu. Tirumūlar is one of the ancient sages and he had composed Tirumantiram which consists of 3047 Tamil verses. In verse 2035 he has referred om subtly. On the grosser side, this verse means namaḥśivāya, Shiva pañcākṣara mantra. But on the subtler side, this verse refers to om. The verse says that everything is sublimated by om; if om is meditated upon (using it as a mantra), it causes trance, leading to liberation and those who do this are truly blessed.

Tirumūlar has confirmed these through four other verses beginning from 2675 to 2678. In 2676 he says that om is Shiva and om is Shakti as well. Shiva, because of its subtle nature; and Shakti because of its power of manifestation from subtle to gross (Prakāśa and Vimarśa). In 2677 he says that om is Brahman, who is formless (nirguṇa Brahman), it encompasses infinity and diversity, and om alone gives liberation. Everything originates from om and dissolves unto om. In the next verse he says that five principle elements (ākaśa, air, fire, water and earth) originated from om, the entire creation originated from om (because om is Brahman), three types of creations originated from om (three types of creations/ jīva-s are bound, liberated and eternal; there are other interpretations for three types of jīva-s; sakala, pralayākala and vijñānākala) and om represents the union of individual self with the Supreme Self. In 2688, he says om comprises of a, u and m and this alone causes Bliss, Divine Grace, creation, expansion, substratum and everything else. The wise fully realising this, repeat om and get liberated.

Dhyānabindu Upaniṣad explains om like this. “One has to transcend nāda and bindu of om and reach the ultimate state of “akṣara”, where all sounds are absorbed, that is the state of Liberation. The one who understands om reaches the state of ‘pūrṇtvam’ (completeness, the state of complete knowledge, the state of doubtlessness).  The one who does not realize the essence of om, can never become a yogi. The essence of om is explained as the inherent oil in sesame seeds and the smell of flowers. Presence of oil cannot be realized unless the oil is extracted and on the contrary, the smell of the flowers is always felt. The Upaniṣad says that om is both gross and subtle. Om is bow; individual soul is arrow and the Brahman (the destination) is the aim. This subtly conveys Self-realization.” Upaniṣad goes on explaining about the importance of om.

Now let us analyse what Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad says in detail about om. “This Self is in the form of letters and it is om. It is in the form of adhimātraṁ (in the form of mātrā  or letters). These letters are a, u and m which corresponds to three states of consciousness, active, dream and deep sleep states. Nāda and bindu are the states of turya (realization of the Self) and turyātīta (merging into Brahman - Liberation). Om is the beginning, the middle and the end of everything and the one, who knows this reality, knows Brahman. Brahman is the Self, witnessing all our actions. The wise who understands this reality is not troubled by dyads i.e., pleasure and pain etc., and he transcends all dualities. He alone is liberated.”

Amṛtanāda Upaniṣad says that praṇava (om) is not to be pronounced, it is neither a vowel nor a consonant. It is akṣara, the indestructible (kṣara means perishable) and omnipresent. It is both subtle and gross, like Brahman and His manifestations. Hence om is called akṣara (imperishable).

Vedas originate from om. Om should not be recited with svara. Svara-s are of seven types and they are niṣāda, ṛṣabha, gāndhāra, ṣaḍja, madhyama, dhaivata and pañcama as it is beyond svara. It is beyond everything. It is the source of origin and absorption. It is imperishable. Many times, om is grossly mentioned and rarely it is subtly mentioned. Any mantra or Vedic recitations should begin only with om and end with om. It is said, “If anybody says that the om is the only sound symbol, with nothing else being suitable, he is wrong”. That is why Patañjali did not use om, and instead he said ‘tasya vācakah praṇavaḥ’.

This article is not in response to the comments made on the previous part, but only to elucidate the utmost importance of om. Someone distastefully commented and asked: “Which lineage adds it? Show me?” I respectfully submit to them that it is not my job to look into what others teach or follow. I follow and teach what my Guruji taught.

Understanding Om

Let us understand what OM is. OM comprises of three Sanskrit alphabets Ah, U, Ma and a bindu. It is called Ahkara, Ukara Makara Bindu samyuktham i.e. OM is made up of these three letters with a dot above Ma, which is called bindhu. We should pronounce OM beginning from our naval area which is called muladhara chakra. So Ah starts from the naval chakra. U should be joined with Ah at heart chakra or anahat chakra. Ma should be joined with Ah and U at the mouth which is called vishudhi chakra. Bindu should be joined in the area of eye brows or ajna chakra. At ajna chakra OM takes its complete form and from here it moves to the top of the head or crown chakra and merges with akash or ether. From ajna chakra to the crown chakra there are a number of chakras in between, which we will discuss later during kundalini meditation. OM has been referred as Brahman by various Upanishads. In Katha Upanishad Yama, the God of death says that OM is indestructible Brahman.

 

Yama also says that OM is both with attributes and without attributes (prakasha and vimarsha). Chandogya Upanishad says that OM is uthgitam. Uthghitam means chanting aloud. When a singer sings it is called uthghitam. This Upanishad also says that OM is paramatman or the universal consciousness. Nasikyam pranam udgitam upasancakrire says Chandogya, which means that OM is worshiped by Gods as the vital force in the nose. This is the reason that third eye or ajna chakra is given great importance. Om ithi Brahma, Om ithi sarvam says Taittiriya Upanishad. OM is Brahman and OM is everything says this Upanishad. It also says that OM implies assent. This is the reason why all mantras begin with OM. Mandukya Upanishad begins with OM iti etat aksharam idam sarvam meaning OM is everything. This Upanishad further says that OM being everything, it is past, present and future. If something can be conceived beyond OM it can only be OM. We have so far seen that OM or Omkara is indestructible Brahman, it is worshipped by even Gods and OM does not have time concept and it is everything. There is nothing beyond OM. The OM meditation lays a strong foundation towards self realization.

 

Evolution of Sound 

Shiva created Shakthi. From Shakthi emerges nada. Nada in its primitive stage is called nadanta. Nada can be interpreted as resonance and subtle in nature. When you practice kundalini yoga this nada is perceptible. It is only perceptible and cannot be heard. The force with which kundalini ascents causes vibration and the sound of this vibration is perceived. This nada with intention to create shabdhabrahman is called unmana or the supramental Shakthi. This supramental energy is the origin of OM or pranava. This supramental energy is going to manifest as the universe. Nada then becomes nirodhini. Nirodhini infuses potency to mantras. When you chant mantra by using your mind alone and without using the sense organ of speech, the mantra will have more potency. This is the reason why you are advised to chant japa mantras without making sound. Shiva – Shakthi – nadanta – nada – nirodhini manifest one after another and takes the form of a bindu. Bindu can be interpreted as a dot. This dot is highly energized and is capable of providing energy all-round, as it has no upper side or lower side or any sides. Can you say that ozone layer is above the earth or below the earth? The ozone layer is engulfing the earth as a sheath. So we cannot say that ozone is on the left side of the earth or the side of the earth or above the earth or below the earth. Compare the dot to earth and you will know. This bindu is a highly concentrated form of energy that has not yet been manifested. Bindu got energized by supramental Shakthi at nirodhini. This bindu is just not a phonic energy, but also radiating. It is radiating because it originated from the Absolute form. This when travelling through our spinal cord as part of kundalini energy makes sound and light which can be perceived by the meditator. This bindu, due to its extreme energy swells and bloats, then bursts and divides into three bindus. This can be compared to a balloon exploding when more air is let in.

These three bindus together form a triangle. This triangle and bindu are discussed in the worship of Srichakra. These bindus are called pashyanti, madhyama and vaikari, the three planes of speech. These three bindus are also manifested as iccha shakthi, jnana shakthi and kriya shakthi, the trio that become responsible for all our activities. In tantra sastra these highly energized bindus are calledVama, Jyeshta and Raudri. Vama represents those who seek worldly pleasures, Jyeshta represents those who seek knowledge and Raudri helps those who seek knowledge of the divine by destroying their karmic account. The sound at this stage is impregnated, but not ready for delivery. Till this stage the sound is only perceived and not delivered or heard. Shakthi in the form of kundalini energizes these bindus also. After deriving sufficient energy these bindus transform into the mother of aksharas called matrka. Matrka means mother of phonemes or alphabets. Now this mother delivers her children called kalas. These kalas are sixteen in number. The first fifteen kalas are vowels. There are fifteen vowels in Sanskrit. The Sixteenth kala is called visarga. This sixteenth kala becomes the root for consonants. In the process of delivery, friction is caused in our throat area and sound is delivered in decipherable form. Now the sound is heard.

Origin of Sound

 

We have been repeatedly talking about prakasha and vimarsha forms. We only know that prakasha form represent Shiva and vimarsha form represent Shakthi. Shiva or prakasha is pure and unblemished light and Shakthi or vimarsha is the realisation of this pure light. Prakasha and vimarsha cannot be separated. There is a Sanskrit saying that word and its meaning cannot be separated; in the same way Parvathi (Shakthi) and Parameshwaran (Shiva) cannot be separated. When there is a brilliant light, you need knowledge to realise it as light. Suppose there is candle burning, and on seeing the candle with light you can say that the candle gives light. When you want to see a candle light, you need to have a lighted candle. The light and its visibility though separate, are interdependent. This is called prakasha vimarsha maya or the Absolute. Sound originates from this Absolute form.

This Absolute form is also called paravac form. In this article the usage of paravac means the Absolute form or prakasha vimarsha maya form. This paravac is primeval stage. The sound in this stage can be called as a seed that has not yet germinated. When the seed begins its germination, this stage is called pashyanthi. At this stage the seed has the desire to grow. The stem becomes visible and the seed is set to commence its journey of growth. Though we know for certain that there is going to be a tree at a future date, we do not know how the tree would be, big or small, fruit bearing or barren etc. When the seed grows to a certain height, we are able to see its leaves and we will be able to identify what type of tree that would be. This stage is called madhyama. The seed further grows, and we are able to see its flowers and fruits. We are able to recognize the nature of this seed totally now. The complete picture is available to us at this stage. This is called vakikari stage. These three stages originated from the form of the Absolute. We call this Absolute form as paravac. Para mean the highest form or the supreme form and vac means sound. Paravac means the supreme form of sound. From this para form or the seed form sound germinates, grows and yield fruits in the form of words. The result is a full word with meaning. In a human being this paravac is said to be in the form of kundalini energy situated in the muladhara chakra or base chakra. From the base chakra, the seed of the sound begins its assent, reaches manipuraka chakra or naval chakra in the form of pashyanthi , moves to heart chakra in the form madhyama and reaches throat chakra as vaikari. From the throat chakra the physical form of words are delivered. The vibration of kundalini energy is the seed of the sound. When a desire of speech arises, it manifests as shbdhabrahman at muladhara and moves up to take a physical form and delivered through throat chakra in the form of vaikari. Shabdabrahman is the Brahman in the form of sound. Like universe manifesting from the Brahman, words originate from shabdabrahman.

This is the origin of sound.