AUM

Writing about scriptures or their teaching is a double-edged sword, in an enthusiasm to take it to masses I might water it down. Today let me  try to analyze the primordial sound AUM. The most important mantra in our culture. Krishna says in Bhagavath Gita, “I am Pranava among all knowledge”. “I am the pure sound om that has to be realised. So With due respect to scriptures, gurus and paramparas I am attempting this. Pardon me for any inaccuracies. All that I am offering is a perspective.

Let’s start with a simple Excercise.  Open your mouth naturally, jaws apart and let out a sound. What sound comes? The first letter of the most languages. Now jaws closer together constrict your lips and utter a sound. Now close your mouth fully and utter a sound. Hope you got it. If not keep trying it again. With a fully open mouth, partially open mouth and fully closed mouth, we can make the sound AUM.

AUM is the very basic sound that we can make. It is the start. From here we learn to make other sounds forming letters and words. Then follows ideas, imaginations, thoughts and feelings. In this process, we keep strengthening our ego. This strengthened ego is the root cause of all our “Dukha” (Sufferings) in our life.

A spiritual person journey starts here, he travels backwards and tries to reach the state of “Bliss” (Happiness). He’s tries to loosen the grip of his ego through many methods. He learns philosophy, listenins to the teachings of the guru, reads scriptures. Some try a holistic approach like 8 fold Astanga yoga. Some try selfless service. These paths could be termed as Bakthi Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Raja yoga. All these paths will loosen our ego controls our hormones, reduces Chitha Vridhi (oscillation of mind). For many mediators or highly spiritual ppl they still travel back, they can hold on to a simple mantra or vision. They soon reach the state of Bliss. For a common person If we want a short cut to this state of Bliss we can use AUM.

Energy – Whenever I need to perform a task or accomplish something,  I utter pancharaaksharam  “Om Nama Shivaya”. Of course, everyone has their own personal god and mantra. Some even get initiated into mantra. We can follow that.

Peace – But whenever I need Peace, silence my go to mantra is “Ekaksharam”. When I need to sleep when I need my mind to stop thinking rubbish. Whenever I cannot tolerate its tantrums, my go to mantra is AUM. It is like a mother’s lap or God’s feet. There is no other safe place in this universe.

When you utter the sound AUM -Pranava mantra – the sound of the divine or divinity itself. You will soon realise there are 4 parts to it. A-U-M and Silence. If you cannot follow other practises, simply uttering “AUM” with full awareness will be enough. As AUM starts and ends with silence. It acts as a gateway to silence, in that silence, you will learn the truth (sat) merge with consciousness (chit) and experience bliss(ANANDAM). SatChitAnandam. If one understands the science behind AUM and utter it with reverence and awareness you will experience the ultimate unchanging reality called “Bramhan”.

AUM.