WHAT IS THE SOUND OF OM ?IS THIS DESCRIPTION ESSENTIAL FOR DEEP MEDITATION ?INNER YOGA-28

24 FACTS;- 1-Om is a sacred mono-syllable. Om is the mystic letter. In Om the world rests. Om is the symbol of Brahman. Om is the word of power. Om is the soul of all souls. Om is infinity. Om is eternity. Om is immortality. Om is the source of everything. Om is the womb of all Vedas. Om is the basis of all languages. From Om proceed all sounds. In Om exist all objects. Om is the highest mantra. Om is Soham. Om is Om Tat Sat. Om is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. 2-Om is Nada Brahman. Nada is sound. Sound is vibration. Om is the first vibration of sound. Sound is the first manifestation of the Absolute. We know nothing about the nature of the Absolute except that It is. The scriptures have tried to tell us all about creation, how it proceeded from the Absolute. 3-They say: "Brahman was one and non-dual. It thought, 'Let me become many.' That caused a vibration, eventually bringing in sound, and that sound was Om, from whence arise all other manifestations." Thus sound is virtually the comprehensible basis for all creation. Brahman is incomprehensible in Its transcendent aspect. The nearest approach to It is only sound. 4-All objects are denoted by sounds, and all sounds merge in Omkara. All speech or words terminate in one sound -'Om'. The humming of bees, the sweet melody of the nightingale, the seven tunes in music, the sound of the mridanga and kettledrum, the lute and the flute, the roaring of the lion, the singing of the lover, the neighing of horses, the hissing of the cobra, the 'hu, hu' sound of invalids, the crying of the baby, the clapping of the audience - all are emanations from Omkara only. 5-The sound produced in the flowing Ganga, the sound heard in the distance from the bustle of the market, the sound produced when the flywheel of an engine is set in motion, the sound caused when it rains - it is all 'Om' only. If you split any word, you will find 'Om' there. Om is all-pervading like akasha, like Brahman. 6-Om is the basis of all sounds. Om consists of three letters, A, U, and M. A, U, M cover the whole range of sound-vibrations. The larynx and the palate are the sounding-boards. When you pronounce A, no part of the tongue or palate is touched. When you pronounce U, the sound rolls from the very root to the end of the sounding-board of the mouth. M is the last sound which is produced by closing the two lips. Therefore, all sounds are centred in Om. 7-All languages originate from Om. The essence of the four Vedas is Om only. One who chants or repeats Om really repeats the sacred books of the whole world. Om is the source or womb for all religions and scriptures. Om, Amen and Ahamin are all one. They present the truth or Brahman, the One Existence. There is no worship without Om. The world exists in Om and dissolves in Om. 8-Live in Om. Inhale and exhale in Om. Rest peacefully in Om. Take shelter in Om. Sing Om rhythmically. Chant Om loudly. Roar Om forcefully. Repeat Om mentally. Draw strength from Om. Get inspiration from Om. Imbibe bliss from Om. Rely on Om. Reflect on Om. Meditate on Om.Meditation on OM.... 9-In Indian scriptures the sacred syllable Om is the primordial sound from which all other sounds and creation emerge which signifies the Supreme Power. To explore the significance of the syllable OM from ancient texts and effects of OM meditation in contemporary science.It is considered that a person who realizes Om,merges with the Absolute. Scientific studies on Om suggest that the mental repetition of Om results in physiological alertness,and increased sensitivity to sensory transmission. 10-REFERENCES IN THE BHAGVAD GITA Bhagvad Gita describes Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna just before the great war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Om is the central element in Krishna’s exposition of spiritual life and practice, speaking from his perspective as the infinite being, enumerating his major manifestations and embodiments. 10-1-The meaning is that Om is nothing less than the supreme consciousness; so there can be nothing greater or a subject more important than Om. This is illustrated as “One who is engaged in the practice of concentration, uttering the monosyllable Om (the Brahman or consciousness) who remembers it always, he attains the supreme goal. 11-The sacred syllable Om is the primordial sound from which all other sounds and creation emerge. It underlies all phonetic creations. The utterance of Om, consisting of the three letters A, U, and M, covers the whole process of articulation. It is like the sound of a gong (a shallow bell sounded by a hammer operated electrically or mechanically) that gradually tapers to a point and merges in silence. One who attains Om, merges with the Absolute. 12-Yoga teachings consider the syllable Om to be the force behind all thoughts. Either chanting or thinking about Om is anecdotally reported to cause a quiet mental state. In Om meditation, the meditators first concentrate on a picture of Om and then mentally chant mantra Om effortlessly; this finally leads to a state devoid of effort and focusing, and is characterized by blissful awareness. 13-OM (Pranava) is a ferry-boat for men who have fallen into the never-ending ocean of mundane life. Many have crossed this ocean of Samsara with the help of this ferry-boat. We can also do so if we will meditate constantly on OM with Bhava and meaning and realise the Self. 14-OM is the only symbol for the Immortal, All-pervading Self or Atman. Think of OM to the exclusion of everything else. Shut out all mundane thoughts. They may again and again recur. Again and again generate thoughts of the pure Self. Associate ideas of purity, perfection, freedom, knowledge, immortality, eternity, infinity, etc., with OM. Repeat OM mentally. 15-Om is everything. Om is the name or symbol of God, Isvara or Brahman. OM is your real name. OM covers all the threefold experiences of man. OM stands for all the phenomenal worlds. From OM this sense-universe has been projected. 16-The world exists in OM and dissolves in OM (AUM). "A" represents the physical plane, "U" represents the mental plane and astral planes, the world of spirits, all heavens, "M" represents the deep sleep state, and all that is unknown even in your wakeful state, all that is beyond the reach of the intellect. Om represents all. OM is the basis of your life, thought and intelligence. 17-All words which denote the objects are centred in OM. Hence the world has come from OM, rests in OM and dissolves in OM.OM is the symbol of Brahman or the Supreme Being. Meditate on OM. When you think or meditate on OM, you will have to think of Brahman, the thing signified by the symbol. 18-Association with OM is to become one with the thing signified. "Tad-japas-tadartha-bhavanam." Try to identify yourself with the All-blissful Self when you think or meditate or chant OM and negate the five Kosas as illusory adjuncts created by Maya. 19-You have to take the symbol OM as Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman or Atman. This is the meaning. During meditation, you should feel that you are all purity, all light, all-pervading existence, etc. Meditate on the Self daily. Think you are different from mind and body. Feel "I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman-I am all-pervading consciousness." This is the Vedantic meditation. 20-Meditate on OM till you attain Samadhi. If your mind gets distracted by Rajas and Tamas, practise Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation) again and again. 21-"Having made one's body or the lower self, the lower fire-stick, and Pranava (OM) the upper, by the friction of continued practice of meditation one should see God (Atman) hidden within." According to -Svetasvatara Upanishad.. 22-Be in tune with the Nature's Lord. The lofty peaks of Himalaya will whisper to you the secret of life eternal. The gurgling streams around you will sing the song of Omkara to you. Fix your mind in Pranava-Dhvani and enter into sublime communion easily. Nature will reveal to you her closely guarded secrets. Take lessons from her. Feel your unity or oneness with the snow-clad peaks, the glaciers, the refreshing Himalayan breeze, the rays of the sun, the blue sky, the glittering stars, etc. 23-May we all rest in the non-dual Brahman and taste the nectar of immortality. May we all reach the fourth state of bliss (Turiya) by analysing the experiences of the waking, dream and deep sleep states. May we all have a comprehensive understanding of Omkara or Pranava and the nector (Amatra). May we all enter the soundless OM by transcending the sounds A, U and M. May we all meditate on OM and attain the goal of life, the ultimate Reality, Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. May this OM guide us. May this OM be our centre, ideal and goal. May the secret and truth of Mandukya Upanishand be upon us all . 24-The utterance of Om consisting of the three letters A, U, and M covers the whole process of articulation. This sound represents the primal vibration from which all other sounds and creation emerge. It is considered that one who attains Om, merges with the Absolute. Scientific studies on Om suggest that the mental repetition of Om results in physiological alertness, increased sensitivity as well as synchronicity of certain biorhythms, and an increased sensitivity to sensory transmission. NOTE;--The descriptions of Om have been taken from four Upanisads (Mundaka, Mandukya, Svetasvatara, and Katha), the Bhagvad Gita, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras........SHIVOHAM....