Shared Wisdom

THE MANTRA OM

Ian Langdon

One of the typical elements to be found in a Western Yoga class today, aside from the practice of asana, is chanting the mantra OM. But what is the purpose of this, and what are we to gain from its practice? What relevance does it have to the average practitioner of Yoga in the West today?

From the very first class of Yoga taken by a complete beginner, who may have no real idea of what Yoga is or of its ancient Eastern lineage, there is a good chance that they will be invited to finish the session by chanting the mantra OM. But what is he or she to make of this invitation? They will almost certainly have heard of this sound before and will know that they are supposed to do something with their hands and sit cross-legged, but beyond that very little.

Indeed the experienced and intermediate student, who has passed the stage of feeling uncomfortable at being asked to vocalise this exotic sound in front of a group of strangers, may have been using the mantra for some time without fully knowing why or for what purpose.

What are the origins of this mantra and what does it mean? Why is it chanted and what are reasons behind its widespread usage?

The Origins of OM

OM appears to be from the Vedic tradition of India (1500 – 500 BC), which was the precursor of the Hindu faith. The first documented evidence of the word is to be found in the Upanishads (Hindu Holy Scriptures), the earliest of which are said to be Vedic in origin. Indian scholars claim that prior to the written records of the Vedas there was a long oral tradition whereby the teachings would be passed down from Guru to student. It is therefore not possible to know exactly when OM came into usage, many Hindus believe the Vedas have existed since the beginning of creation.

The Meaning of the Symbol OM

The symbol for OM is made up of three joined curves, one semicircle and a dot. Each of these elements has a symbolic meaning. The large lower curve (A) represents the waking state of man, consciousness, in which he is interacting with the material world through the use of his senses. Being larger than the other curves, the size denotes that this is the most common state of human consciousness. The upper left curve (B) represents the state of deep dreamless sleep or the subconscious state. In this state the sleeper requires nothing; they are without desire. The third curve (C) emits from the juncture of the other two curves, and being between the waking and sleeping states represents the dream state, unconsciousness. These three states comprise the whole of human consciousness and therefore the physical world, as we know it.

The dot represents the fourth state of consciousness known as turiya, or absolute consciousness, which is the ultimate aim of all spiritual endeavours. The semicircle separates the dot from the other three curves and therefore represents Maya, that which prevents us from achieving the fourth state of consciousness. The openness of the top of the semicircle demonstrates that turiya, the absolute, is not affected by Maya. The totality the symbol illustrates the manifest and unmanifest worlds and the obstacle, which lies between the two.

The Sacred Sound of Om

In pronouncing OM it is said that we encapsulate all sounds that the human throat is capable of producing, and therefore all letters of all alphabets, a totality of sound.

When OM is pronounced correctly, it can be seen to be made up of three different sounds, which can be represented by writing the mantra as AUM. In pronouncing the word AUM the mouth moves from an open state through to being closed. The “A” sound begins at the back of the throat and should be felt in the abdominal naval region of the body. As the lips move closer together, the “A” sound is tempered into a “U” sound which should resonate in the chest area. Finally as the lips come together the sound becomes “M” and is felt reverberating in the cranial region.

Each part of AUM can again be seen to represent the three states of consciousness as before. The “A” sound is the waking conscious state; the “M” sound the subconscious deep sleep state, and the “U” in between the two representing the unconscious dream state. The wordless silence, which follows every repetition of OM, can be taken as the perfect state of turiya or the fourth state of consciousness, being as it is unknowable through our physical sense organs.

The mantra is representative of all four states of consciousness and therefore representative of everything, the universe and the whole of existence. In today’s science of Quantum Physics, scientists affirm that all matter is made up of atomic and sub-atomic particles, and that all matter is energy vibrating at different rates. Therefore the whole of the universe could be seen to be made of simple vibration. AUM is said to be the sound of the creation itself, the vibration that gave birth to the universe as we know it. The Upanishads state that OM is God in the form of sound, the sound of primordial creation. As a parallel in the science of today we could equate OM with the Big Bang theory, which asserts that the universe came into being instantaneously from an ultra hot and dense point of singularity. In Hindu philosophy it states that all of creation came into being from the golden nucleus of Brahma, and this is again represented in the mantra OM.  The Hindu Holy Trinity (Dharma) is made up of three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva whom represent the cycle of life.

·       Brahma - Creation

·       Vishnu - Preservation

·       Shiva – Destruction

The three letters of AUM each stand for one aspect of the trinity and so again the symbolic relevance of OM in describing the totality of existence becomes apparent. The cycle of birth, life and death continues and is contained within the one absolute unchanging truth, which the mantra, when seen as a whole, conveys.

Usage of the Mantra OM

Traditionally a student follows a spiritual path such as Yoga under the guidance of a master or guru. When that path contains an element of meditation practice, the student is often instructed in the use of mantra as a means of assisting in achieving a meditative state. The mantra is passed on from guru to student orally and only when the student is deemed ready to receive it, this esoteric treatment of mantra in the past has I believe lead to the widespread usage of the mantra OM. The increased interest in Eastern religion and Yoga in the West has lead inevitably to a greater interest in Meditation. Because of the incompatibility of the guru / student system with the Western lifestyle, which requires that students live in solitude with their master for perhaps years on end, few people are able to receive a mantra in the traditional way. For that reason, OM is seen as a practical solution to anyone seeking an authentic mantra in his or her personal meditation practice, regardless of the particular spiritual path they are on.

The purpose of a mantra is to help the mind concentrate on one single point of focus in order to enter a meditative state; therefore it is fair to say that mantras are tools to aid meditation. The purpose of meditation is to ultimately “self-realise” or achieve “Enlightenment” which may or may not come after many years of diligent Yogic and meditation practices.  The Upanishads convey the importance of OM in reaching Enlightenment as follows:

"Let Om be the bow, mind the arrow, and Higher Consciousness the target.
Those who want enlightenment should reflect on the sound and the meaning of Om. When the arrow is released from the bow it goes straight to the target."

Dhyana Bindu Upanishad

Contained within this small but powerful word are the means by which to Self-realise. It can be considered a guide to the aspirant Yogi, a constant reminder of the journey that they have set out to undertake and also the directions by which they can get to their desired destination.

But what relevance then does chanting OM have to the casual or inexperienced Yogi at the conclusion of an hour-long asana class? The answer can only be very little. They can have no real idea of the magnitude of meaning contained within the word, nor can the concept be related easily to them without there having been some exposure to the concepts of Yoga over a period of time. What the mantra can do, is bestow a certain amount of perceived authenticity on a practice to students who are seeking a little more than an hour of aerobic exercise once a week. The feeling that they are participating in something authentic, something with a spiritual emphasis, may be enough to ignite the fire of enquiry within them, which may in turn lead them to deepen their practice in some way.

In the short term chanting can have a unifying effect on a disparate group of people who come together just once a week to practice asana. Prolonged chanting can therefore affect a groups dynamic, participants can feel themselves becoming more centred, breathing rates can be synchronised and, to an extent, heart rates. Perhaps based on the points mentioned above the mantra would be better employed at the beginning of an asana session rather than at closure as a means by which to seal students into a “Yoga bubble” for the duration of the practice.

Whatever level of interest or involvement a person may have in Yoga or spiritual matters, it would seem that the mantra OM has enough practical and symbolic applications to fit the bill. Contained within this small word is more than enough information to guide the dedicated student through a lifetime of spiritual seeking.