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| Culture |
| THE SYMBOL AUM |
 The
Universe began with the sound of 'Aum'. The
sound, which is termed Brahmnada, is a symbol
of the supreme Brahma. It is considered the
most powerful word-symbol used for meditation.
The Vedas are the most ancient scriptures
of the Hindus and the great Rishis who created
them, recognised Om as the symbolic representation
of the Ultimate Reality and therefore started
all the mantras with the symbol of Om. These
great seers who by complete detachment from
the world of matter, domination of the senses
and inner purification, conquering the self,
reached heights of Self-Realisation and gave
humanity the Truth, which is Dharma. These
great Rishis who performed all actions as
acts of sacrifices for the well being of humanity,
recognised the significance and power of Om.
In this way, of all the mantras, the Omkar
mantra is considered to be the most significant.
It is called the pranav mantra. Pranav means
something that pervades life or runs through
prana or breath. Just as the body depends
on prana for survival, the world depends on
the sun for its existence. Therefore, It is
the practice to worship both these through
the power of Om. The symbol stands for the
pure consciousness, which pervades the three
states of waking, dreaming and deep-sleep.
Therefore by recitation of the Omkar mantra,
all these states are purified and man's activities
at the mental, speech and action levels become
powerful and enlightened bringing peace and
well being to all.
In all religious activities and ceremonies,
as also Yajna's performed for humanity's welfare,
the recitation of the Omkar mantra will invariably
be seen. It is a one-syllable mantra but has
tremendous power. By using it in meditation
to attain inner harmony and dharma, dhyana
and samadhi, many aspirants have reached the
state of Self Realisation. Om brings the light
of knowledge on the aspirant's path of realisation.
However, one must earn the right to the use
of this holy mantra by being completely unselfish
and detached. Those who are selfish and only
desire personal fulfilment do not benefit
from this mantra. In olden days, only those
Rishis who had withdrawn from the outer world
of senses and conquered the inner enemies
like passion, anger, attachment, greed, jealousy,
etc. by proper understanding were allowed
the practice of this mantra for humanity's
welfare.
Omkar is therefore a symbol of Parabrahim.
In it is the complete essence of the divine
wisdom - which leads one from attachment to
detachment, from ignorance to knowledge, from
darkness to light. May it inspire all to the
path of Dharma and God-consciousness. |
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