Meaning of Om and the Significance of chanting Om

The mystic word Om(Aum) is very ancient and the most sacred.

It is Anahad- the infinite sound.

“Ahad” Naad(Naad means sound) is the one which is produced by striking of two objects. All the sounds that we hear is “Ahad” sound. Anahad Naad is the sound which is never produced. It has no beginning and no end. It has dawned from silence. It is the sound of one hand clapping. It is the sound of the cosmos and of the entire creation, the sound of the universe. It can only be heard within in a state of inner silence, complete mental tranquility and in the state of Samadhi.

That sound is Om. The saints when they went deep into meditation, in a state of Samadhi, they heard Om.

The meaning of Om is very subtle, it is the essence of the entire creation. It is indescribable, yet it had to be explained so the word Om came out of compulsion.

The word Om prevails in many religions. The forms vary though, however, Om is the confluence of all the religions. Om, Amen and Ahamin are all similar. They represent the eternal truth of One Existence. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” text from the Bible.

Also, there is a beautiful verse in the Sikh scripture: Guru Granth Sahib, which appears in the beginning: ‘Ek Omkar Sat Naam, Karta Purakh’ which means “There is only one Truth and that is the name “Omkar” which is “Om” and from this everything was created.”

“Om” is the basis of all creation. All sounds have emanated from it. Everything has emerged from, exists in and will dissolve in Om. One can only try to explain about the creation, how the creation manifested. Brahman(Pure Supreme Consciousness) was one and non – dual. Then a desire arose: “Ekohum bahusyam”, I am one, let me become many. That caused a movement, eventually bringing in sounds, and that sound was Om. Then from it arose all other manifestations. Thus, Om is the basis for all creation. Brahman is unfathomable, and the nearest approach to understand it is through sound. If one understands Om, one has understood everything.

Om has been stated and discussed in many Upanishads and the whole Mandukya Upanishad talks about Om. In Hindu philosophy, Om is the greatest of all Mantras that is why it is called as the Maha Mantra. Patanjali who wrote the yoga sutras, does not sign as “Patanjali”. He signs it as “Om”. Om is the basis of Yoga. In Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Sage Patanjali says that “God” can be represented by the sound of “Om”. And if this mantra is repeated with remembrance of its meaning, and while feeling the deep meaning of it, one realises the Self and can remove all the obstacles in the path of self-realisation. Further, in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states: Among words, I am Om which implies Om is God and God is Om. Om represents the Brahman or the one supreme pure consciousness. Further in 8.13, Sri Krishna states that One who leaves the body thinking of me, and chanting the sacred syllable Om, representing the formless aspect of God, will attain liberation, the ultimate supreme goal.

Benefits of Chanting OM

The word Om is made of three syllables- “a”, “u”, and “m”. The syllables A, U, M covers the entire spread of sound vibrations and these three syllables a-u-m is also symbolic of the three major Hindu deities.

When we chant “a” the sensation is felt at the abdominal region. The “a” represents “Brahma” who is The Creator. Creation happens in this region of the body. Baby is developed, and food is converted and generated as energy at this area of the body.

When we chant “u” the sensation is felt at the chest area. The “u” represents “Vishnu” who is the preserver. All the organs in the chest area are the maintainers of the body. The heart, lungs, etc, they all preserve the body and sustain them.

When we chant “m” the sensation is felt at the head region. The “m” represents the Shiva who is the transformer. The brain transforms the thoughts into actions.

Everyone of us has these three kinds of energy. Some of us are very creative meaning the Brahma energy dominates. Some are good at maintaining things, the Vishnu energy dominates in them. Some are good problem solvers, they can transform situations around, they have Shiva energy dominant in them. Chanting Om regularly develops all these three energies in us, enhancing our skills in all the fields of life. All these three syllables vibrate at different parts of the body. When we chant “Om” regularly, it prepares us to enter into a state of inner silence from where the Anahad Om can be heard within.

According to a research done in 2010 in America, it was found that the frequency of sound Om is the same as the frequency of earth’s rotation around its axis. By chanting Om, one can reach the Self and get closer to the one ultimate truth, that one existence and become one with the whole creation.

Chanting Om has other manifold effects. It makes the mind one-pointed, concentrated, tranquil, and conducive to meditation. Chanting Om even relaxes the physical body, relaxes one mentally, emotionally and even charges around the atmosphere with peace and positivity.

Om is the eternal sound which is there in the universe all the time.

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