Om (Aum): the Sacred Sound
The meaning of Om, Hinduism's most sacred sound and symbol: its three sounds and silence, what the Upanishads and Gita say about it, and how it is used.
Om (also written Aum, and in Devanagari script ॐ) is the most sacred sound and symbol in Hinduism. It is chanted at the beginning and end of prayers, mantras and readings of scripture, and it appears on temples, shrines, jewellery and wedding invitations. Hindus regard Om as the primordial sound of creation and a sound-form of Brahman, the ultimate reality.
Om is also called the pranava, often explained as “that which is constantly renewed” or “the sacred sound”, and the omkara.
A, U, M and silence
Although it is written as one syllable, Om is traditionally analysed as three sounds: A, U and M (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u combine to form o). The short Mandukya Upanishad links each sound with a state of consciousness:
| Sound | State | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A | Waking (jagrat) | Awareness of the outer, physical world. |
| U | Dreaming (svapna) | Awareness of the inner world of the mind. |
| M | Deep sleep (sushupti) | Consciousness without objects or desires. |
| Silence after the sound | The fourth (turiya) | Pure consciousness, the Atman, which underlies all three states. |
The silence that follows the chant is considered as important as the sound itself.
The three sounds are also linked with many other triads: past, present and future; earth, atmosphere and heaven; the three Vedas of the earliest tradition; and the three deities of the Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Om in the scriptures
- The Chandogya Upanishad opens with Om, calling it the essence of all essences.
- In the Katha Upanishad (2.15), Yama, the god of death, tells the boy Nachiketa that the word all the Vedas proclaim is Om.
- The Mundaka Upanishad (2.2.4) compares Om to a bow, the self to an arrow and Brahman to the target.
- In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that he is the syllable Om among words (10.25), and that one who leaves the body while uttering Om and remembering him reaches the highest goal (8.13).
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (1.27–28) call Om the expression of Ishvara, the Lord, and recommend repeating it while reflecting on its meaning.
How Om is used
- In mantras: most Hindu mantras begin with Om, for example Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya and the Gayatri Mantra.
- In meditation: chanting Om slowly, or listening to it inwardly, is a widespread meditation practice, also used in yoga classes around the world.
- In ritual: Om is chanted before reciting scripture, at the start of puja and at rites of passage. Many prayers end with “Om shanti shanti shanti”, a prayer for peace.
- As a symbol: the written ॐ is placed on shrines, doorways and religious objects. In some traditions it is written on the tongue of a newborn baby with honey.
The written symbol
The ॐ symbol is a ligature of Devanagari letters with a crescent and dot (chandrabindu) above, marking the nasal ending of the sound. It is often said that its shape also reflects the four states: the large lower curve as waking, the smaller curve as dreaming, the upper curve as deep sleep and the dot as turiya, with the crescent representing the illusion (maya) that separates it from the rest. This interpretation is popular rather than ancient.
Om in other religions
Om is also sacred in Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It begins many Buddhist mantras, such as Om mani padme hum. In Jainism it is understood to represent the five supreme beings. In Sikhism, the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib, Ik Onkar (“there is one God”), is related to the word Om.
Sources and further reading
- Patrick Olivelle (trans.), Upanisads (Oxford World's Classics, 1996), especially the Mandukya, Katha and Chandogya.
- Edwin Bryant (trans.), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (North Point Press, 2009).
- Guy Beck, Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound (University of South Carolina Press, 1993).