What Does OM Really Mean?

Today at 4:40am
By Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja dasa)

We’ve heard the jokes: “OM, OM on the range,” or “OM, my aching back.” We’ve seen meditation
instructors and yoga teachers enunciate the mystic syllable with great reverence. One famous
swami even said that OM is the essence of the self – it is the “I” that everyone needs to know. But
few seem to know what the mantra actually means.

To truly comprehend the depth and profundity of “OM,” we have to go back to the ancient Indic
texts known as the Vedic literature, to the seed-mantra, Omkara. But before this, it might be
worthwhile to know that OM is not a sectarian sound, nor is it peculiar to Hindu notions of divine
mantras. Indeed, the sacred syllable is evoked by the well-known Judaeo-Christian utterance
“amen,” which is a variation on OM. Similarly, Muslims say “amin.” All of our English
descriptions of God, too, begin with OM – omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient. The prefix omni,
then, might be seen as a slightly veiled manifestation of OM.

Although the mantra is generally written out as “OM,” the letters “A - U - M” more accurately
convey its inner meaning. And it is indeed inner meaning with which we are here concerned, for, as
some scholars will tell you, the mantra has no distinct translation or literal definition. Still, AUM
does consist of the first (A) and last (U) vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet, along with its last
consonant (M), which, according to Vedic seers, carries deep meaning. To them, AUM as “the
perfect word,” encompassing “all truths that words can convey.”

They proclaim this truth throughout the Vedic literature. Here’s one example, as expressed in the
ancient Chandogya Upanishad (2.23.3): “As leaves are held together by a spike, so all speech is
held together by AUM.” And another from the Katha Upanishad (2.5-17): “The word that all the
Vedas rehearse, and that all austerities aspire to, desiring which students live a life of spiritual
penance – I declare it boldly: That transcendent word is AUM!” There are many such verses, and
some of them will be cited later in this essay.

The Power of Sound

Vedic texts inform us that there’s more to hear than meets the ear. This is especially true in the
modern era. Engulfed by every imaginable type of sound, we are now hard pressed to use our ears
as they were originally intended. In fact, human beings are physically unable to perceive certain
portions of the known vibratory spectrum. While extremely sensitive to sound waves of about
1,000 to 4,000 cycles per second (cps), we are all but deaf beyond 20,000 cps. Dogs and cats, on
the other hand, can hear up to 60,000 cps, while mice, bats, whales, and dolphins can emit and
receive sounds well over 100,000 cps. In other words, there are certain things that we as humans
are physically unable to hear. One wonders, therefore, just how many categories of sound lay
beyond our grasp. Spiritual sound such as AUM, say Vedic texts, remain far away for one who is
untrained in spiritual science or unaccomplished in yoga practice.

And yet hearing is special. We all know this. It surpasses the visual sense and all others, as
Katharine Le Mee explains in her book Chant:

[inset]
The sense of hearing . . . connects experientially with the heart, and music and sound touch us most
directly. We do not resonate so deeply with the visual as with the auditory. This may be explained
by the fact that our visual apparatus has a frequency range of slightly less than one octave, from
infrared to ultraviolet, whereas our auditory system has a range of about eight octaves,
approximately 60 to 16,000 hertz, or number of vibrations per second. We are sensitive to sound
frequency as pitch and to light frequency as color. The frequencies of the visual field are much
higher than those of the auditory field (by an order of 1010), and, as is well known, the higher the
frequencies, the lesser the penetration of a given material. For instance, a piece of cardboard shields
us easily from the light, but it takes a thick wall to block out sound, and the lower the pitch the
deeper the penetration. We are very sensitive to sound, not just through the ear but through our
whole skin, and all our organs are affected by it.1
[end inset]

And we are especially sensitive to mantras, such as AUM.

Although the divine syllable is recognized in nearly all spiritual traditions originating in the East --
from the Buddhists of Tibet to the Vedantists of Benares -- few elaborate on its actual meaning. At
best, AUM, the supreme combination of letters, is thought to be an exotic, impersonal utterance –
an abstract feature of the Absolute, chanted by yogis and swamis in India (or by Westerners
adopting an Eastern form of spirituality). This is certainly true, but AUM goes much further than
that.

The Yogic Significance

According to the ancient Indian traditions articulated in the Upanishads, all speech and thought are
derived from that one sound: AUM. Here, say the Upanishads, in a mere monosyllable, we have
expression of ultimate reality.

The original sounds of creation hearken back to this sonic representation of the Divine. According
to the Puranas, sound is the origin of ether, or space, the most subtle of natural elements, and it is
also the source of hearing. Sound has the quality of conveying the idea of a given object, which
exists in space, or ether, and it is also, in a sense, considered a subtle form of that object. Further,
sound indicates the presence of a speaker, or an initial source, and thus hints at the existence of the
Supreme Speaker, or God. All of this is indicated by the mantra, AUM.

In the science of linking with God, or yoga, AUM plays a significant role. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
(1.23-1.29), for example, recommend recitation of the AUM mantra as a direct path to self-
realization. According to the sutras, focusing on this transcendental sound, along with developing
sensitivity for what it represents, brings both God-realization and the removal of all obstacles on
the path.

Along similar lines, yoga teaches us that the letter “A” symbolizes the conscious or waking state.
The letter “U” is the dream state, and the letter “M” the dreamless sleep state of mind and spirit.
The symbol as a whole, then, stands for all states of conscious awareness

Other yoga groups underline the seven levels of consciousness and how chanting AUM addresses
each one. Initially, there are four primary levels described in yoga texts, and these, in turn, are
complemented by three transitional levels, which gives us a total of seven. Serious practitioners of
yoga will experience each of these levels while on their inner journey.
The Deeper Significance

If one looks a little beneath the surface, one finds that AUM is really so much more than just
various levels of consciousness – even rarely attained levels. In terms of literature, the origins of
the mantra can be traced to the Rig Veda, earliest of India’s sacred texts:

[inset quote]
One who chants AUM, the sonic form of Brahman, Spirit, quickly approaches ultimate reality.
[end inset]

AUM is described throughout the Vedas and by the great spiritual masters of India as the seed
conception of theism. As a tree or fruit begins with a seed, so does everything begin with AUM;
even the Gayatri mantra, considered by many as the mantra par excellence, begins with AUM -- the
Vedas begin with AUM, the Upanishads begin with AUM, the Vedanta-sutra begins with AUM,
and the Srimad Bhagavatam, the essence of all Vedic texts, begins with AUM. Therefore, it can
safely be said that the divine journey, or the search for transcendental knowledge, begins with this
sound vibration.

And yet AUM goes further than that. In the Bhagavad Gita (9.17), Krishna Himself identifies with
the mantra – “I am nondifferent from the syllable AUM.” As such, this sacred syllable is known as
the maha-vakya [“the great saying”] of the Vedas, and can thus be considered on an equal level
with the maha-mantra (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), at least when heard from the lips of a self-realized soul.

Consequently, AUM should never be thought of as merely impersonal. Rather, it is a preeminent

It is also said that the syllable, properly vibrated, is the sound of Krishna’s flute: Oral traditions
associated with the Brahma-samhita tell us that when Brahma, the first created being, tried to
articulate the sound of Krishna’s legendary instrument, he uttered “AUM.”

Going Deeper Still

The Gopal-tapani Upanishad brings our understanding of the mantra still further -- reinforcing its
identity as the Supreme Divinity.

[inset]
The letter ‘A’ denotes Balaram, the divine son of Rohini, who is the substratum of the entire
universe. The letter ‘U’ denotes Pradyumna, who is the Supersoul of the universe. The letter ‘M’
denotes Aniruddha, who is the Supersoul of each individual being in the universe. And the ‘dot’
above the ‘M’ denotes Sri Krishna, the fountainhead of all Vishnu incarnations. (2.54-55)
[end inset]

Interestingly, according to the Srimad Bhagavatam (12.11.21-22), the Deities mentioned in this
verse preside over the four levels of consciousness cited earlier. Additionally, they are said to bring
practitioners to the final three levels as well. In this way, the Bhagavatam unites the esoteric
understanding of the mantra with that of the yogis.

While the Gopal-tapani Upanishad begins with the explanation of AUM cited above, it gives
further nuance to the mantra in its next verse (2.56). Here we learn that Krishna’s divine energy is
properly part of the AUM continuum, with a special emphasis on Sri Radha.
Jiva Goswami, one of India’s greatest philosophers, elaborates: “AUM is a combination of the
letters, A - U - M. The letter ‘A’ refers to Krishna. The Letter ‘U’ refers to Radha, and the letter
‘M’ refers to the ordinary soul.” Here we learn the most evolved understanding of the mantra,
which has been neatly summarized by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

[inset quote]
Omkara is a combination of the letters A, U, and M. . . . The letter “A” (a-kara) refers to Krishna,
who is sarva-lokaika-nayakah, the master of all living entities and planets, material and spiritual.
Nayaka means “leader.” He is the supreme leader. . . .The letter “U” (u-kara) indicates Srimati
Radharani, the pleasure potency of Krishna, and “M” (ma-kara) indicates the living entities (jivas).
Thus, OM is the complete combination of Krishna, His potency, and His eternal servitors. In other
words, Omkara represents Krishna, His name, fame, pastimes, entourage, expansions, devotees,
potencies and everything else pertaining to Him. Sarva-vishva-dhama – that is, Omkara is the
resting place of everything, just as Krishna is the resting place of everything.2
[end inset]

In other words, AUM is everything. What more can be said?

Endnotes:
1. Katharine Le Mee, Chant (New York: Bell Tower Publishing, 1994), pp. 28–29.
2. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, translator and commentator, Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-
lila 7, verse 128, purport (Los Angeles, California: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1991, reprint).