AUM – Meaning and Importance in Meditation

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Modern scientists are fascinated with unfolding mysteries of the universe we live in. They discovered how everything in this universe including our body is made from the very same energy. This energy vibrates at various frequency and different objects take their form.

Ancient Indian scholars understood this concept centuries ago. Through years of Meditation or Dhyaan they found out how the mysteries of the universe are linked with the power of mind. They gave detail explanation of these fascinating concepts they learnt through Scripts, Vedas and even stories that can help others understand the rules and nature of the universe we call our home. If we study these Scripts and Vedas now (which may take us many lifetimes) we can understand they tell the same truth that the scientists are discovering now isn’t that fascinating.

I have seen the symbol AUM many times and always knew it is the most sacred symbol but I was very curious to know more about it. I got more restless when I was learning to meditate and learned it is a very common practice to utter or chant AUM before the meditation and some teachers do it after as well. It really helps you meditate and feels you up with energy and keeps your mind from wondering while you meditate.

After some research these are my findings about why this symbol is sacred:
(of course there is so much more to the mystical symbol my humble mind is overwhelmed with only so much information.)

1. Everything has vibrations and every vibration has a specific frequency, including sounds the symbol AUM is a chant, a matra and while meditating when we chant it repeatedly with a humming tone (this needs training) every cell of our being experiences vibration. Even if you listen to a recording of chanting of AUM with closed eyes and a quiet mind we can feel the frequency which is believe to be the frequency at the time of creation. Hence when we experience this stage while meditating we vibrate in the frequency of the cosmic vibration. We become one with the creator and with everything that is or was and will be. One with the divine energy.

2. AUM is not a word but a symbol made out of three syllables of Sanskrit A (aa), U (au) and M (ma).

• A symbolizes Bhrahma Shakti (creation), U symbolizes Vishnu Shakti (preservation) and M symbolizes Shiva Shakti (liberation, and/or destruction) and the whole symbol represents Shakti (the divine energy that everything is made of).

• These three symbols represent past, present and future and represents both manifest (saguna) and unmanifest (nirguna).

• They also stand for three gunas (qualities) sattva, rajas and tamas, the entire symbol represents a gunatita, one who rose above the tow of the gunas.

• They also symbolize life stages like birth, life and death.

The eternal symbol AUM is explained in ancient scripts like Bhagavad Gita, Katha Upanishad and Mandukya Upanishad. This is just the surface of the meaning of this scared symbol or voice of God or sound of the universe. After all scholars are trying to learn this mystical energy for centuries.

“The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is AUM. This syllable AUM is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.”
– Katha Upanishad.

“AUM is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it”. – Mandukya Upanishad.

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