OHM
The word of Ishvara is AUM (OHM) (yoga sutras Ch 1, sutra 27)
In Hinduïsm Aum or Ohm is considered as the basic-Mantra which is invoked at the beginning or end of several mantras. And not without reason, for the OHM in the de yoga sutras of Patanjali is defined as the word of God. By continuous repeating this word, one invokes the qualities of the divine and reaches ever deeper states of Samadhi through this synchronization.
Mantra yoga is aimed at bringing about changes in matter and consciousness with the help of ‘sound’. According to the yoga doctrine the first manifestation of the highest truth takes place by means of a unique and subtle sound vibration. For ease’s sake we call it sound, but the yoga term reaches further than the scientific definition of sound because it is cause and effect at the same time. In this vision, the world has not only been created, but is also sustained by this sound vibration.
Man is part of this creation and therefore also originates from this holy sound AUM. Whoever wants to follow the spiritual path and look for his essence can use this mantra as a guide to go back ‘home’. But in order to make serious progression in meditation, it is far from simple to overcome all distractions and make the thinking process fully focused on one point. That’s why Patanjali introduces this mantra to bring the wandering thinking to a standstill. The mantra AUM is considered by Hindus as the nominator or name of Ishvara, the biggest force and most sublime consciousness, as far as our solar system is concerned. By synchronizing to this mantra, one can eventually be unified with this divinity, after which this divine force can reveal and manifest itself in ones daily life.
Of course this key is not only reserved to Hindus. The same principle can namely be found in several other religions. In Islam there are the Wazifas, i.e. the 99 wonderful names of Allah and in Christianity we find the ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘The Lord’s prayer”, that by the way is concluded with a word that comes suspiciously close. Amen.
On the right a depiction of the AUM symbol. The long crescent below represents the dream state, the curve on the upper left side is the waking state and the middle curve to the right is the deep dreamless sleep in between. The crescent moon on the upper right symbolizes the veil of illusion, maya. The dot on top represents the state of transcendence.
The primal sound, which is approached by the AUM, is the basis of all mantras. It is the original mantra, that originated during creation, when the division arose between 'I' and 'not-I'. According to mantra science this primal sound is potently present in the basic chakra of man. It is said that the 52 sounds, which are described by the 52 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, originate from that one sound. Since these sounds appear in all languags, one could conclude that also all languages originate from that One.
The sound AUM should be produced in three separate resonating tones, which need to be of equal length and which ought to gradually alter into one another: AH is recited in the navel area, OE behind the sternum and MM in throat, nose and frontal sinus. There are 170 ways to make the AUM reverberate and each way has a different impact. The most used are: holding on the vowel, which influences the surrounding world, or holding on the consonant as long as possible which affects the singer internally. When this is performed at the beginning of a meditation, it helps to synchronize the consecutive spiritual bodies, since it magnetizes every particle and attracts all beneficial powers.