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  The Word That Is God–Chapter One
The Scriptures on the Pranava
The Vedas The Rig Veda
“He who knows not the eternal Syllable of the Veda [the Pranava, Om], the highest point upon which all the gods repose, what business has he with the Veda? Only Its knowers sit here in peace and concord.” (Rig Veda I.164.39)
The Pranava, Om, the eternal Source that is the essence of the Veda, is the seed-sound (bija mantra) from which the Veda emanates and of which the entire Veda is a variation or permutation. In one sense he who recites the Pranava is reciting all the Vedas. However, mere occasional recitation of Om, such as at the beginning of mantras, hymns, or spiritual discourses, is not enough. As this Vedic verse says, the Pranava must be known. That is, through japa and meditation the Pranava must be experienced in Its true nature as the Supreme Reality Itself.
The word Veda has a larger meaning than the four compilations of Vedic hymns, the samhitas. Veda is divine knowledge–knowledge that is attained through the japa and meditation of the Pranava. Those who know It through their yogic practice and experience can impart the Veda of divine knowledge. Why is this? Because all the gods repose upon Its highest point, the bindu, the subtle, silent root of the Pranava reached by means of the subtle nada upon which it rests. (Further on we will be considering the symbolic upanishadic accounts of how the gods came to rest upon the Pranava.)
The “gods” are fourfold. First, the highly evolved astral and causal beings who possess great powers, many of them creating and evolving entire universes, and others administering the powers manifesting in those worlds. They are enthroned upon the Pranava because they attained their mighty status through the powers inherent in Om; their powers are simply the multiform rays of the divine Sun that is the sacred syllable Om. Second, the “gods” are the higher faculties possessed by each one of us–faculties that lie dormant until awakened and developed by the japa and meditation of Om. Third, the “gods” are the powers of God that are sometimes symbolized as god-forms. Since we are image-reflections of God, the same spiritual powers or gods are within us, though to a finite degree. Both types of “gods” need to be known and manifested by us in the state of self-realization. And they are to be accessed or known through the Pranava. Fourth, the liberated beings who dwell in the supreme consciousness are also “gods.” Being perfected image-likenesses of God they, too, can be communicated with through the Pranava, as It is also their essential nature and name, just as It is the essential Nature and Name of God the Absolute. Therefore the Pranava is the means of communication with God, the Powers of God, and the gods of (in) God.
“Only Its knowers sit here in peace and concord,” having attained the Highest and entered the Eternal. The Yajur Veda
“At the time of departure from this world, remember Om, the Lord, the Protector.” (Yajur Veda 40:15)
Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that whatever we think of most during life we will think of at the time of our death, and that will determine our subsequent state. Through constant thought of and absorption in Om during his lifetime, the yogi guarantees that at the moment of death his awareness will be fixed on Om.
Om is the Lord, the Protector. It is, then, the perfect defense internally and externally. Safety consists in the constant invocation of Om. The Upanishads
The Upanishads are the Knowledge portion of the Vedas, texts dealing with the ultimate truth and its realization. Although the amount of upanishadic material given here is considerable, there is actually a great deal more in the sense of lengthy expositions of Its components: a, u, m, nada, and bindu. But it is either so obscure or in reference to things or terms that themselves would require a great deal of explanation–since they would be known only to someone very well versed in Vedic religion–that it has seemed reasonable to omit those segments or else condense them into brief statements of the relevant ideas. Amritabindu Upanishad
“The wise mounts the chariot of Om, his charioteer is Vishnu, he seeks the abode of the Brahma-world to win Rudra for himself.” (Amritabindu Upanishad 2)
Om is the vehicle which carries us to God-experience. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (Rudra) are the divine powers of creation, preservation, and dissolution. It is God (Vishnu) Himself who directs our meditation of Om by means of which we attain to the abode–the consciousness–of God. When that is reached, the Shiva-power of God begins to dissolve all that binds us to the wheel of birth and death, and frees us into Spirit. It is interesting that the upanishad speaks of the yogi seeking “to win Rudra for himself.” This means that the yogi seeks to make his own the power that accomplishes liberation. And that power is embodied in Om.
“But the chariot is useful only so long as one is on the highroad; he who has come to the end of the highroad leaves the chariot and goes on foot. So one leaves the word-symbol also, and only with the silent Om one comes to the soundless, silent, invisible place.” (Amritabindu Upanishad 3,4)
Om recited aloud has incalculable value and effect, yet that recitation is being “on the road.” The time comes when we leave the verbal Om and in japa and meditation travel inward with “the silent” mentally intoned Om” until the Silence of Spirit is entered into. “The silent Om” also refers to the point in meditation when intonations of Om pass even beyond the subtle whisperlike form and become silent–like the silent “mouthing” or silent conceptualization of a word.
“One should combine the yoga [meditation] with the svara [subtle inner sound] of the mystical Syllable [Om]; should experience the yoga relating to the transcendent non-qualified Brahman beyond the [objectively spoken] Syllable, by the experience of yoga without the Syllable [Asvara]; Asvara which is a form of existence should not be reckoned as non-existence. That alone is Brahman which is divisionless, non-differentiated and untinged.” (Amritabindu Upanishad, 7,8)
The subject of the inner, mental Om as distinguished from the spoken Om is continued here. We must pass from the outer to the inner to the “silent” Om.
By “existence” the upanishad means Reality: Sat. Om is a form (manifestation) of Reality, of God, and should never be considered a mere word that is a part of relative existence, or asat.
“The Shabdakshara [sound-syllable: Om] is to be construed as the transcendental Brahman. When that Om has decayed, there underlies It the Akshara [the Undecaying]; if the knower of the atman should desire the peace of the atman he should meditate on that Akshara. The two vidyas that ought to be known are the Shabda-Brahman and that Brahman which transcends It. He who is well-versed in the Shabda-Brahman attains the transcendent Brahman.” (Amritabindu Upanishad, 16, 17)
By “decay” is meant attenuation or diminution (diminishment) much as the organ stops that use the term “decay” to indicate fading, lessening, or dissolving of the sound. When the grosser forms of Om have faded away in meditation, then the underlying subtle forms are experienced and peace is found. The science of reaching the Transcendent Consciousness through the inner sound of Om is necessary for liberation (moksha). Om must be known in order to reach Its transcendent essence. Then “he who is well-versed in the Shabda-Brahman attains the transcendent Brahman.”
“Om! This Syllable is Brahman. With Om alone he should breathe. With frequent application of this divine sound he washes away the stains of the soul.” (Amritabindu Upanishad 20)
Om is Brahman–not a mere symbol or verbal indicator of God. It verily is God–both as Sound and Consciousness. It is of utmost importance to realize that the Vedic scriptures insist on this absolute identity of the Supreme Brahman with the mantric syllable Om. Om reveals God and Its–and our–identity with God. It is the key to liberation for the questing soul. Therefore the repetition of Om should accompany our every breath. For Om is not a mere reminder of God. It is the living Presence of God, the “divine Sound” which purifies the soul from all the impurities and defects we call “sins.” Om is the true Ganges in which we immerse ourselves and wash away all that is not God. For that which is not God is “sin” and stains our soul.
“Then he should meditate [on Om] and utter It repeatedly, more than repeatedly; for no excess here is too much.” (Amritabindu Upanishad 21)
Continual practice is essential. Furthermore, what is considered “too much” by our lazy and limited standards is not too much. One of the deadliest flaws the spiritual aspirant can have is the attitude that spiritual life and practice can be overdone–that to be totally intent on and absorbed in spiritual practice (sadhana) at all times is unbalanced or fanatical. Only those of steady and uninterrupted effort, like the tortoise in the story, will succeed and win the prize. The “normal” hares are doomed to fail and lose the race by their very attitude.
“The sacred Syllable sounds silently [within during meditation]. With this ‘sound’ he [the meditating yogi] sees the way, the way along which his prana goes. Therefore should one always practice it, so that he goes along the right way.” (Amritabindu Upanishad, 24)
The subtle (“silent”) sound of Om experienced in meditation reveals the way because It is the way. The mind is a labyrinth in which we have been lost for countless lifetimes. Its nature does not change when we take up meditation. Rather, it becomes even more cunning and delusive, trying to lead the aspirant completely astray into the byways of ego and psychism. That is why Buddha said we need right meditation–not just meditation. Without a guide the labyrinth of emotion, memory, fantasy, and mind-gaming will swallow us up. Om is the sure guide to the Goal. It alone leads us along the path of unfolding consciousness and life (prana). By It we can rise through the various levels of awareness to enter into the realm of pure Spirit. Without It we are bound, however much we may think we are progressing.
We also see indicated in this verse that the meditation of Om is the truest pranayama.
“By means of Om he [the meditating yogi] sees the way, the way along which his prana goes; therefore one should always repeat It so that he goes along the right way: through the heart-gate, the air-gate, the gate which leads upward, and the opening of the gate of liberation which is known as the open orb [the sun.]” (Amritabindu Upanishad 25,26)
When the individual comes into manifestation on this earth he passes from the astral world into the material plane by means of the sun, which is a mass of exploding astral energies, not mere flaming gases. And when the individual has completed his course of evolution within this plane, upon the death of his body he rises upward in his subtle body and passes through the sun into the higher worlds, there to evolve even higher or to pass directly into the depths of the transcendent Brahman. To ensure that this will take place, the Om Yogi practices the japa and meditation of Om. Amritanada Upanishad
“Mounting on the chariot of Om, one seeking a place in the Brahmaloka should drive in the chariot as long as the way is on the track of the chariot and halting at the end of the track, he proceeds onward, giving up the chariot. Then abandoning the stages of matra [letters] and linga [form, mode], devoid of vowels and consonants, he reaches the subtle stage by means of the [subtle] sound.” (Amritanada Upanishad 2-4)
We start with the mental intonations of Om that are like intonations done aloud, but in time they become subtler, more like a soft intoning and even a gentle whispering. Finally the intonations of Om become silent “mouthings”–movements of will and consciousness. Om takes us all the way from outer to inner, from subject to object, from vibration to silence–silence that is the very essence of Om.
“Om is Brahman in one Syllable. The meditation on Om should not be discontinued. With this divine mantra one should meditate many times for ridding himself of his own impurities.” (Amritanada Upanishad 20)
Om is divine, and those who repeat It always and meditate much by means of Its meditation will purify themselves and become knowers of God.
“Om is the Imperishable, Which does not decay under any circumstance.” (Amritanada Upanishad 24)
If we would become immortal and unchanging, we may do so through immersing ourself in the immortal and unchanging Om. The very title of this upanishad means “The Immortal Sound.” Atharvashikha Upanishad
“The sages Angiras and Sanatkumara asked the renowned sage Atharvan: ‘Which is the form of meditation that came to be foremostly employed by seekers after liberation? What should be the object of meditation by such seekers?’ Atharvan replied: ‘The form of meditation that came to manifest as the foremost of all, for the regeneration of all seekers, was the First Word, indicative of Brahman: the Syllable Om. Meditation on Om should be resorted to by seekers after liberation. This Syllable is the Parabrahman, Which it designates. Omkara is the Higher as well as the Lower Brahman,’ as the Sruti says. The four Vedas are the four feet of Om. This Syllable is the Supreme Brahman.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 1:1,2)
Om is “the First Word,” of which Saint John the Beloved wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Here it is plainly stated that japa and meditation of Om comprise the original yoga practiced by the Vedic Rishis at the beginning of the human race. Moreover, this yoga was not worked out by them, but was manifested to their inner awareness even before the Vedas were revealed to them. Om Yoga is the real Path of the Masters that “should be resorted to by seekers after liberation.”
Om is the Supreme God, as well as the primal Name of the Supreme. Om is both the Relative and the Absolute, encompassing the entire range of being.
“‘Om,’ ‘Om,’ ‘Om’–having thus pronounced the Pranava in three gradations, the fourth is the tranquillized Atman. Thus, by having recourse to the application of the prolonged intonation of the Pranava in the attitude, ‘All is Om,’ the radiance of the atman perpetually manifests itself devoid of the veil that enshrouded it.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 1:9)
This passage does not mean that we should only say Om three times, but that there are three gradations or inner levels of Om–the physical, astral, and causal–which we should pass through in meditation. These three gradations lead to the turiya–pure consciousness–form of Om that is both jivatman and Paramatman. The “prolonged intonation” of Om experienced in meditation, which removes the veils of the various forms and reveals the true, turiya form of Om.
Our consciousness commonly moves through three states: waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. They occur when our consciousness is centered in the physical, astral, and causal bodies respectively. Beyond these three states is the ever-present substratum of pure consciousness itself known as turiya. Those who are liberated transcend the three states and become established in the fourth, turiya, state. All these states are manifestations of the Pranava Itself; therefore it is union–i.e., the uniting of our consciousness–with the Pranava that produces mastery of the lower three and the establishment in the fourth.
I.K. Taimni has this to say about the veils and their removal: “If we take a powerful electric light and cover it up with a number of concentric semi-transparent and colored globes, one within the other, the outermost globe will be illuminated in some measure by the light of the electric lamp. But though this illumination will be derived from the light of the electric lamp we will not be able to see the light of the electric lamp as it is, but only as it comes out after being filtered and dimmed by all the intervening globes. If we remove the outermost globe the next globe comes into view and the light becomes stronger and purer. But do we now see the light of the electric lamp? No! It is still hidden behind the remaining globes. As we remove globe after globe, the light becomes stronger and purer but we never see it in its purity and fullness as long as any globe remains covering the electric lamp. It is only when the last globe is removed that the pure light of the electric lamp in its total brilliance comes into view. Can the man who has never seen an electric lamp know by observing the outermost globe what the light of the electric lamp is like? Not until he has removed all the globes, one by one.”
“That which causes all the pranas to prostrate themselves before and get merged in the Paramatman, so as to attain identity with Him, is for that reason known as the Pranava. The one substance which is predicated by the term All, that is the source wherefrom all the gods and all the Vedas took their origin and wherein they attain final repose, which is firmly established in the four-fold state, is of the character of the Pranava.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 1:10a)
The first sentence is a play on words. To do prostration is to do pranam. Therefore that which causes the pranas to bow before the Lord in pranam is the Pranava, which may also be translated as the pranam-causer. It is Om which unites all the levels of our being with one another and then unites them to God. Since Om is the All, the single Thing which exists, It is Cosmic Consciousness Itself. There is nothing outside of It; nothing that It is not. All things take their origin from Om and ultimately return to It. Those who are wise consciously make that return through Om Yoga which, because it controls the pranas, is also pranayama.
“That which elevates the pronouncer, even on its being pronounced once in the pluta-svara [with the prolonged intonation], is the Pranava, Om. That which causes all the pranas to melt away absolutely is the Pralaya [known as the Pranava], it being the cause of the absolute abatement into the chief prana of the other subsidiary pranas.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 1:10b)
The subtle sound of Om intoned inwardly immediately begins elevating the consciousness, for that is the true(r) Om. Om is Itself the pralaya (dissolution), the resolution of the life force and consciousness back into their origin: Spirit. The translator appends a paraphrase of this verse: “The gross part of the Pranava is the Omkara; its subtle part is the Pralaya; its causal part is the still subtler Pranava and its Turiya (fourth part) is Brahman, wherein all things apart from Itself stand fully tranquillized. There remains nothing whatsoever apart from Brahman, either of the character of the Abhidhana (term) or the Abhideya (what it predicates).” Later on he speaks of the yogi who engages in this procedure of entering into subtler and subtler states of awareness through the successive reductions of the Pranava into increasingly subtler forms: “simultaneously with the dawning of the knowledge thereof, having become the self-luminous one, he becomes Brahman alone. This path of attaining the knowledge of the truth that the Turiya-Turiya (subtlest Pranava that is a state [bhava] more than a sound) is the peerless Brahman alone leads to victory.”
“The gods connoted by the Pranava have considered Om to be that which helps in crossing [samsara], as Om enables [its invokers] in the surmounting of all the sorrows and fears of worldly existence which recur through several series of birth and deaths. Hence It is the Crosser [Taraka].” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 2:1)
Om is the true name of all the gods–who are therefore “connoted by the Pranava.” By means of Om all the manifestations of God can be invoked and communed with. Having taken refuge in It and become deified, they have come to experience and know Om as the supreme Taraka Mantra–the sound formula which enables Its invokers to cross over (transcend) all that is not Brahman and enter into Brahman Itself as their true being. “Burnt clean in the blaze of My being, in Me many find home,” says the Bhagavad Gita.
However, the Pranava does not just propel us to the highest, arching over or leaving aside all things in between. No; they, too, must be dealt with by elimination or mastery. Therefore by means of Om Yoga the sadhaka (one who engages in sadhana–spiritual practice) is taken through every aspect of his being as the subtle modes of the Pranavic Current affect each one in turn. Thus he becomes a knower of himself in the fullest possible sense.
The Gita also says: “Even a little practice of this yoga will save you from great suffering and fear.” And this is not only in meditation. Whenever any difficulty arises within or without, invocation of Om will enable us to understand and deal with it successfully–all to our betterment. Reaching unto the very depths of our being, Om deals not only with the situations and problems of this life, but with the entire range of karmic snarls and conditionings resulting from our previous lives, as well. In sum: the Pranava enables us to cross the entire range of inner and outer existence: healing, correcting, and perfecting as we go.
The translator adds this comment: “The Pranava that indicates Brahman is not only the boat, but is verily the other shore reached after crossing the ocean of worldly existence [samsara].”
“Since all the gods enter Om, to be entirely absorbed therein, that Omkara is of the character of Vishnu. Since It causes all things apart from It to expand, by drawing them into Its superabundance, It is Brahma.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 2:2,3)
It is said in other upanishads that the gods took refuge in Om and were saved from destruction. Thus Om is Vishnu, a name of God that means “the Preserver.” We, too, by taking refuge in the invocation of Om will be made safe–but not in a static sense of mere preservation. The power of Om will increase the boundaries of our consciousness to Its innate infinity, demonstrating Its nature as Brahma by drawing us into Its superabundant Being.
“Since It remains beyond the reach of all powers of perception yet is Itself that which reveals all that is perceived–even as a light placed in the darkness will disclose all things apart from itself–It is the self-manifest luminary that reveals all things apart from Itself in their real character.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 2:4)
Om is the bestower of all knowledge and perception by means of Its self-luminous character. Since that character is innate, it is impossible for Om not to accomplish the revelation of all things to those who continually invoke It. How is it, though, that Om will not reveal Itself to us, since It is beyond all perception? If anything–including Om–remains unknown to us, our knowledge will not be perfect. The answer is that Om will not reveal Itself to us as an object, but, as indicated in the previous verse, It will draw us into Itself and unite us with Itself as the Eternal Subject.
That is the highest, abstract, import of this verse, but there is a vastly practical side, as well. By Its invocation Om will reveal to our intellect and intuition the truth of all things–including situations, objects, people, and our own psychological states and impulses. By availing ourselves of this illuminating power of Om we can dispel all illusion and delusion from our consciousness and comprehend the reality of all which we encounter internally or externally. And this can be applied to even the least and most objective aspects of our lives. Once more we see that the Pranava encompasses all within Itself.
“Since It reveals Itself by shining distinctly from within the things of the phenomenal world–which It thereby reveals–It is ever saying: ‘I, the absolute existence, the Om, am here within,’ just as a flash of lightning reveals itself from within the cloud, which it also reveals by bursting through it–though the cloud itself has been concealing it–and pervades all the worlds as well as the infinite numbers of macrocosms that are within its range in the character of absolute existence [Sat], consciousness [Chit], and bliss [Ananda], and causes them to pervade in universal forms. Because of such a pervading, Om becomes [seen as] the all-pervading Mahadeva [Shiva]. This is the final conclusion arrived at by the gods and the Vedas.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 2:5)
Om does not reveal all things as an agent external to them, but rather as their own inmost self or reality. It is therefore omniscient by nature, being the Supreme Brahman. By Its invocation omniscience is ultimately attained–though in the meantime the comprehension of the object of the moment is also granted to us. The knowledge imparted to us by the Pranava is thus internal knowledge–arising from the essential being of all things themselves. By means of Om all things can be known through the uniting of our consciousness with them. This is a knowing far, far beyond the intellect of even the highest evolved being within the scope of relativity. It is truly the possessing of “Divine Mind.”
The implication of all this is the fact that God is indeed all in all–that whatever exists has God for its inmost Self–including all the worlds, gross and subtle. This being the case, we can realize that the world is indeed real and not an illusion, though we have illusions about the world and often perceive it incorrectly. It is our mistaken view of the world that is the illusion–not the world itself.
We are eternally existent because God is our Self: the Self of our self. Thus self-knowledge in the highest form is God-knowledge. The very purpose of yoga is the attainment of self-knowledge which then makes it possible for us to know God. Through the merging of our finite consciousness with the infinite consciousness of Om we enter into the experience of absolute existence, the inner divine kingdom. This is possible because it is the very nature of the Pranava to turn the consciousness inward. It is also possible because the Pranava is Itself the essence, the seed, of Cosmic Consciousness. So when we invoke Om we are invoking Cosmic Consciousness Itself, beyond all conditionings or limitations. Moreover, that invocation is a direct invocation, not an act that will lead eventually to contact with the Absolute. The invocation of Om is instant communication with God.
In the Mundaka Upanishad we find the question: “What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?” The Pranava, verily, is that One Thing. Being infinite, It makes those who unite their consciousness with It infinite, “and causes them to pervade in universal forms” exactly as does God. This characteristic of all-pervasiveness is indicated by the title Mahadeva which is usually applied to Shiva. Those who are perfectly united with, and live in, Om are thus enabled to say with Shankara: Chidanand rupam: Shivoham, Shivoham. “I am the form of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva, I am Shiva!”
The knowledge of Om as both Absolute Consciousness and the means to attain that Absolute Consciousness is the ultimate, the crowning “conclusion [insight-experience] arrived at by the gods and the Vedas.” Om Yoga is hereby revealed not only as The Path of the Masters, but as The Path of the Gods and also the Absolute Which Itself is the Source of the Vedas.
“Om embraces the state of waking in which the gross elements of existence are perceived, the state of dreaming in which the subtle elements of existence are perceived, the state of [dreamless] sleep in which the gross and subtle elements of existence are dormant, gathered up into their potential state, and the state of pure consciousness which reveals the presence or absence of the experiences of the waking, dreaming, and sleeping states.
“When [through japa and meditation] these three states, which are really divisions [manifestations or stages] of the Pranava, dissolve into each other–the grosser merging into the next succeeding subtler ones–the practitioner intent on achieving the attainment of the state of Turiya-Turiya will successfully achieve his end through this unity. Having become the self-luminous one, he becomes Brahman alone.
“This path of attaining the knowledge of the truth that the Turiya-Turiya is the peerless Brahman alone leads to victory. For this reason, this path of attaining the Turiya-Turiya, standing apart from all wrong paths, is resorted to for meditation on the Turiya-Turiya, and the accomplishment of nirvikalpa samadhi.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 3:1,2)
Fragmentation of consciousness is a fundamental flaw of the human being bound within the realm of ignorance called samsara. We are all Humpty Dumpties, fallen and fragmented–spiritual schizophrenics whose entire being is a battlefield of opposing forces that themselves are alien to our real nature. But unlike the Humpty Dumpty of the nursery rhyme we can be restored: by the reintegration of our consciousness through its union with Om–the union that is accomplished by the practice of Om Yoga. Again: how is this possible? Here, too, the answer is in the very nature of Om. For the upanishad is telling us that Om is Consciousness Itself, within Which are contained the four modes of waking, dreaming, dreamlessness, and superconsciousness.
Om embodies and is the Holy Trinity–the Trimurti–of Vedic Religion. For the waking state corresponds to the consciousness of Brahma, the Creator, the dream state corresponds to the consciousness of Vishnu, the Preserver-Savior; and the dreamless state corresponds to the consciousness of Shiva. Om is manifesting as all these three modes of consciousness, and further transcends them as turiya. Consequently japa and meditation of Om unites the three lower states and enables us to both master and transcend them. For all are inherent in, and inseparable from, Om.
The upanishad is describing the procedure of meditation when it speaks of Om causing the various states of consciousness to “dissolve into each other–the grosser merging into the next succeeding subtler ones” until “achieving the attainment of the state of Turiya-Turiya” which is perfect Unity.
Om being both Illuminator and Self of all, the Om Yogi “will successfully achieve his end through this unity. Having become the self-luminous one, he becomes Brahman alone.” Without doubt, then, Om Yoga, “this path of attaining the knowledge of the truth that the Turiya-Turiya is the peerless Brahman alone leads to victory.” Positively, “for this reason, this path of attaining the Turiya-Turiya, standing apart from all wrong paths, is resorted to for meditation on the Turiya-Turiya, and the accomplishment of nirvikalpa samadhi.”
“Wrong paths” are those ways of life–including some forms of religion, meditation, and yoga–that do not lead to turiya-turiya and the accomplishment of nirvikalpa samadhi: identity with the Formless Absolute that manifests as all forms.
“Should any man stabilize this changeless atman in the ether of the middle of his heart, be it for a little more or less than the duration of a second, through meditation, and become entirely absorbed in Him, the highest fruit thereof will be the attainment, by the meditator, of the state of the Paramatman.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 3:4a)
Darkness may prevail for untold millions of years within caves in the depths of the earth. Yet how long will it take for the darkness to be vanquished at the entry of light? No time at all. Instantly illumination will take place. Consequently the upanishad states that if the yogi can stabilize his consciousness within the pure consciousness at the core of his being (not the physical heart) for even a moment and pass therefrom to the total union of his limited consciousness with the Limitless Brahman, the Supreme Self (Paramatman), his attainment will be boundless. Sages speak of a Supreme Moment in which enlightenment comes to the yogi. Obviously this Moment does not come outside meditation. It is not like being struck by external lightning, that it can occur any time or in any situation. Only in the depths of meditation can It happen.
“The entire path of Om will be realized by him. He who knows Om in this manner will attain the fruits resulting from all kinds of meditation, from resorting to Yoga and Jnana.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 3:4b)
The way to this supreme attainment is, according to the upanishad, the path of Om. For those who come to “know” Om through Om Yoga “will attain the fruits resulting from all kinds of meditation, from resorting to yoga and jnana.” This is an astounding statement–because it is the divine truth.
“This knower of Om in this manner becomes the transcendent Isha or Shiva Who alone is exclusively worthy of being meditated upon, and also becomes one who brings about the well-being of all his devotees. Hence one should give up all things apart from Brahman That is without a support, and devote himself entirely unto the attainment of Brahman.” (Atharvashikha Upanishad 3:4c)
In this instance “Isha” and “Shiva” refer to the Supreme God, and not the lesser “gods.” The gods, avataras, or saviors of mankind are those who have attained this perfect identity and are therefore themselves sources of divine power and consciousness. However, they are not the End, but can help us to reach the End.
Brahman is said to be “without a support” because God is the Support of all, Himself needing no support. In a sense this is the Vedic equivalent of the “Uncaused Cause” concept.
The statement that the aspirant “should devote himself entirely unto the attainment of Brahman” has two meanings, one philosophical and one practical. The philosophical meaning is that we should cease to believe in the reality of multiplicity and always keep in mind that everything is a manifestation of the One–that we should endeavor to see and experience God in all things and situations. Also, we should seek only the One however much we are involved momentarily in the many. That alone must be our intent and Goal. But how is that to be done? Here the practical meaning comes into use. Om should be the basis of our meditation and japa, for It can lead us all the way to Brahman.
Throughout the history of the world perfected beings have descended to earth to point the way to transcendence of all limitation and ignorance. Their secret, too, is the secret of Om, for the “knower of Om becomes the transcendent Isha or Shiva Who alone is exclusively worthy of being meditated upon, and also becomes one who brings about the well-being of all his devotees.” That such beings do exist and can be resorted to is made clear by the upanishad. And the way to do so is the Pranava that is being expounded. “Hence one should give up all things apart from Brahman that is without a support [that is, Om], and devote himself entirely unto the attainment of Brahman” by means of Om. Atharvashira Upanishad
“The whole world [of relative existence] is composed of the Syllable Om, which absorbs all things into Itself. To It be salutations again and again! That Which is Om is the Pranava. That Which is the Pranava is the All-pervasive One, the Endless One, the Deliverer, the Subtle One, the Pure One, the Shining One, the Parabrahman, the One Absolute Existence.” (Atharvashira Upanishad 44)
This is a condensation of a passage that speaks of Om “swallowing” all things, followed by a very lengthy list of those things. The idea implied is that all things come from Om and thus are eventually absorbed back into Om, Which then alone remains as the Sole Reality, Brahman.
This upanishad informs us that Om possesses the quality of absorbing all things into Itself. So the constant invoker and meditator on Om will be united to and assumed into the Supreme Brahman that manifests as Om. We should fix all our attention and effort on the Pranava through the practice of Om Yoga. Our success is assured by the very nature of our practice and its Object. Indeed, we should salute It again and again!
Since Om absorbs all, It is the repository of all. In It all things are to be found. Thus no thing will be beyond our reach, but all will be eventually attained by us. By the invocation of Om we can obtain all we need–material and psychic as well as spiritual. In Indian scriptures reference is made to the kalpataru, the wish-fulfilling tree. One need only stand under this tree and wish for something and it will descend to him. Om is the perfect wish-fulfilling tree, and we can experience that for ourselves. This is an important aspect of the Pranava that we must keep in mind, for the idea often prevails that spiritual people and methods have nothing to do with material or personal matters (including desires). But this cannot be, since the Real encompasses all aspects of existence–in truth is all aspects of existence. Those who contact the Real contact all things and all things become accessible to them.
“Now arises the question, Why is the Omkara [Om] so called? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It elevates, as it were, the entire body, for that reason alone It is known as the Omkara.” (Atharvashira Upanishad 45)
Here, too, we are told that the Pranava is not a mere spiritual abstraction, but a powerful entity that has the effect of transforming the physical body. The invocation of Om causes the very cells of the body to vibrate at increasingly higher rates of consciousness and function. So the invocation of Om elevates us on even the lowest level of our experience. Purification of matter itself is possible through the invocation of Om. We can heal and correct our body and the world around us through the sovereignty of Om. And this is true of the astral and causal bodies, as well.
We have already seen that Om absorbs all things. Here we discover that It also impels all things–especially Its invoker–toward Itself. Once again we find that the divine power of Om perfects us in yoga
“Now arises the question, Why is the Pranava so called? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It causes pranama (obeisance) to be made to the Brahman of the Four Vedas.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the All-pervasive One? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It pervades all the worlds, as their inseparable concomitant, even as oil would pervade the entire mass of pulverized sesame seeds, the source from which it has been separated, pervading the mass as intimately as the warp and the woof in a piece of cloth, for that reason It is known as the All-pervasive.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Endless One? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, neither the beginning nor the end thereof is reached, either in the transverse direction or upwards or downwards, for that reason It is known as the Endless One.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Deliverer? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It helps one to surmount and be delivered from the great fear of swirling in the recurrent confinement in the womb, birth, dotage, and death, for that reason It is known as the Deliverer.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Subtle One? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It abides in [all] other bodies, only after becoming the subtle, innermost Atman, subtler than the tiniest end-point (tip) of a grain of rice, for that reason It is known as the Subtle One.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Pure One? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It manifests itself in its own pure form and reveals other forms apart from itself, for that reason It is known as the Pure One.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Shining One? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It causes all bodies to be revealed in their real nature as non-existent apart from Itself, in the very thick darkness [of ignorance], for that reason It is known as the Shining [Revealing] One.
“Now arises the question, Why is It known as the Parabrahman? The answer is: For the reason that even while It is being pronounced, It increases in volume by drawing everything apart from Itself and causing all to be merged in Its expansive abundance, Itself transcending them all.” (Atharvashira Upanishad 46-53)
“Whatever has been expounded in this upanishad is Om alone: the Brahman indicated by the term Tat [That], that is the Absolute True Existence.” (Atharvashira Upanishad 70)
Brahma Upanishad
“Having made oneself the lower arani, and the Pranava the upper arani and rubbing them together through the practice of meditation, see the Lord in His hidden reality.” (Brahma Upanishad 4)
In Vedic religion the fire rite, the Agnihotra or Havan, is the supreme ritual act. It is emblematic of the soul’s progression to divinity, and its elements and actions can be studied to reveal many secrets of esoteric life and unfoldment. The sacred fire is kindled by the friction of two wooden sticks called aranis. This is an important symbol, for it is considered that the fire is latent in the wood until the friction causes it to manifest. In the same way, enlightenment is latent in the yogi, awaiting the right conditions to be provided for its manifestation. We are the lower arani, and Om is the upper arani. When they are brought together and made to interact with one another through the japa and meditation of Om, God is revealed to the meditator both within and without. The Hidden becomes manifest, and the Unseen becomes seen through Om Yoga. Brahmabindu Upanishad
“Beginning the Yoga with Om, meditate wordlessly on the highest one, since through wordless meditation Brahman is being attained.” (Brahmabindu Upanishad 7)
Although we intone Om aloud, that is only the first step; we must take It inside in silent japa and meditation to attain Its Essence.
“Brahman is the Syllable of Om; when it fades off, what remains the wise, the seekers of peace of soul, meditate upon–that eternal One.” (Brahmabindu Upanishad 16)
The experience of Om in subtler and subtler forms during meditation is the path to “that Eternal One.”
“Two knowledges are necessary, the Sound-Brahman [Shabda Brahman] and the uppermost [Parabrahman]; one who is versed in the Sound-Brahman attains to the highest Brahman too.” (Brahmabindu Upanishad 17)
God, the sole Reality, must be known by us. Mere pious busyness and theologizing–knowing about God rather than really knowing God–do not avail anything ultimately. Gnosis (jnana) is imperative. For it alone is efficacious in the removal of ignorance and bondage.
Om is the Shabda Brahman, “the word that is God” as the Bhagavad Gita says. Those who know Om as such through their experience gained by Its japa and meditation are the ones who shall attain to the unitive knowledge of Parabrahman. Brahmavidya Upanishad
“The innermost Fire, the esoteric Truth underlying the knowledge of Brahman, is Brahman. Om, the Monosyllable, is that Brahman. This is what has been said by the expounders of the Vedanta.” (Brahmavidya Upanishad 1, 2)
In the Vedas God is many times spoken of as Fire (Agni). So also in the Upanishads. “Burnt clean in the blaze of My being, in Me many find home,” says Krishna, as already cited. The fiery nature of divinity has many aspects. God is fire in the sense of the universal “heat” that produces the evolving creation and into which it is ultimately dissolved. God is also the spiritual fire which burns us clean, purifying and refining us as the smelter purifies and refines gold. In the fire that is God, the true nature of all things is revealed and all which is untrue is dissolved so that only the truth of our divinity will remain. The burning of that fire is not always easy to undergo, but its effect is worth the enduring.
The knowledge of Brahman [Brahmavidya] is not a matter of the intellect, but is the revealing Presence of Brahman Itself. Odd as it sounds, Brahman is the underlying truth of Brahman. That is, the higher, unmanifest Brahman is the support, the self of the lesser Brahman of manifestation. And that divine Ground is Om. Hence, to know Om is to know God. This is the authentic teaching of the scriptures and sages: Om is the ultimate truth.
Elsewhere this upanishad employs the interesting expression Omkara Atman: Om that is the Self.
“Even as the sound of a bell cast of bell-metal finally dissolves itself for attaining peaceful silence, similarly should the Om be turned into account by the yogi aiming at the attainment of the all, for his final repose. Wherein the sound of the Om attains its final dissolution, thereafter is Brahman perceived. That yogi who dissolves his inner sense [mind] along with the sound of the Pranava makes for that immortal state of becoming one with Brahman, by giving up the delusion of existence apart from the atman.” (Brahmavidya Upanishad 12,13)
“The end of the Pranava is That Which transcends all.” (Brahmavidya Upanishad 72)
These verses are speaking of the meditation of Om. Those who follow the thread of the subtle Pranava to the end will merge in the transcendental Consciousness, beyond Which is nothing, but within Which is everything. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
“Om is Brahman, the Primeval Being. This is the Veda which the knowers of Brahman know; through it one knows what is to be known.” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.1.1)
Om is the Original Being, the Origin of all, and the End of all. Although It has become expanded, extended, or elaborated into the scriptures called Vedas, the truth is that Om alone is the Veda. So do the knowers of Brahman know. Through union-knowledge of Om all is known; for Om is all that is. Om is verily both the seed and the fruit of omniscience. Chandogya Upanishad
“One should meditate on this Syllable [Om].” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.1.1)
The desire to meditate is laudable, but we need to know the way to meditate, and this Upanishad tells us the way: by silently intoning Om and becoming absorbed in the Consciousness It embodies.
“That is the quintessence of the essences, the Supreme, the highest.” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.1.3)
If we should wonder why the opening verse of the upanishad tells us to meditate on Om, this verse tells us. There is no higher meditation than the meditation of Om, for It is the essence of Divinity. No other interior practice need claim our attention or time.
“Speech [Vak] and Life-force [prana] are joined together in the Syllable Om. Verily, whenever the pair come together, they fulfil each other’s desire. He who knowing this thus, meditates on the Syllable, becomes, verily, a fulfiller of desires. Verily, this Syllable is of assent, for whenever one assents to anything he says simply ‘Om.’ What is assent is fulfillment. He, who knowing this thus, meditates on the Syllable, becomes, verily, a fulfiller of desires. By this [Om] does the threefold knowledge proceed. Saying Om, one recites: saying Om, one orders: saying Om, one sings aloud, in honor of that Syllable, with its greatness and its essence. He who knows this thus, and he who knows not, both perform with It. Knowledge and ignorance, however, are different. What, indeed, one performs with knowledge, faith, and meditation, that, indeed becomes more powerful. This, verily is the explanation of this Syllable.” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.1.6-10)
Speech is more than exterior verbalization. It is the very power of conceptualization and thought. Furthermore, it is the very impulse, the movement, of combined consciousness and light energy–speech and life-force–that culminates in verbalization. It is this union-expansion of speech and life-force in the intonation of Om that reveals the likeness of the individual consciousness (jiva) to Brahman Itself.
“Speech and Life-force are joined together in the Syllable Om.” Both speech and prana are manifested and reunited in the repetition of Om. Om is the point of their origin and their return. Om is the source of all things, and therefore of speech and prana. By Om we begin moving back to the state where they are one.
There is a very practical side to this, for: “Verily, whenever the pair come together, they fulfil each other’s desire. He who knowing this thus, meditates on the Syllable, becomes, verily, a fulfiller of desires.” Om being the source of all and the manifester of all is obviously the accomplisher of all. He who has his consciousness united with Om will accomplish whatever he desires. This is supported by the upanishadic seer pointing out that in Vedic rituals Om was employed as a term of assent. Therefore whatever an adept in Om Yoga desires, it will be assented to.
There is simply no comparison possible between the religious endeavor of the religionist who knows of Om, but does not know Om by direct experience, and the Om Yogi who does know. For Om is Divine Power Itself.
“He obtains wishes by singing [intoning], who knowing this, meditates on the udgitha [Om] as the syllable. This, with regard to the self.” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.2.14)
We are frequently going to encounter the word udgitha in the upanishadic verses regarding Om. Om is essential for all Vedic recitations and rites, being intoned throughout. It is technically referred to as “the udgitha” in the ceremonial texts, and the upanishads also use that term to underscore its prime value and dignity as the essence of the Vedas.
Those who desire to know the Self as they engage in the japa and meditation of Om shall indeed obtain that knowing.
“One should meditate on the udgitha as this syllable [Om]….Verily, the gods, when they were afraid of death, took refuge in the threefold knowledge [of the Rig, Saman, and Yajur Vedas]. …Death saw them there in the Rig, in the Saman and in the Yajus just as one might see a fish in water. When they found this out, they rose out of the Rig, out of the Saman, out of the Yajus and took refuge in sound. Verily, then one learns the Rik, one sounds out Om. [It is] the same with Saman; [it is] the same with Yajus. This sound is that syllable, the immortal, the fearless. Having entered this, the gods became immortal, fearless. He who knows it thus, praises this Syllable, takes refuge in that Syllable, in the immortal, fearless sound, and having entered it, he becomes immortal, even as the gods became immortal.” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.4.1-5)
The Rig Veda has told us that the gods repose on/in the bindu of Om, the center of all being, the “heart” of God. Now we are being given an account of how they ascended to immortality. While examining this, we should keep in mind that the “gods” not only exist in the subtle cosmos, but they exist also in us. Therefore a parable about the external gods reveals the inner spiritual faculties that correspond to them.
The gods felt they would be safe from death by merging their consciousness with the Vedic sound-powers. This, of course, was foolish, since all that begins must end. Only the eternal abides unchanging and forever. Just as creation is cyclic, so also is the sounding forth of the Vedas. When creation is withdrawn, so are they. And since death is inherent in the “life” of relative existence, death could see and seize them. Realizing this, they arose from the Vedic vibrations and entered into the Primal Sound: Om which underlies the Vedas and which is imperishable (akshara). The sage points out that no one learns the Vedas without first intoning Om. This is what pointed the gods to the Immortal Secret through which they became themselves immortal and beyond all fear. Wherefore the true “knower” values Om and takes refuge in it through japa and meditation. When he has fully merged his consciousness in Om, then he, too, becomes immortal and fearless.
“Now, verily, what is the udgitha is the Om. What is Om is the udgitha. And so verily, the udgitha is the yonder sun and the Om, for the sun is continually sounding ‘Om.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.5.1)
The significant part of this verse is the statement that “the sun is continually sounding ‘Om,’” indicating that the energy of the sun is a manifestation of Om. Scientists have only recently discovered this phenomenon. On page 16 of the July 2004 issue of National Geographic we find this: “Bubbles the size of Texas cover the sun’s face…. Called granules, the short-lived cells of plasma carry heat to the surface through convection, the same way water boils in a pot. The rise and fall of granules creates sound waves, which cause the sun to throb like a drum every five minutes.”
Our life depends on the light of the sun, thus our life is also a manifestation of the power of Om. The japa and meditation of Om aligns us with the solar powers that are Om and thereby greatly increase our life force and the evolution of all the levels of our being.
“One should meditate on the breath in the mouth as the udgitha, for it is continually sounding ‘Om.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.5.3)
On the subtle levels of our being the prana is always producing the sound of Om, and that includes the breath, its most objective manifestation. We can even say that the soul lives and breathes in Om. This is why sometimes during meditation Om aligns itself with the breath and we automatically begin intoning Om in time with its movements. In this way we move from soul-consciousness into spirit-consciousness–all through Om.
“Now, verily, what is the udgitha is the Pranava. What is Pranava is the udgitha. [If one knows this], verily, from the seat of the Hotri priest, all wrong singing is corrected, yea is corrected.” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.5.5)
The Hotri priest is the one who directs the actions of the sacred rites. Symbolically speaking, “the seat of the Hotri priest” is our inner consciousness, and just as mistakes in recitation of the Vedic mantras are corrected from the seat of the Hotri priest, so through the japa and meditation of Om “conducted” by our inmost self all the “wrong singing” of our life-actions will be corrected. That is, both ignorance and negative karmas will be removed and dissolved.
“This is the udgitha [Om], highest and best. This is endless. He who, knowing this, mediates on udgitha, the highest and best, becomes the highest and best and obtains the highest and best worlds. When Atidhanvan Shunaka taught this udgitha to Udara Shandilya, he also said: ‘As long as they shall know this udgitha among your descendants, so long their life in this world will be the highest and best.’ And so will their state in that other world be. One who thus knows and meditates–his life in this world becomes the highest and best, and so his state in that other world, yea, in that other world.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 1.9.2-4)
It is our nature to want only the best, so the upanishad is telling us what the best really is: Om. “Highest and best” is an epithet for God, so we are also being told that Om is Divine, and through It we can ascend to become ourselves the highest and best, participants in the Supreme Glory that is God. Om is endless; this means that It is infinite, without either beginning or end. Om is eternity itself. By means of Om we can rise to the highest states of being (“worlds”), including that of God Himself.
The instructions of Atidhanvan Shunaka assure us that even in this world we can ascend to the highest consciousness, that as long as Om is held onto even our earthly life shall be divine.
“As all leaves are held together by the stalk, so is all speech held together by Om. Verily, the Syllable Om is all this, yea, the Syllable Om is all this.” (Chandogya Upanishad 2.23.3)
“This” refers to all things, manifest and unmanifest. And Om is their quintessence, their source, and their manifester. It is the power of logos–the Word–that characterizes a self-conscious being, one capable of self-evolution; and Om is the source and coordinator of that power.
“Even as a great extending highway runs between two villages, this one and that yonder, even so the rays of the sun go to both these worlds, this one and that yonder. They start from the yonder sun and enter into the nadis. They start from the nadis and enter into the yonder sun. …When a man departs from this body, then he goes upwards by these very rays or he goes up with the thought of Om. As his mind is failing, he goes to the sun. That, verily, is the gateway of the world, an entering in for the knowers, a shutting out for the non-knowers.” (Chandogya Upanishad 8.6.2,5)
The solar rays do not just flow into this world, they also draw upward through the sun and beyond. In the human body the process of exhalation and inhalation is related to solar energy, and much of the solar power on which we subsist is drawn into the body through our breathing. The solar rays do not just strike the surface of our body, but actually penetrate into the physical nerves (nadis). The nadis are also the channels in the astral body that correspond to the physical nerves. Just as the electrical impulses flow through the physical nerves, the subtle life force, or prana, flows through the subtle nadis and keeps us alive and functioning. And as we have already seen, the prana, as it flows, is always sounding Om. The prana, then, is a vehicle for the solar energies that produce evolution, and we increase its effect through the japa and meditation of Om.
The continual intonation of Om, both in and outside of meditation, conditions our subtle levels so that at the time of death we will be oriented toward the solar powers and can ascend upon them–especially if we continue our intonations of Om even after the body has been dropped. Those intonations will guarantee our ascent into the solar world. Those who have imbued themselves with the Pranavic vibrations will enter through the solar gate, whereas those who have not done so will be shut out by it and compelled to return to earthly rebirth.
Under the quotation from the Yajur Veda we have already seen that whatever we think of most during life we will think of at the time of our death. This was affirmed by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita: “At the hour of death, when a man leaves his body, he must depart with his consciousness absorbed in Me. Then he will be united with Me. Be certain of that. Whatever a man remembers at the last, when he is leaving the body, will be realized by him in the hereafter; because that will be what his mind has most constantly dwelt on, during this life. Therefore you must remember Me at all times, and do your duty. If your mind and heart are set upon Me constantly, you will come to Me. Never doubt this. Make a habit of practicing meditation, and do not let your mind be distracted. In this way you will come finally to the Lord, Who is the light-giver, the highest of the high.”
Those who continually invoke and meditate upon Om during their lifetime will remember Om at the time of death, and by means of Om will ascend to the sun and beyond into the real Beyond. Darshan Upanishad
“Pranayama is composed of the Pranava, Om. [Therefore] he should repeat the Pranava mentally. This only will be pranayama.” (Darshan Upanishad 6:2,5,6)
Pranayama is control of the subtle life forces–prana. Some yogis claim to accomplish this control by means of various breathing exercises. But we have already seen in the verses from the Atharvashikha Upanishad that the invocation and meditation on Om causes the yogi’s various bodies and his consciousness itself to rise to higher levels of vibration. In this way, then, japa and meditation of Om is the real pranayama, the yogic breath control being but the barest shadow of it since it affects only the lower bodies. Breath being a manifestation of prana it often happens that our intonations of Om spontaneously become joined to the breath. But even then, that is not pranayama, only a manifestation of the real pranayama: the repetition of Om. Dhyanabindu Upanishad
“The Single Lettered Syllable [Om] should be contemplated upon as Brahman by all who aspire for emancipation. …He who does not know Omkara is not a Brahmin.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad)
Although “Brahmin” has come to designate a member of the highest Hindu caste consisting of priests, pandits, philosophers, and religious leaders, it literally means “knower of Brahman,” which is the sense intended here.
“The Pranava, Om, is the supreme Bija, with the Bindu and the Nada. What is above that stands enduring forever. What is endowed with sound is the Pranava, typical of all sound-phenomena; when the chief ingredient [the differentiating substratum] is lost, the soundless residuum is the highest seat [Brahman]. That sound arising from the heart, ‘Om’ of the Pranava, is eternal [as borne testimony to by the Scriptural text, ‘Eternal indeed is the Omkara’]; the yogi who discovers that transcendent One which transcends that sound, stands clear of all doubt.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad, 2,3)
The statement that Om is eternal is most significant, for if It were only the outward-projecting force that causes creation to emanate from Brahman, It would be intermittent–that is, It would only be “uttered” or projected when creation was in manifestation, and would cease at the time of the withdrawal of creation (pralaya).
This also tells us about the eternal nature of creation. Om is eternal–that is, creation even in its most subtle condition as causal matter (pradhana) never ceases to exist. Therefore the cosmic Om never ceases, and pradhana (Om) is co-eternal with God. The upanishad is indicating the truth that the Three Eternals are God, Creation (whether manifest or unmanifest), and the individual spirits.
“Pranava is the bow, the atman is the arrow, and Brahman is the target. If aim be taken with due care, the arrow will become merged in the target of Brahman and become one with It.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 14)
This is a frequently used simile for japa and meditation of Om in the upanishads. We see that Om is the impelling force that unites the soul with God “if aim be taken with due care.”
“The monosyllable Om, which is Brahman, should always be meditated upon by those who desire release from bondage. …The imperishable Pranava bestows release from bondage.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 9,17)
In other upanishads, such as the Jabala Upanishad, Om is referred to as the moksha-mantra–the mantra that bestows perfect liberation to the soul. It should always be uttered aloud or mentally so that It becomes a divine thread upon which all our thoughts and deeds are strung and offered to God.
Since Om is the origin of all things, It is Om to which all things return–in our case by the means of japa and meditation of Om.
“All the gods take their origin from Om. All the letters [of the alphabet] take their origin from Om. All the three worlds, with everything, animate and inanimate therein, take their origin from Om.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 15,16)
“The three worlds” refers to the three “worlds” or levels of creation: physical, astral, and causal. Om is the inmost reality of them all. This being so, the invocation of Om directly affects all the three worlds for their upliftment. Thus a Om Yogi uplifts the three worlds as well as himself by his practice of Om Yoga. As the Om Yogi liberates himself, he works for the liberation of the three worlds as well. No greater benefactor can be found than that in all the three worlds!
“The fine [subtle] end of the Pranava cannot be expressed, as of an unbroken stream of oil or the long [continuous] tolling of a bell. He who knows Him is the real knower of the Veda and becomes a jivanmukta.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 18/37)
There is no really good expression in English for the words translated “tolling of a bell.” It means the continuing resonating of sound after the bell has been struck that gradually fades away into subtler and subtler sound and then into silence.
It is extremely interesting to see that the Pranava is here referred to as “Him” rather than “It.”
“Making the atman the lower arani and Om the upper arani, and practicing the friction of meditation, one should apply himself to the best of his strength to the resonance of the sound of Omkara.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 22, 23)
Since meditation is the method by which we attune ourselves to “the resonance of the sound of Omkara,” that is being spoken of here. “Pranava [japa] causes the lotus of the heart to turn upward and open.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad 34)
This is a condensation and paraphrase. “Heart” (hridaya) means the core of our being. Presently our inner consciousness is turned downward, oriented toward external and material objects–a condition that unfailingly produces ignorance and rebirth. Further, it is shrunken and minimal in its scope. Also, as I.K. Taimni points outs: “No success in yoga is possible unless all the energies of the soul are polarized and harnessed for achieving the central purpose.” Invocation of Om repolarizes and reorients our inner consciousness, turning it “upward” toward Spirit, thus accomplishing the “repentance” [metanoite] insisted upon in the Bible. But it does more than turn us around; it also begins to develop, evolve, and enlarge our consciousness, extending it to infinity.
“Practicing meditation, one should apply himself to the best of his strength to the resonance of the sound of Omkara.” (Dhyanabindu Upanishad)
Hayagriva Upanishad
“Salutations unto Thee [Vishnu] who art the embodiment of Om.” (Hayagriva Upanishad)
As in the Atharvashikha Upanishad, Om is identified with the preserving-saving aspect of God known as Vishnu. (Later in the upanishad, Vishnu is actually addressed in a prayer as “Om.”) As indicated, the preserving and saving power of God is an aspect or attribute of Om.
“Om is the connecting link between the innermost atman and the Paramatman, thus bringing about the identity of the two indicated by the term ‘asi.’” (Hayagriva Upanishad)
In the Chandogya Upanishad there is the account of a sage teaching his son the nature of his true self. He employs many similes, concluding each one by saying: Tat twam asi–You are That. Asi is the word meaning “are.”
“Yoga” means “union,” and “yogi” means “one who produces union.” Although it is not incorrect to refer to individuals as yogis and their spiritual practice as yoga, in the highest sense God is the only yogi, for it is His power alone that effects the union (yoga) of the individual consciousness with Himself, the Supreme Consciousness. And that power is the power of Om. Om is the link, the bridge between the finite and the Infinite. It not only joins them, It makes them ONE. It is the primal awareness of I AM on the microcosmic and macrocosmic levels. Jabala Upanishad
“Once students of sacred knowledge asked Yajnavalkya: Can we gain life eternal by japa? Yajnavalkya said: By the immortal Name one becomes immortal. He should utter the moksha mantra [Pranava, Om] which is the essence [substance] of the Vedas. This is Brahman. It should be meditated upon.” (Jabala Upanishad 3, 4)
Japa and meditation of Om are so simple, so “small,” that it is only natural for us to wonder if such things could result in the attaining of Cosmic Consciousness. So his students asked the great sage Yajnavalkya if life eternal, the knowledge of God, could be gained by means of them. The answer was clear and unequivocal: Yes. Kaivalya Upanishad
“By making his own inner sense [i.e., awareness] the lower arani and the Pranava the upper arani, the accomplished adept completely burns up and reduces to ashes his ignorance of the atman.” (Kaivalya Upanishad 11)
The inner consciousness of the yogi and the Pranava, when “rubbed together” by japa and meditation, produce the fire of divine knowledge which reduces ignorance to ashes. It is ignorance that produces all the wrong and foolish actions engaged in by human beings, and those actions produce all the sufferings of human beings. Ignorance, then, is the root of sin and suffering, and eradication of ignorance is the only way to be rid of sin and suffering. Japa and meditation of Om completely burn up our ignorance and reduce the seeds of our karma to ashes, ending ignorance and rebirth for us and enlightening and freeing us. Katha Upanishad
“I will tell you briefly of that Goal which all the Vedas with one voice propound, which all the austerities speak of, and wishing for Which people practice discipline: It is Om. Om, indeed, is the Lower Brahman; this is, indeed, the Higher Brahman. Anyone who, meditating on Om, wishes either of the Two [aspects], by him that is attained. This [Om] is the best means [of attainment and realization]; this means is the Higher and Lesser Brahman. Meditating on Om, one becomes worthy of worship in the world of Brahman.” (Katha Upanishad 1. 2.15-17)
Om is the aim of all spiritual aspirations, and Om is the means to attain them.
The terms “Lower” and “Higher” in this quotation refer to Brahman in His manifestations as all Relative Existence and the Transcendent Absolute Existence. The idea here is that Om embraces the total range of existence–the totality of God–and therefore is God (Brahman). And God is Om, and can be attained through Om. The upanishad tells us that both “aspects” of God can be attained by Om Yogis lest they think that the transcendental aspect, Nirguna Brahman, is beyond their capacity to attain. Om attains everything. Since God includes all that exists, Om is the key to everything–material, psychic, or spiritual–indeed, is everything. Thus Om Itself is Cosmic Consciousness.
Om is the means to attain divinity; and those who so attain become themselves “deities,” worthy of worship and able to assist those who call upon them. This is the secret of the “gods” who, the upanishads tell us, took refuge in Om, thereby merging in That Which is Om and becoming themselves Om and worthy of worship by those who would also attain the “world” (status) of Brahman. Shankara in his commentary on this upanishad says: “‘Meditating on Om one is worshipped in the world of Brahman.’ This idea is this: Getting identified with Brahman, he becomes worshippable like Brahman.”
Although there is a tremendous amount of propaganda about various yoga practices being the highest or the quickest to bestow enlightenment, according to the Vedic tradition embodied in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras, Om “is the best means” for liberation of the spirit and the attainment of Divine Consciousness. Krishna Upanishad
The Krishna Upanishad refers to Om as the “Brahma Pranava,” the Pranava [Om] that is God. Sometimes in the scriptures, Brahma refers to the Pitamaha, the Great Father who creates the three lower worlds of Bhur, Bhuva, and Swah–the world of men, angels, and archangels–rather than Brahman. In that case, “Brahma Pranava” would mean that Brahma creates these worlds through the mantric agency of Om. Kshurika Upanishad
“Like a tortoise one draws in the limbs [of the senses] and locks up the mind in the heart by means of the repetition of Om. The knower of Yoga, having cut the thread [that binds to birth and death] with the knife of the Syllable Om does not become bound again.”
All distractions in meditation are transcended by means of the japa and meditation of Om. As the Kaivalya Upanishad states, it is the power of Om that severs the bond of ignorance tying us to the cycle of rebirth.
The upanishad speaks of Om as a knife. There are many methods or mental gimmicks that can produce a temporary release from “the ties that bind,” but Om severs them forever. Kundika Upanishad
“The transcendent Brahman is indicated by Om.” (Kundika Upanishad)
This may also correctly be translated as: “The transcendent Brahman is the meaning of Om.” Mahanarayan Upanishad
“The Supreme Being is the most excellent Pranava that is taught in the Vedas. …The threefold worlds and the entire Veda are comprised in Om.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 8:1)
“The Name designating the self-luminous Reality and consisting of the Syllable Om is hidden in the Vedas. By contemplating on the Supreme along with the japa of that Name one attains to immortality. This designation of the Supreme is on the lips of contemplative sages and It is the central support of undying bliss. May we always repeat in our contemplative sacrifices the designation Om which has for Its cause the self-luminous Reality and may we also hold Him in our hearts with salutations. The Syllable Om declares the Supreme. God-like sages attained the self-luminous Reality that pervades the three states of consciousness [through Om that is] secretly held by the teachers who praise It by chants in the Vedic speech.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 12:8-11)
“Om is hidden in the Vedas” as their inmost meaning or message, as well as their essence. Thus the knowledge of Om is the sovereign secret of the Vedas. For this reason sages never cease invoking It.
“The Syllable Om is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 12:17)
“The one Syllable Om is Brahman. Its use is for the union with the Paramatman Who exists as the manifold Universe.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 33: 1)
He who is one with Om is one with all: both the absolute, the Paramatman, and the relative, the manifold Universe. For they are one.
“Om is Brahman. Om is Vayu [Prana]. Om is the finite self. Om is the Supreme Truth. Om is all. Om is the multitude of citadels [the bodies of creatures]. Salutation to Him. That Supreme Being moves inside the heart of created being possessing manifold forms. O Supreme,…Thou art Om.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 68:1,2)
“By means of Om the yogi should concentrate his thought on the Supreme Self. This syllable Om verily is the substance of many great upanishads and a secret guarded by the gods without imparting to the unqualified. He who practices meditation on the Supreme thus with the aid of the Pranava attains to the unlimited greatness of the Supreme. By that [Om] he attains to the greatness of Brahman. Thus the secret knowledge has been imparted.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 80:18)
Since “upanishad” literally means “that which was heard while sitting near,” the words “many great upanishads” in the foregoing verse may simply mean “many great teachings.” Maitrayana Upanishad
The Maitrayana Upanishad is a different recension of the better-known Maitri Upanishad which will follow this section. Because there are some points of difference I am including and commenting on both.
“‘Indeed, there are two forms of Brahman, the one having form, the other formless;’ but the one having form is the untruth [or: unreal], the formless one is the truth [or: real], is Brahman, as Brahman the light, as the light of the sun; but this is the Syllable Om as the self. ‘But He made himself threefold,’ because in Om there are three matras [a, u, and m]; through It this whole world is all interwoven lengthwise and breadthwise in that [Brahman who is the sun]. As it is said: ‘Indeed the sun is this Om;’ therefore one should meditate and make himself ready to unite himself with it.
“And in another place also it is said: ‘The udgitha is the Pranava and the Pranava is the udgitha. That is why the udgitha is that sun and is the Pranava.’ Because it is said: ‘[One should meditate on] that udgitha, which is called the holy sound [Om], which is the guide or propeller which is in the form of light, which is sorrowless, ageless, free from death, which is threefold, and which lies concealed in the cavity of the heart.’ Because it is said: ‘Having the root above, It is the three-footed Brahman; ether, air, fire, water, and earth are Its branches. That is Brahman and its splendor is that which is that sun and it is also the splendor of that Syllable Om; that is why one should worship it [Brahman, the sun] unintermittently through the Syllable Om. Because this is the one illuminator of man.’ As it is said: ‘Indeed, this Syllable is sacred, this Syllable is the highest one; he who knows this Syllable–whatever he wishes is allotted to him.’” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:3,4)
Much of this has already been considered, but in the fourth verse there is an important reference. Om is said to be “the guide or propeller which is in the form of light.” In the Rig Veda there is a mantra known as the Savitri Gayatri which is recited for unfoldment of the intellectual powers leading to enlightenment. When speaking of the divine sun of enlightenment, Brahman, it prays: “May It impel us towards That.” Sri Ramakrishna said that Om is the essence of the Gayatri mantra–that its recitation eventually replaces the Gayatri entirely. This is borne out by the upanishad. Om Itself is the Light that propels us towards union with the Light–with Om.
Although it has become the custom in Vedic religion to recite volumes of Sanskrit hymns and mantras in worship, the Vedic Rishis understood that all worship could be done by the recitation of Om. Even more, they realized that real worship of God consisted of offering oneself to God by entering into union with Him. And Om effected that union–that worship. Nothing more was needed.
Just as the sun is the sole illuminator of the world (at least in the natural order of things), so the upanishad declares Om to be “the one illuminator of man.”
“And in another place it is said: ‘The Syllable Om is Its [Brahman’s] sound-form.’ [A long listing of the various forms of Brahman follows; and in conclusion the upanishad says:] Therefore, when one says Om, all the previously mentioned ones are adored and are included, along with It [Brahman]. As it is said: ‘Indeed, O Satyakama, this Syllable Om is the higher and the lower Brahman.’” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:5)
By the invocation of Om, God in all His manifestations–as well as His unmanifest Being–is worshipped. Japa and meditation of Om is the highest form of worship, therefore Sri Ramanuja, the great Indian philosopher, taught that meditation is the real bhakti (devotion) and jnana (wisdom). Everything else is egoic play and fantasy. And, speaking of the ego: the upanishad now says:
“By the Syllable Om he ascends. Through that he attains to the state of egolessness and on account of egolessness, he does not participate in joy or sorrow but he attains to absoluteness.” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:21)
The little joys and sorrows of earth which are produced by the (actually) small things of earth are no more for him who ascends to the Highest by means of Om.
“It is said: ‘Indeed, two Brahmans are to be contemplated: the Word and the Non-Word. For through the Word is the Wordless made manifest.’ Here the Word signifies the Syllable Om. Ascending through this, one attains to the wordless or the non-word, to Nirvana. Then further it is said: ‘This is the way, this is immortality, this is communion and blessed happiness.’ Particularly, just as a spider climbing up by its threads comes into free space, so also the one who meditates and ascends through the Syllable Om attains to freedom.
“Transcending this Word-Brahman which carries individual characteristics in Itself, they disappear in the highest, wordless, unmanifest Brahman. In that place they are without individual qualities, without individual differences, just like the manifold juices of flowers which have entered into the honey.
“For it is said: ‘One must know two Brahmans: the Word-Brahman and the highest Brahman. He who is proficient in the Word-Brahman attains the highest Brahman also.’
“And in another place it is said: ‘The Word-Brahman is the Syllable Om; but the uppermost part of That is that which is composed [quiet], wordless, which is devoid of fear and sorrow, which is bliss, satiated [full of contentment], firm, unmoving, immortal, unshaking, steady, which bears the name of Vishnu and leads to the place elevated above all.’ That is why one should worship these both. As it is said: ‘The highest God and the lower One, Who is called Om by name, one, becoming speechless and vacant [without any extraneous thought] should meditate.’” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:22,23)
These verses are specifically speaking about the meditation of Om, by means of which the objective syllable Om becomes reduced to Its subtle forms. Those who ascend in this way by means of Om are the real Ascended Masters.
The upanishad assures us here that the practice of japa and meditation of Om is itself the guarantee of success to the seeker.
“And in another place it is said: ‘The body is the bow, the Syllable Om is the arrow, the mind is the tip [of the arrow], darkness is the target; when one pierces through darkness, he reaches the place not obscured by darkness. He who has pierced that which is obscured has seen Brahman, Which is comparable to a sparkling “wheel of sparks,”’ Which has the splendor like that of the sun, Which is filled with power, and Which is beyond darkness. That Brahman shines in that yonder sun, as well as in the moon, in the fire, and in the lightning, and when he has seen Him, he enters into immortality.’
“As it is said: ‘Absorption [meditation] directed on the inner self nevertheless grasps also the external objectives. Thus the objectless consciousness is made again objective. Still the bliss which ensues when the mind is merged with the self–with the self only as witness–is Brahman, the pure, eternal one. It is the true way, it is the true world.’” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:24)
The darkness which the upanishad says is the target is the “divine darkness,” the state of “unknowing” which leads to the Light of Knowing. This is the entire subject of the medieval Western spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. Brahman, being beyond the senses, is Itself often called “darkness” in the sense that it cannot be beheld by either the outer eyes or the inner eye of the mind and intellect. But the eye of spirit can indeed behold It; and shall. For that darkness will be found to be the true Light–all other light being but darkness and shadow.
The “wheel of sparks” which is said to be like Brahman is the alatachakra: a firebrand that is being whirled about so it forms a continuous orb of light that emits sparks in all directions, the sparks being the individual spirits that exist ever in the One Spirit, yet seem to emerge from Him and enter into relative existence with its attendant bondage.
The second part of this verse supports that which many contemporary sages have said: At first in our search for God we follow the path of negation, saying neti, neti–this is not God, that is not God–in relation to the world and its experiences. But when we find God and are united with Him we reverse this and declare that “this” and “that” are God–and so, in a mysterious way, are we. That which heretofore was seen as unreal is then known to be real. Through meditation we abandon objective consciousness for subjective consciousness so we may again return to objective consciousness–but now illumined by the experience of the Divine Subject: God.
“And in another place it is said: ‘When one, with his senses held down or dormant as in sleep, sees, in the cave of the sense-organs, still not under the sway of the senses, through the purest thought, as in a dream, that director, the atman called the Pranava, who is formed of light, who is slumberless, ageless, deathless, and sorrowless,’ because it is said: ‘Because it binds together prana and Om and all the manifoldness or because It unites them in Itself, it is, on that account, called Yoga.’
“And in another place it is said: ‘Just as the fisher pulls out the creatures living in water within his net and sacrifices them into the fire of his body, so also, indeed, one, as if, pulls out the pranas with the Syllable Om and sacrifices them into sorrowless fire.’” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:25,26)
“The purest thought” by which Brahman is perceived is the subtlest form of Om as experienced in meditation.
Here, too, we see that Om is both Yogi and Yoga. And the Cosmic Fire of Brahman.
“He who knocks down the ego [ahankara] and journeys on the ship of Om beyond the ether in the heart, in him the inner ether in the heart [that is Brahman] becomes manifest by and by.” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:28)
By this we learn that Om is the vanquisher of ego, ahankara, the false sense of “I” as separate from God. When that is done, then Om is the ship that will carry us over the ocean of ignorance into the harbor of God. The “by and by” spoken of here may be long or it may be short, but Brahman will become manifest in the Om yogi.
“One should adore the Immeasurable Power [God] through the Syllable Om.” (Maitrayana Upanishad 6:37)
Here again we see that the inconceivable and infinite God can be worshipped by means of Om. For Om is Itself that God.
“The essence or nature of the ether found in the cave [of the heart, hridaya guha] is, indeed, that highest power. The essence or nature of the ether found in the cave [of the heart] is, indeed, that Syllable Om. Through It that power breaks or sallies forth, ascends, and is breathed out; it may be without intermission, or it may be as a support for the meditation on Brahman.
“In this process [of the Supreme Power which is the Pranava becoming active and moving forth or upward], that power, during the motion of prana, emerges as the warmth throwing the light into the background; and just as it occurs during the wafting of smoke [upwards and about], after it [that power] has sprung up as a twig in the ether of the heart, it unfolds itself further and becomes another twig or branch after the other one [rising up into infinity], just as when a lump of salt is thrown into water or just as the heat [rises] in the melted butter or just as the thought of one who meditates extends itself [into infinity].” (Maitrayana Upanishad 7:11a)
Tangled as the above seems, the idea is that during meditation Om attaches itself to the subtle inner movement of prana and changes into a whisperlike form similar to the sound or movement of respiration, and keeps going through an almost infinite variety of permutations as It becomes increasingly subtle.
It is said in the upanishads that the inmost consciousness of the human being is like two branches upon which two birds are sitting. On one branch a bird sits eating the fruit of the tree, while on the other branch the bird sits merely observing the other bird and its eating of the fruit. The first bird is said to be the individual consciousness which eats the fruits of its actions in the form of karma. The second bird is the Supreme Consciousness which observes the individual spirit in transcendent detachment and silence. Both the experience of the individual and the witnessing of the Cosmic Being are made possible by the “branching” of Om. Both rest upon Om for the experiencing and the witnessing.
“In this connection they cite the following passage: ‘But why is it [Om] called lightning-like? Because no sooner is It uttered than It illuminates [brightens up] the whole body like lightning.’ That is why one should worship that immeasurable Power through the Syllable Om.” (Maitrayana Upanishad 7:11b)
In the Rig Veda it is said that the evil ones, the Vritras, hid the sun in a cave so darkness would prevail upon the earth. The aspiring ones, the Aryas, searched for the sun. When they found the cave, by means of Om, the satya-mantra–the mantra that reveals the Truth [God], or the mantra that embodies the Truth [God]–they broke open the sealed cave and the sun rose into the sky and enlightened the world. That is why the upanishad earlier says: “Through It that power breaks or sallies forth, and ascends.”
Om, when uttered, “illuminates the whole body like lightning.” When our consciousness is centered on Om, then our bodies, physical, astral, and causal, are filled with the Light of God by Its invocation. Om is both Life and Light. What else, then, can we offer God in worship than Himself in the form of Om?
More of The Word That Is God:
• Forward
• Chapter One–The Scriptures on the Pranava
• Chapter Two–The Scriptures on the Pranava, continued
• Chapter Three–The Masters of Wisdom on the Pranava
• Chapter Four–The Glories and Powers of Om
1) Veda: Knowledge, wisdom, revealed scripture.[Go back]
2) Bija means “seed,” in this case a “seed” mantra from which realization grows as a tree from a seed. Om is also called a seed because it is a single-syllable mantra, a “seed” because it is like a dot or point of sound. [Go back]
3) Mantra: Sacred syllable or word or set of words through the repetition and reflection of which one attains perfection or realization of the Self. Literally, “a transforming thought” (manat trayate). A mantra, then is a sound formula that transforms the consciousness. [Go back]
4) Vedic: Having to do with the Vedas. [Go back]
5) Bindu: Point; dot; seed; source; the point from which the subtle Omkara arises that is experienced in meditation. [Go back]
6) Nada: Sound; mystic inner sound; the primal sound or first vibration from which all creation has emanated; the first manifestation of the unmanifested Absolute; Omkara or Shabda Brahman. The continuous sound of Om experienced in meditation. [Go back]
7) This is a reference to the ideogrammatic form of Om in which it is surmounted by a horizontal crescent shape (the nada) upon which there rests a dot (bindu). [Go back]
8) Bhagavad Gita 8:6 [Go back]
9) Rudra: Shiva. Derived from rud–he who drives away sin or suffering. [Go back]
10) Brahma: The Creator (Prajapati) of the three worlds of men, angels, and archangels (Bhur, Bhuwah, and Swah); the first of the created beings; Hiranyagarbha or cosmic intelligence. [Go back]
11) Vishnu: “The all-pervading;” God as the Preserver. [Go back]
12) Shiva: A name of God meaning “One Who is all Bliss and the giver of happiness to all.” Although classically applied to the Absolute Brahman, Shiva can also refer to God (Ishwara) in His aspect of Dissolver and Liberator (often mistakenly thought of as “destroyer”). [Go back]
13) Aswara: Without sound, accent, or tone. [Go back]
14) Sat: Existence; reality; truth; being; a title of Brahman, the Absolute or Pure Being. [Go back]
15) Asat: Unreal[ity]; nonbeing; nonexistence; false; falsehood. [Go back]
16) This is a play on words, for akshara means both imperishable and syllable. [Go back]
17) Vidya: Knowledge; both spiritual knowledge and mundane knowledge. [Go back]
18) Shabda is sound or word. So Shabda Brahman is God as Sound or Word. [Go back]
19) Ganges (Ganga): The sacred river–believed to be of divine origin–that flows from high up in the Himalayas, through the plains of Northern India, and empties into the Bay of Bengal. Hindus consider that bathing in the Ganges profoundly purifies both body and mind. [Go back]
20) Prana: Vital energy; life-breath; life-force. In the human body the prana is divided into five forms: 1) prana, the prana that moves upward; 2) Apana: The prana that moves downward, producing the excretory functions in general. 3) Vyana: The prana that holds prana and apana together and produces circulation in the body. 4) Samana: The prana the carries the grosser material of food to the apana and brings the subtler material to each limb; the general force of digestion. 4) Udana: The prana which brings up or carries down what has been drunk or eaten; the general force of assimilation. [Go back]
21) Pranayama: Control of the subtle life forces, often by means of special modes of breathing. Therefore breath control or breathing exercises are usually mistaken for pranayama. [Go back]
22) Brahmaloka: The world (loka) of God (Brahman); the infinite consciousness of God. [Go back]
23) Parabrahman: Supreme Brahman. [Go back]
24) Sacred scripture. [Go back]
25) This statement is found in both the Maitri and Prashna Upanishads as well as here. [Go back]
26) John 1:1-3. Long before that the Vedic Seers had declared: “In the beginning was Prajapati [God the Creator], with Him was the Word, and the Word was truly the Supreme Brahman.” (Prajapati vai idam agra asit. Tasya vak dvitiya asit. Vag vai paramam Brahman.) [Go back]
27) “[Turiya] is entered by diving into the deeper levels of consciousness from the level of one’s own mind.” (Shiva Sutra 3:21) [Go back]
28) This is objectified in the way Om is usually written: ø. The lower curve represents the waking (jagrat) state and the material plane which it reveals. The upper curve represents the dream (swapna) state and the astral plane to which it corresponds. The “s” shape to the side represents the dreamless (sushupti) state from which both the dream and waking states arise, as well as the causal plane. The semicricle represents the state entered through the meditation of Om, which is midway between the dreamless state and that of pure awareness. The point (bindu) represents the state of pure consciousness (turiya). That is, the semicircle represents the state of samprajñata samadhi and the point represents the state of asamprajñata samadhi, both of which are discussed in the Appendix Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, and Meditation. [Go back]
29) Pralaya: Dissolution. [Go back]
30) Turiya-Turiya: “The consciousness of Consciousness;” the Absolute Consciousness of God, the Consciousness behind our individualized consciousness (turiya). [Go back]
31) For the sake of simplicity I have used Om here and in some of the subsequent parts of this upanishadic text where the term used is actually “Turiyomkar,” that designates the pure consciousness (turiya) aspect of Om (Omkar) which is the highest, beyond all conditioning and the three usual states of waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. [Go back]
32) Samsara: Life through repeated births and deaths; the wheel of birth and death; the process of earthly life. [Go back]
33) Although in Christianity and some other of the world’s great religions God is spoken of as “He,” in Vedic Religion the Supreme Being, Brahman, is always spoken of in the neutral pronoun “It” since male-female applies only in the relative world of duality which is based on positive-negative polarity. Brahman, transcending all duality, must necessarily be spoken of as beyond He or She. At the same time, in Its immanent expansion or emanation as the Mahat Tattwa, the Only Begotten, God is both male and female, both Father and Mother. [Go back]
34) Bhagavad Gita 4:10. Prabhavananda translation. [Go back]
35) Bhagavad Gita 2:40 [Go back]
36) Brahma comes from the root “brih” which means to expand. [Go back]
37) This whole passage is very complex and I have unhesitatingly simplified it. The fundamental idea here is that Om reveals Itself from within that which conceals It from those who do not meditate upon It. That is, through japa and meditation Om turns what conceals It into what reveals It–and does the same for the individual spirit, turning all the bodies and the external world which hitherto have hidden the perception (and even the very existence) of the true self-spirit into instruments of its revelation and the means to freedom from their former effects of bondage and ignorance. [Go back]
38) Mahadeva: “The Great God;” a title of Shiva. [Go back]
39) Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.3 [Go back]
40) This is the refrain of Shankara’s Six Stanzas on Nirvana. [Go back]
41) Nirvikalpa Samadhi: Samadhi in which there is no objective experience or experience of “qualities” whatsoever, and in which the triad of knower, knowledge and known does not exist; purely subjective experience of the formless and qualitiless and unconditioned Absolute. The highest state of samadhi, beyond all thought, attribute, and description. [Go back]
42) This state of being an internal battleground of good and evil forces is symbolized in the Bhagavad Gita. [Go back]
43) The Lord; Ishwara. [Go back]
44) Again, Brahman comes from the root “brih” which means to expand. [Go back]
45) Bhagavad Gita 8:5-10 (Prabhavananda translation). [Go back]
46) “Om is the Imperishable, Which does not decay under any circumstance.” (Amritanada Upanishad 24) [Go back]
47) A jivanmukta is one who is liberated in this present life. [Go back]
48) The word translated “repent” in the Bible really means to turn around 180 degrees. It is a matter of focussing consciousness, and has nothing to do with the negative emotions of sorrow and self-castigation. True “confession of sin” is the recognition of the nature of negative acts and the endeavor to turn–repent–from them. It is change of consciousness alone that enables us to enter the kingdom of God within. [Go back]
49) “Among sacrifices I am the sacrifice of japa.” (Bhagavad Gita 10:25) [Go back]
50) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1 [Go back]
51) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.2.3 [Go back]
52) Chandogya Upanishad 1.5.1 [Go back]
53) The Maitri Upanishad gives it this way: “There are, verily, two Brahmans to be meditated upon, sound and non-sound. By sound alone is the non-sound revealed. Now here the sound is Om. Moving upward by it one comes to ascend in the non-sound. So this is the way, this is immortality, this is complete union and also tranquility. And as the spider moves upward by the thread, obtains free space, thus assuredly, indeed the meditator moving upward by the Syllable Om attains freedom.
“There are two Brahmans to be known, the sound-Brahman and what is higher. Those who know the sound-Brahman get to the higher Brahman. What is the sound is the Syllable Om. That which is its end is tranquil, soundless, fearless, sorrowless, blissful, satisfied, steadfast, unmoving, immortal, unshaking, enduring, called Vishnu; for obtaining what is higher than everything, let him reverence these two. For thus is it said: He Who is both higher and lower, that God known by the name of Om is soundless and void of being too. And thus it has been said elsewhere: The body is the bow. The arrow is Om. The mind is its point, darkness is the mark. Having pierced through the darkness, one goes to what is not enveloped in darkness. Then having pierced through what is thus enveloped one sees Brahman.” [Go back]
54) The “fire” of digestion. [Go back]
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