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Re: the meaning of pranavam

From the Bhakti List Archives

jayasartn • May 3, 2003 


-SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

Please find here some information on pranavam. Any mis-interpretation 
is entirely mine and may be pardoned.

Omkara – upasana was the very basis of upanishadic-shAram.

According to AruNyupanishad, a sanyasin is supposed to chant the 
Upanishad mantra "OM hi OM hi OM hi" while seeking bhikshA. That is 
his yangyOpavitham. (verse 5)

In Katohpanishad, Yama explains NachikEtas the importance of OM.
NachikEtas asks Yama (Ka – 2.14) to unveil what he (Yama) sees as 
beyond dharma & adharma,  cause & effect and the created & the  yet 
to be created ones.
Yama's answer is "OM" 
(Ka 2.15 & 2.16) "Let me explain you in brief that which is glorified 
by all vEdas, sought after by all tapas and to attain which 
brahmacharyam is followed. It is OM. This akshara is Brahmam. This 
alone is para-brahmam. This belongs to the one who desires for it." 
Yama continues to extol the greatness of this akshara and relates it 
to Brahman in the succeeding verses. 

NarayanOpanishad expresses the similar view , " Brahma purusham 
pranava swaroopam / akAra ukArO makAra ithi / tha anEkadha samabhavat 
thadOmithi yamukthwa muchyathE yOgI janma samsara bhandhanAt/ (Na Up 
5)
The meditation on Om relieves one from the cycle of rebirth.
When a person anchors pranvam in his Atman and continues the 
meditation, he can see the paramAtman, so says BrahmOpanishad. 
(AtmAnamaraNim kruthwa pranavanchOthraraNim.. 18)

KaivalyOpanishad expresses the similar view to weed off pApam. (Brah 
up- 1.11)

SvEthaswatara upanishad echoes the same in verse 1.14 as a means to 
see God.

But a scientific definition of Brahman as Om has been  given by 
Taiittriya upanishad while the working of Pranava is detailed in 
MAndukya upanishad.
In verse 1.8, Taii upanishad claims that OM symbolises `acceptance' 
of whatever we do by chanting OM in the beginning. It symbolises that 
you are being listened to when you chant OM and begin any activity. 
It is Brahmam. It is sarvam.

But what happens when we chant OM and meditate on other devatas - 
like OM ganEshaya namaha, Om Shivaya namaha etc? The answer can be 
found in the teachings of PippalAdha in Prashna Upanishad. Without 
mincing words the sage says that the upAsakA reaches the abode of the 
Lord meditated by OM. It is herein the logic is derived that the one 
meditating on Narayana with Omkar (ashtAkshara manthra) reaches 
moksha / Brahman. But those mediatating on, say, Shiva (Om shivaya 
namaha) reaches the abode of Shiva and so on. 

The derivation of Omkar found in Mumukshuppadi (MP)can be said to be 
traced (in my opinion) to the prakaran 1 of Mandukya upanishad 
wherein kArikai 24 to 29 explain Omkar as the kAraNathwa of entire 
creation thereby holding Brahman / Narayana as the karanthwam and 
rakshkathwam –something expounded in depth by MP.

The characteristics associated with a, u and m have already been 
discussed in the list and fellow devotees may also be aware of MP 
explanation of the same (akAra with piratti sambhandam as 
rakshakathwam, makAra as the 25th letter signifying jiva and ukAra as 
signifying  that the jiva is subservient to Lord.) Hence I am not 
going into the details of the same  and  instead confine myself to 
the discussion on what Mandukya says.

An individual experiences the gross world through three states of 
mind, viz, the waking, the dream and the deep sleep state. In the 
deep sleep state the body is causal. OM represents the Turiya state 
of conscience.  It is the fourth apart from the three states of 
Waking (Jagrat) Dream (Swapna) and deep Sleep (Sushupti) which have  
no independent existence. OM is the essence of all the vEdas and 
represents the super consciousness, the Bliss and the Brahman. 
(Moondru thazhiyilE (MP) and `aaichiyar matthinaal vOsaippaduttha.." 
(Thiruppavai) The relevance of these in this context  is omitted here 
on the assumption that readers are already aware of this. )
The three factors of gross body earth, water and fire constitute the 
waking state and is represented by `a'. This is the visva (microcosm) 
and virat(macrocosm)

The sound ceases  when `m' is uttered which represents the deep sleep 
state where  the individual is in union with Brahman. It is Prajne in 
the individual level and Isvara at the cosmic level.
The intermediate `u' represents the dream state when ego, the mind 
functions the role of both the subject and the object. The mind 
creates its own universe. The total subtle body of the universe is  
known as Hiranyagarbha and Taijasa at the individual level.

The combined utterance of the 3 sounds is OM. The sound ultimately 
gradually calms into stillness or silence.  In this state the 
individual has transcended the 3 states of gross level and 
experiences absolute bliss  and resides in the transcendental self. 
The combined OM sysmbolises the subtle Brahman from which all sound 
forms emnate. This is the 4th stage of the mind, the Turiya state 
which is the characteristic feature of the Atman. 

In all these three states the objects are limited by the space., time 
and cause and the Turiya is beyond 3 states  where the atman is 
divested  of all its ignorance and becomes aware of the perpetual 
identity with the Brahman. It is by constant practice an aspirant 
endowed with faith, devotion and having overcome the senses and anger 
attains perfect absorption with the Brahman.

The opening verse of Chandogya upa claims (1.1.1) that the syllable 
OM is the closest to Brahman and it should be recited aloud.
The sound has its origin in the  naval (Pashyanti) heart (Madhyama) 
and speech ( vaikhari)  The three forms of sound are  related to 
Prana, manas and Buddhi. The fire that exists in the pores of woods 
manifests itself through the vigourous friction as spark. Similarly, 
the Paramatman which lies in the spinal column  with the Prana 
manifests itself in the vaikhari form of sound (Uddhva Gita –vii 18)

OM is discovered  by the upanishadic seers to represent Brahman in 
sound form –Nada Brahman. The a, u & m  represent creation, 
protection & dissolution ( the controversy on vishnu in this context 
is needless as the idea propounded is that all these 3 jobs are based 
on the substratunm called Brahman) 
Om also represents the three gunas.

Finally,
 Ishavasyam declares (verse 17) that the `Lord who is OmkAra 
swaroopi, sankalpa swaroopi and agni swaroopi would think of me (the 
jiva) and of my actions when my body is reduced to ashes.'

A reciprocative  view of this  is found in BG 8.12 &13, wherein the 
Lord  says that the one who leaves the body by chanting OM attains 
His abode.

In essence, the Lord who is the Omkara  swaroopi thinks of the Jiva 
at the time of his death (Isha up) and the jiva must meditate on the 
Lord as OmkAr at the time of his death (Gita). Either way it is OM 
that is the route to salvation!!

Jayasree Sarnathan.



In bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com, "balajiv_54"  wrote:
> friends,
> 
> i have been thinking of the meaning of the manthra ohm.
> we use it with all gods names. say om namo narayana,om 
namasivaya,om 
> sakthi, om muruga etc. if we are not to worship other than vishnu 
who 
> is paramapurusha then why is this ohm attached with other gods.is 
> this ohm denote the parabrahmam which has no form. i shall be grate 
> ful if any one can enlighten me on this.
> 
> balaji
-- In bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com, "balajiv_54"  
wrote:
> friends,
> 
> i have been thinking of the meaning of the manthra ohm.
> we use it with all gods names. say om namo narayana,om 
namasivaya,om 
> sakthi, om muruga etc. if we are not to worship other than vishnu 
who 
> is paramapurusha then why is this ohm attached with other gods.is 
> this ohm denote the parabrahmam which has no form. i shall be grate 
> ful if any one can enlighten me on this.
> 
> balaji



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