Om (ॐ) is perhaps the most universal sound in Indian spirituality. It begins and ends prayers and mantras, and it is the heart of Pranvakshar Dhyan. But what does it actually mean, and why is it chanted the way it is?
Pranava: the sound that sustains life
Om is also called Pranava (प्रणव), from a root meaning “that which pervades life”. It is said to flow through prana, the breath. Tradition describes it as the primordial vibration from which creation unfolded, which is why its sound is considered the nearest approach to Brahman, the absolute reality.
Three sounds and a silence
Om is really A-U-M, three sounds followed by silence. The Mandukya Upanishad, one of the shortest and most profound of the Upanishads, explains that each part points to a state of consciousness that every human being passes through daily.
Explore the four parts of AUM
Select a sound to see the state of consciousness it represents.
The meaning of the symbol
The written ॐ mirrors the same teaching. The large lower curve represents the waking state, the upper curve deep sleep, and the curve emerging between them the dream state. Above them sits a crescent (the veil of illusion, maya) and a dot (bindu), standing for Turiya: the absolute consciousness that is separate from and illuminates all the rest.
How to meditate on Om
- Sit in a quiet place with your spine upright and close your eyes.
- Relax the body completely: the muscles, the face, the breath.
- Rest your attention gently between the eyebrows.
- Chant A-U-M slowly, feeling the sound move from the throat to the lips.
- After each Om, rest in the silence. Let the silence grow longer than the sound.
- Hold the meaning in your heart: mechanical repetition is not enough.
Mere repetition will not bring the result. Keep the meaning of Om always at heart.
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The power of chanting Om
Traditional teachers describe many fruits of regular chanting:
- It drives away worldly thoughts and distraction, and brings fresh energy to the body.
- When you feel low, chanting Om many times over acts like a tonic, restoring vigour and strength.
- Its rhythm makes the mind serene and one-pointed.
- Over time the voice becomes deeper and sweeter, and the face and eyes take on a quiet radiance.
Om can be chanted aloud, softly, or silently, even while walking. What matters is the feeling of being pure, all-pervading awareness while you chant.
Om in mantras: the Moola Mantra
Almost every Hindu mantra begins and ends with Om, which is believed to give the mantra its power. Long mantras, often of 108 or 1,008 lines, are usually closed with a short three-line mantra and three Oms.
Many devotional traditions have a foundational moola (root) mantra on which all their other mantras rest. Devotees describe its benefits as divine energy flowing through every system of the body, the dissolving of past karma, help with genuine difficulties, protection, prosperity, and progress towards liberation (mukti).
Why 108?
Malas traditionally have 108 beads, and mantras are often repeated 108 times. One popular explanation is astronomical: the average distance from the Earth to the Sun is roughly 108 times the Sun’s diameter, and the same is approximately true of the Moon. Whatever its origin, 108 has been held sacred in India for thousands of years.
Practise with our guided timer on the Pranvakshar Dhyan page.
Sources: the Mandukya Upanishad, and an explanation of Om and its mantras shared on our 2012 blog from the Om Sakthi tradition (omsakthi.org).