Om (or Aum) (listenⓘ; Sanskrit: ॐ, ओम्, romanized: Oṃ, Auṃ, ISO 15919: Ōṁ) is a polysemous symbol representing a sacred sound, syllable, mantra, and invocation in Hinduism.[1][2] Its written form is the most important symbol in the Hindu religion.[3] It is the essence of the supreme Absolute,[2] consciousness,[4][5][6]Ātman,Brahman, or the cosmic world.[7][8][9] In Indic traditions, Om serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of Vedic authority and a central aspect of soteriological doctrines and practices.[10] It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to liberation.[11] The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts.[9] It is described as the goal of all the Vedas. [12]
Om emerged in the Vedic corpus and is said to be an encapsulated form of Samavedic chants or songs.[1][10] It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passage (samskara) such as weddings, and during meditative and spiritual activities such as Pranava yoga.[13][14] It is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries, and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.[15][16] As a syllable, it is often chanted either independently or before a spiritual recitation and during meditation in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[17][18]
The syllable Om is also referred to as Onkara (Omkara) and Pranava among many other names.[19][20]
^ abJones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 319–20. ISBN978-0-8160-7564-5.
^Hajime Nakamura, A History of Early Vedānta Philosophy, Part 2, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120819634, page 318
^ abAnnette Wilke and Oliver Moebus (2011), Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism, De Gruyter, ISBN978-3110181593, pages 435–456
^David White (2011), Yoga in Practice, Princeton University Press, ISBN978-0691140865, pp. 104–111
^Alexander Studholme (2012), The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0791453902, pages 1–4
^T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1993), Elements of Hindu Iconography, Volume 2, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120808775, p. 248
^Sehdev Kumar (2001), A Thousand Petalled Lotus: Jain Temples of Rajasthan, ISBN978-8170173489, p. 5
^Jan Gonda (1963), The Indian Mantra, Oriens, Vol. 16, pp. 244–297