AUM (OM) is the Eternal, AUM is all this universe. AUM is the syllable of assent. Saying "AUM! Let us hear," the sages begin the recitation. With AUM they sing the hymns of the Sama. With "AUM Shaum" they pronounce the shastras. With AUM, the priest officiating at the sacrifice says the response. With AUM, Brahma begins creation. With AUM, one sanctions the burnt offering. With AUM, the Brahmin, before he expounds the Knowledge, says, "May I attain the Eternal. Verily he attains." (Taithiriya Upanishad, Chapter 8)
AUM is Brahman; AUM is the Word of Brahman; AUM is the Sound of Brahman (Shabda Brahma). AUM is the sound which projected the universe. During cosmic dissolution the universe merges in AUM. AUM has no beginning. AUM has no end. AUM was before time was created. AUM is beyond time, space and causation. AUM is beyond past, present and future. AUM is beyond nether regions, earth and ethereal regions. AUM is beyond "sattva" (brilliance), "rajas" (passion), and "tamas" (darkness). AUM is beyond Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver), and Shiva (Destroyer). AUM is Supreme above the supreme (Paratpara).
AUM moves the prana or the cosmic vital force. In man, AUM expresses through prana or the vital breath. In man, AUM is beyond gross, subtle and causal bodies; it is beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep states of consciousness. In every breath man utters and repeats it unintentionally and inevitably.
Every vibration in the body and in the universe emerges from AUM, sustains in AUM, and returns to AUM. Every humming emerges from AUM. A child cries, "AUM, AUM"; musicians hum, "AUM, AUM"; bees buzz, "AUM, AUM"; the ocean roars, "AUM, AUM." To an aching man, humming soothes; to an ailing man, AUM cures; to a poet, it brings inspiration. To the philosopher, it brings realization. AUM is the consent of man for God to enter into him. AUM is the expression of the seer of Truth.
AUM is "Veda," the wisdom of God. AUM is "nada," the sound of God. AUM is eternal, the indestructible Word. AUM is the nectarian God-Soul union cord. AUM is the one quest of all saints. AUM is the one search of all the sciences. AUM is the one goal of all the souls. AUM is the one Truth which is worshipped in diverse ways.
AUM brings equilibrium; AUM brings wisdom. AUM is the root; AUM is the support. AUM pervades all. AUM sustains all. AUM brings peace, bliss and power. AUM kills the ego, desires and doubt. AUM is the abode of the soul. AUM is the language of God. AUM is expressed by God; AUM expresses God; AUM is God.
God is "prem" (supreme love); God expressed AUM. Therefore, it is the love expression of God. So, AUM has come from prem, who is God. Love and its expressions are identical, so prem and AUM are one and the same.
All the Vedic mantras have emerged with AUM. All the mantras have AUM prefixed. The Taithiriya Upanishad says, "With AUM, Brahma brings creation." It means the whole creation comes out of sound.
Mandukya Upanishad describes the greatness
of this mystical syllable in the following words:
"AUM is this imperishable word, AUM is the universe, and
this is the exposition of AUM. The past, present, and the future;
all that was, all that is, all that will be, is AUM. Likewise
all else that may exist beyond the bounds of time, that too is
AUM." (Verse 1)
The highest conception of AUM is described in the above verse. The body as we know it has come out of the combination of five elements (pancha mahabhuta). In their gross form, they are called ether, air, fire, water, and earth. In their subtle form, they are called "tanmatras" or subtle properties from which the gross elements have emerged. These are shabda (sound), sparsha (touch), rupa (form of seeing), rasa (taste), and gandha (smell). Among the five, the first is sound. Thus it is clear that the world has emerged out of sound.
(Essence of Bhagavad Gita and Bible, p. 69.)