Om: How different religions incorporate this mantra 

If you have been raised in India and belong to a religious Hindu family where there are customary morning and evening prayers, chances are you may have chanted Om (pronounced as ‘Aum’) and even felt good about it. Well, that’s because Om is more than just a word or a sound or a religious practice. It is a powerful wave of the universe that lies within us, so people believe.  

In fact, you will be surprised to know that Om is not just a sacred sound, a mantra, an invocation or an essence of absolute consciousness in Hinduism alone, but has similar significance across other religions, such as Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism.  

Om in various religions 
Om across all religions is believed to have the supreme power to connect all living beings to the universe and nature. 

For instance, as per Hindu mythology, 'when there was nothing in the universe, there was a sound vibration’. This is what the rishis believe to be Om. No wonder, it is considered to be the primordial sound in Hinduism. In fact, it is also believed to be the first vibration of the universe from which all the other vibrations manifest. Om is so important in Hinduism that it is often found at the start and the end of Hindu texts like the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas. For example, you may know Om as the prefix of the first line of the Gayatri mantra that is “bhur bhuvah svah’ (meaning “mind, body, soul”) that begins with a verse from the Rigveda.  

As for Jainism, Om is the condensed form of the hymn ‘Panca-Paramesthi’ that is composed of five principles, A-A-A-U-M or veneration to the Arihant (the divine), Ashiri (the perfect one), Acharya (the master), Upajjhaya (the teacher) and Muni (the monk).  

In Buddhism, Om is also similarly used like in Hinduism, in the beginning and end of hymns. It is the first word of the popular Buddhist prayer “om mani padme hum” meaning “the totality of sound, existence and consciousness.”  

‘Ik Onkar’, the opening words of the Sikh scripture “Guru Granth Sahib” are Punjabi terms that literally means “One Om!” when translated. It simply signifies the Sikh belief that there is only one God in the universe who takes care of all creation.  

What do the three letters of AUM represent? 
As you already know, Om is sounded and spelled as A-U-M. But perhaps what you didn’t know is that it represents several trinities across religions. Wondering what ‘trinity’ means? Well, it refers to a group of three spiritual or religious aspects that give meaning to the three letters- AUM. Let us have a glance through some of them: 

• Three different states of consciousness, the waking state, the dreaming state, and the deep sleep state. 
• Three aspects of the universe that are in charge of the universe - creation, preservation and destruction. In Hinduism, they refer to Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar (Shiva) respectively. 
• Three worlds, earth, heaven, and underworld. 
• Three states of time, past, present and future. 

What does the symbol of Om signify? 
You may have noticed that the symbol of Om is a unique combination of curves, crescents and dots? Well, guess what? Each aspect of the symbol signifies something distinct.  

• The lower large curve indicates the normal awake state. In this state, the mind identifies the physical body and perceives the world through different forms.  
• The upper curve marks the deep sleep state, where one withdraws from all mental and physical activities. This is the state of total unawareness. 
• The middle curve of om signifies the state of dream, which lies between the awake and deep sleep states. Here, the person is in a subconscious state of mind. 
• The dot symbolises enlightenment. This state is beyond ordinary senses, and the individual becomes one with the absolute, that is the Almighty. This state can only be achieved by practising spirituality at large. 
• The crescent indicates ‘Maya’, which separates the three curves from the dot. The individual soul connects to the material world by Maya, or the illusion. 

Thus, Om is much more than just a symbol. It is the sound of universe and chanting Om is believed to energise your mind, body and soul. No wonder, it is an integral part of yoga.