Unique significance of Omkaara

1 October 1984, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

1

is not a mere collection of words. It is a compounded set of words pregnant with enormous significance. It emanates from the inner power of man. Filled with such power, the (sacred formula), when it is pronounced properly, brings out the Divine power in man. The vibrations produced by the utterance of the , uniting with the Cosmic (primal sound) in the Universe, become one with the Universal Consciousness. It is these Cosmic vibrations which assumed the form of the (sacred revelations of spiritual knowledge).

2

For all the , the primary , which enshrines the attributeless, Omniself, is the . The embodies in the form of sound the Supreme . For this sound, the presiding deity is . In common parlance is regarded as the consort of (Demi God of Creation). It is the union of and that accounts for all the knowledge in the world. Who is and who is ? is commonly worshipped as the Goddess of Speech and as the deity who has to be propitiated for acquiring knowledge. She is also described as (the giver of boons) and as (one capable of assuming any form). But is not one who conforms to these descriptions. is present in all beings as the Goddess of Speech.

3

is the manifesting of as sound The body is regarded as and the tongue is regarded as and the vibrations emanating from the heart find expression in sound through the union of the body and the tongue. Although there are many letters and words, the fundamental (letter), which has primacy of place, is the .

4

(the single letter is Itself)

5

says the . All other letters and words are linguistic creations. They do not possess the unique sacredness and divine character of '.' The special significance of '' is not generally recognised or understood. The (ancient scripture related to sacred formulas) has laid emphasis on the letter ''. has no form. It is the manifestation of as sound. It is present in all creation. It is effulgent. It is in all speech. It is ever blissful. It is (embodiment of the Supreme). It is (the repository of illusory power). It is (embodiment of prosperity). The is the only sound that has these eight divine attributes, according to the .

6

Only by elimination of ego can be realised What is the difference between the and all other sounds and words? The has a unique, distinctive quality in the way it is pronounced and the goal it represents. When other letters are uttered, the lips, the tongue, the cheeks and the jaws are in action. But when the is pronounced, none of these move at all. This is a unique characteristic of . Hence '' alone can be regarded as (imperishable). All the other sounds are expressions of different languages.

7

The is the base for the . To grasp the full significance of , which is allpervasive, it is necessary to have the same kind of self-control which one has to exercise to bring the sensory organs under control. In reciting any the primacy to be accorded to should be recognised. The ends with the word (as for example, in : Prostrations to ).

8

In the , , , the significance of which occurs at the end of each should be noted. The worshipful attitude signified by the term will be lost if the word is not used at the beginning of each . It is only when is said at the beginning and at the end that the full purport of the will be brought out. The integral connection between and should be recognised. represents (objective world). In ordinary parlance is understood to mean (salutation). But it has a wider meaning. It means (the phenomenal world) connotes (Divinity). The purpose of the is to reveal the connection between and . Based on the inner significance of this, the (great declaration), (That Thou Art) has to be understood. is the link between "" and . In , provides the link. In the , does not figure.

9

Only by elimination of ego can be realised If in the the word is omitted, and is uttered, the unity of ( and ) is established and the dualism implicit in the is removed. The states, "I am offering obeisance to ," thereby positing two entities, besides the action of obeisance itself being a third element. To eliminate this dualism, the laid down that if instead of , (not for my sake) is employed, the identity of the worshipper and the worshipped will be established. "" would mean "for , not for me." By this process, the ego is destroyed. And only by the elimination of the ego can the attributeless be realised.