Mystery and Origin of Aum/OM Mantra:

By: Bipin Shah

INTRODUCTION:
Albert Einstein once said,Anyone who becomes seriously involved in the pursuit of science
becomes convinced that there is a spirit manifest in the laws of the universe a spirit vastly
superior to man. This spirit is consciousness and omniscient. The universe is alive and we,
the humans on this earth, are part of it. All the planets in our solar system, our star Sun that
is a part of Milky Way Galaxy, where Sun appears as a tiny dot. The universe contains
unknown numbers of such Galaxies containing many stars like sun and its own unique
planetary systems that makes our universe so large and fathomless. We do not exactly know
how large it is, and perhaps we will never know as some believe it is infinite. We are just
beginning to understand our own solar system with space exploration.
Indias Jainism that opposed Vedic religious philosophy of creation and formed its own vision
of universe and cosmology over 2600 years ago is proving to be closer to our modern science
than what was originally thought off by 20th century scholars. Jain cosmology is the
description of the matter in the universe and Jiva or souls and its interaction. Jaina
cosmology describes how universe metaphysical law functions dealing with space and time.
The Jain doctrine postulates an eternal and ever-existing world which works on universal
natural laws. The existence of a creator deity is overwhelmingly opposed in the Jain doctrine.
The universe has a firm and an unalterable shape which is measured in the Jaina texts by
means of a unit called Rajju which is supposed to be very large.
The question remains that how those ascetics/Yogis of early Jainism can perceive this strand
of thoughts that recognizes the existence of the universal laws? Its emphasis on the universe
being eternal and uncreated and works following its own laws goes against the theory of the
creation. The Stars are born and died and new stars are reborn and this process continues in
eternity, working on its own or just say being on an auto pilot.
Indias Buddhism perceived the universe differently. Unlike Jainism, the Buddhism envisions
the destruction of universe at some point. No entire one Buddhist sutra explains the Buddhist
perception of cosmology, so the inferences have to be extracted from various Suttas and
traditions. Buddhist cosmology can be divided into two parts: spatial cosmology, which
describes the arrangement of the various worlds within the universe, and temporal
cosmology, which describes how those worlds come into existence, and how they pass away.
In Buddhism, the divinities of creation are recognized while Jainism believes the universe is
self created from single particle.

Indias Hinduism is more definitive and under Hindu cosmology the universe is cyclically
created and destroyed in the time cycle of 8.64 billion years. The Puranic view asserts that
the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally repetitive series of cycles
but it is infinite. Again, the question arise how these early Seers, sages and Shramanas yogi,
during their meditation can perceive the physical aspect of universe without the help of
modern science?

Meditation and omniscient with OM mantra

symbolic Omkara-Trianka Symbol -Buddhism

AUMKARA or OMKARA Mantra of Meditation

The compressed version of the Aumkara is two letter sound expressed as "OM syllable. The
OM word is derived from Sanskrit Omkara. Jainism altered it to call Namokar (Namo
means bow your head to the Arhants and Tirthankaras). In Buddhism, it may be referred as
Aumkara or Om Mani Padme Hu. It is also called Pranava in Sanskrit (meaning bow to
the divine with folded hands). In its abbreviated form, it is recited as sound Aum or OM.
This begs a follow up question on the origin and existence of Aum mantra (OM) as utilized
in Yoga, Hindu, Jaina and Buddhist traditions. Most of us are not cognizant of that that both
of these reformist faiths derived their mantras from the same sound AUM or Om.
The OM mantra recited in stretched nasalized Vowel as if the sound is originating deep
from inside of your body and it is clear and loud. It is placed at the beginning of most religious
texts of India except Islam and Christianity which are foreign imports to India. It is a sacred
incantation to be intoned at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or prior to any
prayer, meditation or Yoga. The Vedic Sanskrit origin of Om and Pranava derives from a
root word nu meaning to shout loud during the chant or make a humming loud sound
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during the recital. AUM or OM is the first and last sound in your ears, if you are attending a
yoga class. Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme
Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and
blessings of Bodhisattva or Buddha. Mani here means jewels and Padma means lotus
flower, Buddhist sacred flower.
This uniformity in various Shramanic tradition of India suggests that OM may be one of the
primordial sound of the universe , these ancient sages, seers and prophets of india recognized
and by reciting that sound they were paying respect to the existence of our universe who
keeps us alive and support our existence either through some divine hands or some unknown
physical force. Regardless of the theology as to who created this universe, this primordial
sound of universe emitted out of space at a frequency that human ear are incapable of
hearing must be respected through recital and that was the intention. The illustration below
is the manifestation of OM mantra in various scripts in the subcontinent that has spread
across eastern Asia through Buddhism.

Om in Hinduism

Om in Jainism

Om in Sikhism

Om in Buddhism

Om in various scripts

Arabic word Allah is sideway OM sign

Plaque bearing Om Mani Padma-china Vedic seers perception

Om in Tibetan

Om Mani Padma-Thailand

Om Coins

Symbol is carved in the stone

Om Chain

Origin:
If Aum or Om chant (Mantra) is considered to be the primordial sound of the creation
and it is thought that all languages emanates from this initial sound vibration, then worlds
oldest language Sanskrit can clinch the title by expressing it in the symbol and in words
through its Vedas and religious texts. All Sanskrit mantras (sacred sound prayers) in India
begin with Aum or Om, and a meditating yogis or Shramanas may attest to the power of
Aum or Om without any hesitation. Those who are involved in the technique of advanced
meditation as practiced by an experienced yogi or meditating monks probably describes the
power of Chanting Om mantra and many experts and teachers are said to believe that it
activate the entire nervous system. Ancient sages and seers had conquered this technique
and were able to see the past, present and future. The omniscient Mahavira, Buddha, Christ
and many sages and seers have claimed that they can see past, present and future. In order
to see past, present and future, one has to break the time and space barriers. The references
of time travel are found in various ancient texts of India but not taken seriously. An
advanced meditation Practitioner achieves the Transcendental Meditation stage where
their spiritual awakening reaches to the highest level so Saul or spirit develops the power to
leave the body or reenter the body at the will, thus freeing itself and breaks the barrier of
time and space, and see and hear the things that ordinary mortal cannot.
AUM or OM sound first features in Hindu Upanishad texts. The Upanishads are
considered last Veda compiled around beginning of Common Era from earlier oral tradition
and certainly later than oldest texts of Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. The Upanishads are
different group of Sanskrit texts that contain the earliest emergence of the Brahmana
(Hinduism). Some of their central religious concepts also appear in Jainism and Buddhism.
Since Jainism and Buddhism are dated to 6th and 5th century BC, it can be inferred that Aum
mantra was practiced through oral tradition certainly before 6th century BC. During 6th
Century BC, There were many non-Vedic dynasties had sprung up that allowed non-Vedic
religions to mushroom and prosper. Rig-Veda does not directly mention OM but one of the
hymns spells out instruction as to how to chant any unspecified hymns or mantras. Rig-Vedic
HYMN CLXIII is cited below. This hymn probably was the later addition to Rig Veda.
The Upanishads are considered by Hindus as revealed truths (Shruti) by Gods themselves to
the Supreme ascetics of India, the septa Rishi (seven seers) who most likely composed
Rigveda and Atherveda. The Upanishads texts (probably composed by other later age
ascetics) explain the creation of universe, the nature of ultimate reality (Brahman) and
describing the character and ultimate method of human salvation (moksha). Since they are
last part of Veda series, the Upanishads are also called Vedanta.
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The Mandukya Upanishad, is entirely devoted to mantra AUM, it can be summarized in

plain English as "Om and is described as the indestructible sound of the universe and as
expressed in the three alphabets AUM. The Mandukya Upanishad is the short text and is
very direct compared to other Hindu texts. The main content of Mandukya describes in
detail various state of human consciousness and awareness. It is described and written in
prose, consisting of just twelve verses expounding the mystic syllable AUM, the three
psychological states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and the transcendental fourth state
of illumination or omniscient. The word OM is made up of three syllables: A, U, and M,
or, in English phonetically, "aaah," "oooh," and "mmm." Some scholars opine that the visual
Om symbol as shown in different scripts embodies each of its syllables. What appears as
number 3 is the Sanskrit letter for "ahh," that same three with the mini S on it is "oooh,"
and the half crescent moon at the top is the "mmm." Like all trinities in major faiths, it's all
about sacred threes words. Most faiths have trinities in their roots like Hinduism, where
Om is thought to have been first expressed. The modern Experts say these syllables can
represent a slew of trios, including: the heavens, earth, and the underworld; the Hindu gods
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (creator, preserver and destroyer) also in Christian world Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. The Islam does not accept the concept of trinity like Jainism but the
word Allah still uses Ohm symbol in side way. See below:

Hindu Om and Islamic world for Allah (God)

Mandukya Upanishad (1) says in Sanskrit:

Bhta bhavad-bhaviyad-iti sarvam Omkra eva
It means: What had happened before, what is now and what will be later everything is
Just Om, a very short but profound word almost indirectly describing the infinite
universe.
Rig Vedic hymn # CLXIII as translated in English describes how any mantra or hymn should be
chanted without mentioning OM or AUM.
1. FROM both thy nostrils, from thine eyes, from both thine ears and from thy chin,
Forth from thy head and brain and tongue I drive thy malady away.
2 From the neck-tendons and the neck, from the breast-bones and from the spine,

From shoulders, upper, lower arms, I drive thy malady away.

3 From viscera and all within, forth from the rectum, from the heart,
From kidneys, liver, and from spleen, I drive thy malady away.
4 From thighs, from knee-caps, and from heels, and from the forepart of the feet,
From hips from stomach, and from groin I drive thy malady away.
5 From what is voided from within, and from thy hair, and from thy nails,
From all thyself from top to toe, I drive thy malady away.
6 From every member, every hair, disease that comes in every joint,
From all thyself, from top to toe, I drive thy malady away

Although, the Sanskrit was the first language to recognize Aum or OM and introduced as
syllable, it does not mean that it was not present in Indias oral tradition and it will be
difficult to claim its Vedic origin if not found directly in Rig-Veda but the later Hinduism
probably can claim credit of first recognizing it as it devoted the entire Upanishad to it called
Mandukya Upanishad. There are no other hints in any civilization so the sound is India
specific or Indian origin.

Non-Vedic Origin?
This author has consistently believed and wrote about the presence of Non-Vedic traditions
that flourished during 6th century BC and quite often with Kings Sponsorship. Various NonVedic dynasties had sprung up during renaissance period and that is when blended religion of
India started taking shape that is now called Hinduism. The Hinduism is not Brahmana as
Vedic civilization may have known it. Of course, Vedic language and culture left a lasting
legacy and the influence is found in nearly 60 % of spoken languages. The religious traditions
have also blended catching ideas and rituals from each other. The blending occurred over
several centuries when various culture and tradition interacts with each other. These
interactions often lead to incorporation of loan world into each other dictionary.
There is overwhelming archeological evidence that the origin of Shramanic traditions of India
was present in Indias oldest Indus-saraswati civilization (commonly referred as
Harrapan). Although, we still do not have the language deciphered, but Aum or OM
might be present as far as 2700 BC or beyond. Today, OM is the ways of life in Hindu worship
just like Swastika. Unlike Swastika, the Aum or OM mantras origin lies in the
subcontinent of Asia. Aum mantra is India specific and is not found outside of Indian
civilization anywhere. It is also true that Vedic civilization gave a leg to Aum mantra by
inducting into Vedanta and it was also picked up by Jainism, Buddhism and other ancient
religious sects of India that opposed Vedic religion. Considering all these variables and
equation, Non-Vedic origin cannot be ruled out.

Below are two Harrapan seals discovered during archeological excavations at various Indussaraswati (Harrapan) Sites. On the left is a simple yogi seal with the undeciphered symbols on
the top. On the right is Harrapan Chimaeras seal. Ferenz and Vidale published their
interpretation of chimaeras Seal from Parpolas CISI volumes and called it as hypertext.
Indus civilization used square stamp seal made of soap stone which is a metamorphic rock
composed of mineral talc that is rich in magnesium. After inscription etched it was fired in the
brick oven. Ferenz and Vidalo believe that the seal bears composite creatures and with short
narrative to convey some religious and mythological meaning when interpreted as hypertext.
Hypertext is defined as a text which contains links to other texts. The term was coined by Ted
Nelson around 1965. These composite seal were introduced during the last phases of Indus
civilization around 2900 BC. Ferenz and Vidalo expressed the seal as in the form of the
component of hypertext conveying some meaning.

Indus Yogi Seal

Indus chimaeras seal when interpreted as hypertext

Both of them show the presence of Shramana or Yogi in Indus civilization and their
importance. Since we do not understand the script, we do not know what these Yogis seals
meant to convey. However, the inferences can be drawn that this ancient civilization of India
who did meticulous urban planning that is unmatched of their time must have given great
importance to yogi, Shramana culure them to inscribe in a seal.
This evidence creates the doubt of Vedic origin and it is hard to derive any conclusion of its
origin except to say that it is India specific. It could be pre-Vedic and Sanskrit gave the mantra
the syllable and alphabet form. The present follower of Shaivism is using the OM mantra in
every prayer and it is Om Namo Shiva. Rigveda does not include Shiva as one of their chief
deity but Rudra is mentioned. Some have equated Rudra to Shiva but when functionally
compared they are not the same. Their iconographic is so different that the author has
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concluded that Blue Shiva was Pre-Vedic deity of India but now is fully incorporated in
Hinduism. Shiva was supreme yogi and ascetic as described in present Hinduism. The blue
iconography has some kind of varna notion meaning Vedic or Pre-Vedic.

Vedic Rudra was storm God (Vedic)

Blue Hindu Shiva is one of the trinity and supreme ascetic (Non-Vedic)

In addition to that, it is interesting to observe the Aumkara-Trianka in front of the document.

It looks like three rings but at degree, it can be two OM nested to gather at 45 degree angle
with crescent moon and sun as a mark perhaps resembling supreme ascetic like Shiva.

AUM or OM as a Sun origin sound:

NASA S (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) Findings of
interstellers sound picked by the Voyager:
NASAs space physicist Don Gurnett reported at a NASA press conference in Sept. 2013 that
he had heard "the sounds of interstellar space", now shown in various Utube videos as
symphony of the planet and sound of the sun. (See appendix). Mr. Gurnett is the James Van
Allen professor of physics at the University of Iowa and the principal investigator for the
Plasma Wave Science instrument on Voyager 1. At the press conference, he played some
plasma wave data for the audience. The sounds, he explained, were solid evidence that
Voyager 1 had left the heliosphere. The heliosphere is a vast bubble of magnetism that
surrounds the sun and planets. It is, essentially, the suns magnetic field inflated to enormous
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proportions by the solar wind. Inside the heliosphere is "home." Outside lays interstellar
space, the realm of the stars. Strictly speaking, the plasma wave instrument does not detect
sound. Instead it senses waves of electrons in the ionized gas or "plasma" that Voyager
travels through. No human ear could hear these plasma waves. Nevertheless, because they
occur at audio frequencies, between a few hundred and a few thousand hertz, "we can play
the data through a loudspeaker and listen," says Gurnett. "The pitch and frequency tell us
about the density of gas surrounding the spacecraft." When Voyager 1 was inside the
heliosphere, the tones were low, around 300 Hz, typical of plasma waves coursing through
the rarified solar wind. Outside the heliosphere, the frequency jumped to a higher pitch,
between 2 and 3 kHz, corresponding to denser gas in the interstellar medium and turned into
a the transition music to Gurnetts ears. Gurnett felt that we need solar events to trigger
plasma oscillations.

Is AUM or OM is the sound of Sun?

The sun worshipping is very primordial and we found them to exist in various ancient
civilizations in one form or other. The sound of the sun was considered by most ancient
religions as the most sacred sound of the universe. It is a sound that cannot be heard by the
human ear, because the human ear only hears between 20-20,000 Hertz frequency. The
sound of the sun is really plasma wave data translated into sound and it changes with every
solar flares. If we listen to this sound, we can hear and feel the deep vibration.
The sound of the sun recorded by NASA was probably heard or felt by those Shramanas and
yogis of India who reached the perfect state of meditation so the spirit or Saul can travel
anywhere in the universe and see and hear the things that mortal human cannot hear. This is
what the ancient texts describe to us. Those select few who attained omniscient status
probably at will can leave the body during meditation and reenter the body during the
meditation thereby breaking the time and space barrier in a similar way NASAs deep probe
voyager did. Each planets or celestial body makes its own sound and not all of them sound
like Aum mantra but they are rhythmic. It is possible that those sages and seers heard
these types of sound and introduced as a mantra that can be intoned with human speech as
OM. There are several links below included in the References. Out of many links given
below, assuming they are real recording of the celestial objects as described, the most
important are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azUXe82zQ2M Sound of the sun
This recording is more rhythmic and sound similar to Aum sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cpXpgjUT2k

Symphony of the planets

But, none of these should be construed as a proof or rebuttal of the origin of the sound
OM. What this article is trying to convey is that OM mantra is exclusively used during
meditation and some prayers as repetitive chants. Why this mantra was selected by
Shramana/yogi is a major mystery. There are plenty of other choices from oldest texts of
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Veda but OM is a supreme mantra where all Shramana and yogi deposit their faith for
salvation. Non-Vedic religions like Jainism and Buddhism also adopted them, so I attach the
importance that the sound of OM mantra is deliberated and conveys the connectivity with
the universe.
There are other links below for readers who are interested in this proposition to explore and
arrive at their own conclusion. There is no archeological evidence like Swastika and none are
forthcoming as to when and how the mantra was originated except inferences and where,
when and how it was practiced.

Concept of supreme meditation

200 year mummy found in Mangolia meditating

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Mummified monks found under the Buddhas statue-1000 years old while meditating

Some related links:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2420739/First-sound-recording-solar-beamed-EarthNASA-Voyager-1-spacecraft.html

http://awakenvideo.org/2010/03/this-should-be-taught-in-school-1of16/
http://www.space.com/22781-voyager-1-interstellar-space-sounds-video.html
http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=91ac0f6dcbdf466c84659dbc54039487&ec=JhY2F5c
DoQGaQNw5NClHF65ttaChDvCE

Stanford Solar center:

Stanford university group taking the Voyager data try to replicate the sound pattern and it is
also duplicated the by European Space agency in video form to validate each others claims.
See link below:
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/singing/singing.html#sing
These MDI data (Michelson Doppler Imager) data was processes by A. Kosovichev.
The procedure employed for generating these sounds involved using Doppler velocity data,
averaged over the solar disk, so that only modes of low angular degree (l = 0, 1, 2) remained.
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Subsequent processing removed the spacecraft (Voyager) motion effects, instrument tuning,
and some spurious points. Then Kosovichev filtered the data at about 3 MHz to select clean
sound waves (and not super granulation and instrumental noise). Finally, he interpolated
over the missing data and scaled the data (speeded it up a factor 42,000 to bring it into the
audible human-hearing range (kHz)). The video shows the repetitious sound of Om-v. Some
scientist says all celestial bodies of the deep space produces very unique rhythmic sounds
Om-y. Perhaps, OM became the seed mantra of those hypersensitive meditating monks
who can hear these sounds through higher level of consciousness. I am sure some may
question this hypothesis but it is certainly as mystical as many things we question repeatedly.
It is important to bear in mind that not every human beings are capable of hearing this sound.
We know some animals can hear well than we (dog). When we hear the story that a Yogi can
talk to animals, we do express surprise.
As Tibetan Chanting indicates, OM chant does produce the vibration. Stephen Cope,
founder of Kripalu's Institute for Extraordinary Living, and author opined that OM sound
itself seems to calm the nervous system. It is also a unifier of the group doing the chanting,"
Yoganand says that chanting OM also creates a link with those who have practiced before us.
"It's a sound that validates oneness and harmony," he says. "We chant it because yogis have
for thousands of years. And when we chant it, we're connecting with those yogis in a ritual
way, and drawing upon the support of the practices they've been doing for a long, long time."
We cannot leave the topic without mentioning something about largest religion of the worldIslam which claims more followers. It is mind boggling that there is some uniformity after all,
with the word OM and that strengthens speculation that the origin of OM sound is much
older, pre-Vedic and perhaps primordial.

Qurans Magic Number 786 is a Corrupted Backward Spelling of Vedic

AUM
All Arabic copies of the Koran have the mysterious figure 786 in Arabic language imprinted
on them. No Arabic scholar to my knowledge has been able to determine the choice of this
particular number as divine.
I stated in my earlier writing that the prophet of Islam was illiterate and I must add that it is
not unusual in the history. Not all the prophets of the world were literate. It is said that
Prophet of Islam dictated Koran to his scribe who became the first caliph.
We can say that the same scribe who wrote Koran either did not differentiate numbers from
letters (highly unlikely) or he was copying a divine letter of the known world of Asia while
altering it. This magical number is none other than the holy letter OM written in Sanskrit
(Refer to figure below). Buddhism was wide spread in west Asia during early common eras. It
will not surprise me that the world was copied from Buddhist text.
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Anyone who knows Sanskrit can try reading the symbol for OM backwards in the Arabic
script and magically the numbers 786 will appear!
.

REFERENCES:
1. Rigveda English translation http://www.sanskritweb.net/rigveda/griffith.pdf
2. www.AVGsatsang.org
3. http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?61705-Sounds-of-the-Sun
4. http://awakenvideo.org/2010/03/this-should-be-taught-in-school-1of16/
5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcuZD0A7RwM
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cpXpgjUT2k

NASA Sound Explanation

Symphony of the planets

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azUXe82zQ2M

Sound of the sun

8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRTpFSQ-b3U
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfoRAdDolqA
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_toXu2WF50
11.https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=OM+sound+by+deep+Nasa+explorer
12.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE2fTDecEww
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13. Sword of Truth archives, Aditi Chaturvedi

14. http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/harvard-neurosurgeon-confirms-theafterlife-exists/
15. http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2015/01/mummified-corpse-of-200-yrold-monk.html#.VQH_CCzLrRg
16. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2983202/Alien-noise-Earth-like-worldMystery-signals-suggest-habitable-planet-exists-22-light-years-away.html
17. Harrapan chimaeras as hypertext by Denny Ferenz & Massimo videlo, south Asian studies,
Rutledge, London. 2012 publication, http://tandfonline.com/loi/rsas20
18. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mummy-deador-trance-180954170/?noist
19. http://www.dogonews.com/2015/2/27/the-mummified-monk-that-rests-inside-anancient-buddha-statue
20. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/27/asia/mummified-monk-statue/
21. http://solar-center.stanford.edu/singing/singing.html#sing

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