The Beat of the Universe

Om or Omkara or Pranava are all nomenclatures for the sacred syllable Om in the Vedic mantras. It is better represented as the three-lettered Aum and indeed represents the three fundamental aspects of existence. A (pronounced ‘Ah’) represents the eternal existence, U (pronounced ‘Ou’) represents the eternal happiness and M (pronounced ‘Mah’) represents the eternal living beings. In other words, the living entities can experience eternal happiness and eternal existence through the vibration of Aum which conjoins the three eternally. The Vaishnavas interpret it as ‘A’ representing Krishna (God Himself), ‘U’ representing Radharani (or the feminine energy of God) and M representing the jivas (their parts and parcels or the living beings). Hence, it can be clearly seen that there is a unique relationship amongst the three constituents of Aum.

By the divine spiritual combination of Radha & Krishna, the jivas or living beings which populate the Universe are manifest. This is the spiritual import of Aum and the spiritual basis of this vibration by which life is sustained in the Universe. Omkara is the reservoir of all the energies of the Supreme Lord and the following excerpt from the book Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, highlights the importance of Aum in the Vedic tradition: -

“In several verses of the Bhagavad-gītā (8.13, 9.17, 17.24) the Lord has given importance to oṁ-kāra. Similarly, oṁ-kāra is given importance in the Atharva Veda and the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. In his Bhagavat-sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has given great importance to oṁ-kāra: Oṁ-kāra is the most confidential sound representation of the Supreme Lord. The sound representation or name of the Supreme Lord is as good as the Supreme Lord Himself. By vibrating such sounds as oṁ-kāra or Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, one can be delivered from the contamination of this material world.” (Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Chapter 20)

The four states of consciousness

Aum not only enables the practitioner to purify his consciousness but also confers upon him vision of the spiritual reality or the spiritual worlds. One can attain perfect spiritual vision when one masters the practice of the vibration of Omkara. This spiritual vision or spiritual state is also called Turiya or the Fourth state of consciousness. It is pure latent consciousness, a perfectly harmonious and unagitated field, unmixed with the triune material modes. The symbol of Aum itself represents the four states of consciousness, which are: the waking state (jagrat), the dream state (svapna) and deep sleep (susupti). These three states are situated in the realm of illusion (Maya) and the fourth state is the Turiya, the state Yogis & Rishis achieve in samadhi – or the perfectional state of meditation.

Figure: The meaning of Aum (Credits: Pinterest)

Scriptural evidence

The Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita extol the importance of Aum, where we can find the following passages: -

“The Eternal Wisdom was manifest, with the eternal Word, and with this Word the whole cosmos was created.” (The Upanishads)

“O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” (Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 7.8)

Even the Bible makes reference to the sacred ‘Word’ of God: -

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

The scriptures indeed have given Aum the highest position but it is important to properly practise its vibration. The Rishis further inform us that, in Aum, the ‘A’ activates the energy of our base chakra, U transmits it through the middle channel harmoniously and M creates resonance in the crown chakra at the top of the head, which activates the pineal gland - the gateway of higher consciousness. In other words, practising Aum ensures a safe and harmonious awakening of one’s spiritual consciousness. This understanding is central to the practice of meditation. Furthermore, without the intonation of Om before the Vedic mantras, these actually have no benefits. Om creates the sonic field through which the mantras create their effect. The mantras can, then, be likened to a vector through which a certain specific reality is manifested.

Towards a scientific understanding

The effect Aum can have on one’s consciousness can be understood through the science of cymatics. Cymatics is a term coined by Swiss philosopher Hans Jenny who was a follower of anthroposophy which postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. It explores how sounds can affect matter and how different frequencies can effectively create different shapes on matter. The science behind cymatics proves that sounds can influence the body in a very significant manner, leading to varied effects on human health and consciousness. It is no secret that nowadays the mantra Om is being pervasively used by the East and the West alike, through various manifest spiritual traditions, in order to precipitate meditative levels of awareness and, thus, aid in ushering in an era of enlightened consciousness. Indeed, the Rishis of yore used to practice the vibration of Om daily in order to attune their consciousness to this divine frequency. As a result, they were able to tune into the secrets of the Universe as their minds would act as transceivers of information.

The Sound of Brahman

Om is the sound of Brahman - the impersonal manifestation of Sri Krishna. Hence, it denotes God’s impersonal presence. His personal presence is veiled by Maya or the deluding force and, hence, in the material worlds, the Lord is eternally manifest in sound. This Brahman is actually the morphogenetic field of consciousness, or the consciousness-field that manifests all forms. The properties of the morphogenetic field have been extensively investigated by famed scientist Dr Rupert Sheldrake. The frequency of Aum is known as the Schumann Frequency, which is also the original frequency of the Earth, known as the Earth Pulse (7.83 Hz). The same frequency has also been recorded by NASA in the tones emitted from the Sun’s electromagnetic field and, as such, is fundamental to the galaxy. Interestingly, Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor also knew of the divinity of this frequency and consequently, tuned the North American Power Grid to the keynote of 7.83 Hz when the alternating current was first devised and power was transmitted throughout America. It was Nikola Tesla himself who said: “If you want to understand the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” In other words, it is sound that powers the Universe since its inception because its expansion happens in different waves.

Figure: Sound of the Universe (Credits: Zodiacpage)

The Expansion of the Universe

The following is an excerpt from an article published on March 2014 and will enable us to put into context more clearly how these sound waves are involved in the cosmic expansion of the Universe: -

“Scientists believe that the universe exploded from a tiny speck and hurled itself out in all directions in the fraction of a second that followed, beginning just 10 to the minus 35 seconds (roughly one trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second) after the universe's birth. Matter ultimately coalesced hundreds of millions of years later into planets, stars, and ultimately us. And like ripples from a ball kicked into a pond, that Big Bang-fuelled expansion caused ripples in the ancient light from that event, light which remains imprinted in the skies in a leftover glow called the cosmic microwave background.” (Foxnews, March 2014)

Figure: Expansion of the Universe (Credits: NASA)

Figure: Becoming one with the wave (Credits: Medium)

Those “ripples” being referred to from the ancient light or singularity are indeed the ripples of Aum in the Universe and can be heard by all those who are attuned to the cosmic consciousness of the Universe. Even the word ‘Uni-verse’ means One Verse or One Word. Veritably, Aum is the beat of the Universe and to be in sync with it is to be in sync with the spiritual reality behind the fabric of the Universe. In the rapturous moments of meditation, when one is attuned to Brahman, one can experience this reality in one’s consciousness.

Om Tat Sat

© Nithin Prakash Gukhool

07/12/2020.

Further References: -

https://www.foxnews.com/science/scientists-find-cosmic-ripples-from-birth-of-universe (Foxnews, March 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y27eovkuE0&app=desktop (All About Om - A TEDx talk by Khurshed Batliwala, Feb 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFdWxnPCvSs&app=desktop (Sounds of the Sun- NASA Recorded the Sacred Hindu Om Sound from Sun- March 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HMgaToaEac&app=desktop (Sadhguru Share The Secret Behind The AUM Chanting | Science of Sound | Mystics of India, March 2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRu_hG3X3bI&app=desktop (NASA | Sounds of the Sun (Low Frequency), Jul 2018)

https://psyct.psychopen.eu/index.php/psyct/article/view/275/html?acceptCookies=1 (Psychological Thought)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYC8N5W_bKA (Dr. Rupert Sheldrake - Morphogenetic Fields of Body and Mind - Quantum University, Oct 2018)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952121/ (Meditation on OM: Relevance from ancient texts and contemporary science, Jan-Jun 2010)

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/om-versus-hare-krishna-which-is-better (Speaking Tree: OM versus HARE KRISHNA – Which is Better?, Jul 2011)

The Author

Nithin Prakash Gukhool (MBCS)

The inspiration behind: -

His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada