Om – Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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OM – DIVINE DISCOURSES OF BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA • Om is the symbol of the unchanging eternal universal supreme God .... Om is the sound of the movement of the stars in the firmament; it is the sound that manifested when the dawn of Creative Will stirred the Niraakaara (the Attributeless) into activity. SSS6, Chap. 42 • Every little moment or incident results in sound; only, you may not be able to hear, because the range of your ear is limited. The falling of an eyelid over the eye makes a sound, the dropping of dew on a petal makes a sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm is bound to produce sound. The sound caused by the primal movement that resulted in the enveloping of Brahman by self-evolved illusion is the Pranavasabdha or Om. The Gaayathri is the elaboration of that Pranava and so, it is now held so venerable and valuable that initiation into spiritual life is achieved by its contemplation. SSS4, Chap. 18 • If you have the ear, you can hear 'Om' announcing the Lord's Presence in every sound. All the five elements produce this sound, 'Om.' The bell in the temple is intended to convey the Om as the symbol of the Omnipresent God. When the bell sounds Om, the Godhead within you will awaken and you will be aware of His Presence. That is the meaning of the bell which is rung in front of the inner shrine in the temple. SSS1, Chap. 9 • What is the difference between the Omkara and all other sounds and words? The Omkara 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 Omkara is ‘pronounced, none of these move at all. This is a unique characteristic of Omkara. Hence ‘OM’ alone can be regarded as Aksharam (imperishable). All the other sounds are expressions of different languages • The best upadesh (spiritual instruction) is the Pranava, the sacred syllable OM, which summarises many principles of theology, philosophy and mysticism. Little children just learning to toddle about are given a three-wheeled contraption which they push forward, holding on to the cross-bar. The OM is such a 'vehicle' for the spiritual child. The three wheels are a, u and m, the three components of the manthra. OM is the primal sound inherent in the life breath. SSS5, Chap. 46 • Krishna's flute is the expression, the elucidation of the four Vedas, and Om is their quintessence. • 'A', 'U', 'M' and the dot (signifying the reverberation of the Sound in the depth of the heart) are symbolic of the four Vedas. • Om is also symbolic of the Raama Principle. The four brothers, Raama, Lakshmana, Bharatha, and Satrughna, represent the Rig, Yagur, Sama and Atharvana Vedas. SSS14, Chap. 9 • The Pranava japa (the recitation of Om and the contemplation of that mystic syllable) will help to calm the roaring waves. Om is the sum of all the teachings in the Vedas about Godhead and of all the systems of adoring the Godhead; Om ithi ekaaksharam Brahma - Om, that one syllable is Brahman! • Ramakrishna Paramahamsa told an addict that he must not consume more than a given quantity of opium; he gave him a piece of chalk, to weigh every day the quantity of opium he can eat - no more, no less! But, he imposed a condition, whose usefulness in helping him to conquer the bad habit the addict did not realize then. It was that every time he used the weight he had to write on a slate, the Pranava (Om), before putting it SRI SATHYA SAI BALVIKAS, TAMILNADU WWW.SSSBALVIKASTN.ORG on the scale of the balance. The fellow obeyed; the chalk was reduced in weight with every Om, until it was eliminated in full; the opium habit too was reduced out of existence! The Om also helped to transfer his attachment from the opium-induced tranquility to the everlasting Bliss of God-intoxication. SSS7, Chap. 43 • Om is a composite of three sounds: • A (aa) arising from the region of the navel, U (oo) flowing through the throat and tongue and m (mm) ending up at the closed lip. • It has to be pronounced rising in a crescendo as slowly as possible, and as slowly coming down, until after the m there will be the echo of the silence reverberating in the cavity of the heart. • Do not take it in two stages, arguing that your breath will not hold so long. • Persevere, until you are able to be stirred by the upward sweep and the downward curve and the silent sequel. • These represent the waking, dreaming and sleeping, and the fourth, beyond the three stages. It represents also the flower of one's individuality growing into a fruit and filling itself with sweet juice out of its own inner essence, and then the final release from the tree. SSS10, Chap. 13 • It is laid down at Prasanthi Nilayam that the early dawn recital of Om should be done twenty-one times. • This number is not arbitrarily fixed; it has a significance of its own. • We have the five karmendhriyas (senses of action) and the five jnaanendriyas (senses of perception); • we have also praanas (the five vital energies or airs) to sustain us. Then we have the five koshas (sheaths), enclosing the Divine Spark that is the Reality. These total up to twenty. • Hence, the recitation of Om twenty-one times purifies and clarifies all these twenty components and makes man the twenty-first entity, ready for the final merger with Reality. • The life principle (jivathathwam) merges with the Supreme Absolute (Parathathwam).SSS14, Chap. 3 • The Jeeva Thatwa (life-principle) merges with Para Thatwa (the Supreme Reality). The Jeeva Thatwa may be pictured as a rider on the twenty-headed horse. • Finally, you end the Pranava recital with the recital of 'shaanthi' three times. That completes the process of clarification and purification. • The first call for shaanthi (peace chant) is for the purity of the Aadhibouthik (body) part of the Self. • The second call is for the purity of the Aadhidaivik (the mind). • The third is for the purification of the Aadhyaathmik (the spirit). • This Pranava recital will tone you up, calm all agitations in the mind, and quicken the downpour of grace. SSS14, Chap. 3 ================================================================================= OTHER A/V REFERENCES: Dr. Srikanth Sola is a cardiologist at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore. He spoke at the Silent Retreat held by Region 1 of the US Sathya Sai Organization on 12-14 October 2012. In session 4, Dr. Sola takes us through the pearls of wisdom from Sai Teachings on the reasons and the actual methodology of chanting this Primeval Sound (AUM). Please click on the following link to view the video of Dr.Sola’s talk: http://saicast.org/2012/20121012sola.html SRI SATHYA SAI BALVIKAS, TAMILNADU WWW.SSSBALVIKASTN.ORG SRI SATHYA SAI BALVIKAS, TAMILNADU WWW.SSSBALVIKASTN.ORG .