Om (Pranava)

Om (Pranava) is the primordial sound and the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, regarded as the sound manifestation of Brahman, the ultimate reality. Its earliest mention occurs in the Rigveda (1.164.39), where it is described as the syllable from which the Vedas are born. The Mandukya Upanishad (verses 1-12) provides the most exhaustive exposition, analyzing Om as composed of three matras: A (waking state, Vaishvanara), U (dreaming state, Taijasa), and M (deep sleep state, Prajna), followed by the silence (turiya), the transcendent fourth state. The Bhagavad Gita (8.13) instructs that one who departs the body uttering Om attains the highest goal. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1.27-28), Om is the symbol of Ishvara and its repetition leads to realization.

Iconographically, Om is represented by the written symbol ॐ, a composite of A, U, M, with a crescent and dot symbolizing the silence beyond. The syllable is considered the source of all sound and creation, embodying the entire cosmos. According to the Skanda Purana (Maheshvara Khanda), Om is the essence of all mantras and the gateway to liberation. In the Shiva Purana (Vidyeshvara Samhita 13.33), Om is identified with Shiva as Shabda Brahman. The syllable is central to Vedic rituals, meditation, and daily worship.

It is chanted at the beginning and end of prayers, and as a standalone mantra. Regional traditions vary: in Shaivism, Om is the sound of the damaru; in Vaishnavism, it is the sound of Vishnu's conch; in Shaktism, it is the seed of the Devi. Om pervades Hindu cosmology as the vibration from which the universe emanates and into which it dissolves. The Bhagavata Purana (12.6.37-38) states that the Vedas, all sounds, and all beings are manifestations of Om. Thus, Om is not merely a symbol but the very fabric of reality, the sound absolute that is both immanent and transcendent.

Represented by the written symbol ॐ. Often depicted as the source of all sound and creation.