Mantra · Universal · Sanskrit

Om (Aum) Chanting: The Pranava Mantra

ॐ — प्रणव मंत्र

Om, the Pranava: the sacred syllable at the start of every mantra. Its meaning in the Mandukya Upanishad and the Gita, how to chant A-U-M and a 108 jap counter.

Universal

Om (Aum) Chanting: The Pranava Mantra · ॐ — प्रणव मंत्र

By Mandukya Upanishad · Bhagavad GitaLanguage Sanskrit3 verses

ॐ॥

Om (A-U-M).

The primordial sound, the Supreme in the form of sound, from which all creation is said to come.

माण्डूक्य उपनिषद 1

ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव॥

Om ity etad aksharam idam sarvam, tasyopavyakhyanam, Bhutam bhavad bhavishyad iti sarvam omkara eva.

Om, this syllable, is all this. Here is its explanation: all that was, all that is and all that will be is Om alone.

भगवद्गीता 8.13

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्। यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्॥

Om ity ekaksharam Brahma vyaharan mam anusmaran, Yah prayati tyajan deham sa yati paramam gatim.

One who departs from the body uttering Om, the one syllable that is Brahman, and remembering Me, attains the supreme goal.

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विधि · How to chant

How to chant the Om (Aum) Chanting

How many times

11, 21 or 108 times; or simply for five to ten minutes.

When

Any time; dawn and dusk are traditional, and Om is a natural start to meditation or yoga.

  1. Sit with your spine tall and shoulders soft; close your eyes.
  2. Breathe in deeply through the nose.
  3. As you breathe out, sound A (aa) from the belly, flowing into U (oo) in the chest and throat, and close the lips into a long humming M.
  4. Let the hum fade into silence and rest in that silence for a moment before the next breath.
फल · Why it is chanted

Benefits in tradition

  • Slows the breath and calms the nervous system; the hum is soothing in itself.
  • Focuses the mind for meditation and prayer.
  • Connects every other mantra to its source.

These are the benefits described in scripture and tradition. Mantra and prayer support, but never replace, medical or professional care.

About the Om

Om is called the Pranava, the sound-form of Brahman. Every mantra begins with it and every Vedic recitation is framed by it. The Mandukya Upanishad explains its three sounds, A, U and M, as waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and the silence after it as turiya, the fourth state of pure awareness. Krishna in the Gita says that one who leaves the body remembering Om and Him reaches the highest goal.

Questions

Is it Om or Aum?

Both. In Sanskrit the vowel o is formed from a and u, so Om is the joining of A, U and M.

Can anyone chant Om?

Yes. Om belongs to everyone and is chanted in yoga and meditation the world over.