Why do we chant Om?

JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA

JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR

JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Dear Readers,

Radhekrishna! We have seen references of the word Om in the Upanishads and also the Bhagwad Gita. Let us see some more references of the same in Bhagwad Gita.

In Bhagavad Gi:tā (9.17): Lord Krishna says to Arjuna - "I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable Oḿ. I am also the Ṛig, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas."

The Bhagvad Gi:tā (17.23) has:

om tatsatiti nirdesho brahmanstrividhah samratah

"OM, tat and sat has been declared as the triple appellation of Brahman, who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss."

In the following sūtra it emphasizes, "The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of its meaning".

Om is one of the most chanted sound symbols in India. It has a profound effect on the body and mind of the one who chants and also on the surroundings. Most mantras and vedic prayers start with Om.

The OM mantra has been mentioned in many of the ancient texts related to yoga. In many of the Upanishads, it is revered as representing everything that is manifest and yet has its roots in the unmanifest. The Mandukya Upanishad (MU), in particular, is fully devoted to the discussion of OM. In the Upanishads, OM is mentioned as being the same as Brahman (the supreme consciousness).

We shall know more about this sacred syllable in our next post.

… to be continued

Section II: Information about Indian herbs

In this post let us know about Mandwa also known as Indian Millet in English and Eleusine Coracana in Latin.

• It’s a foodgrain resembling millet that has many medicinal properties
• Paste of Mandwa gives relief in bites of certain spiders
• It helps cure dropsy

That concludes the post for the fortnight. Till the next post keep chanting the Radhekrishna namam and enjoy the supreme bliss.

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam

Why do we chant Om?

JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA

JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR

JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Radhekrishna to one and all,

In our previous post, we mentioned that the word Om has been described in manu Upanishads. In this post, let us know in detail about the same

The Katha Upanishad has:

"The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they live a life of conscience, I will tell you briefly it is aum"

"The one syllable [evākṣara, viz. aum] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is the highest. Whosoever knows this one syllable obtains all that he desires.

"This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma." (1.2.15-17)

The Chāndogya Upanishad (1.1.1-1) states:

om ity-etad akṣaram udgītham upāsīta / aum iti hy udgāyati / tasyopavyākhyānam

"The udgi:tā ["the chanting", that is, the syllable om] is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth."

The Bhagavad Gi:tā (8.13) states that:

Uttering the monosyllable Aum, the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the Supreme Goal (i.e., he reaches God).

We will look into some more references of Om in our next post.

….to be continued

Section II: Information about Indian herbs

In this post let us know about Khees also known as Colostrom in English.

• It’s a viscous milky fluid produced by a cow or a buffalo for three to four days after calving
• It coagulates when put on the fire
• It is difficult to digest
• Its constipative in nature
• It’s a general tonic and also used for ashthma

That concludes the topic for the fortnight. Till the next post on 22^nd November, Radhekrishna !

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam

Why do we chant Om?

JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA

JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR

JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Dear Readers,

Radhekrishna once again,

In the previous post we started with the topic of “Om”. Let us know more about it in this post.

The vibration of "OM" symbolizes the manifestation of God in form ("sāguna brahman"). "OM" is the reflection of the absolute reality, it is said to be "Adi Anadi", without beginning or the end and embracing all that exists. The mantra "OM" is the name of God, the vibration of the Supreme. When taken letter by letter, A-U-M represents the divine energy (Shakti) united in its three elementary aspects: Bhrahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti (preservation) and Shiva Shakti (liberation, and/or destruction)

The syllable is mentioned in all the Upanishads, specially elaborated upon in the Taittiriya, Chāndogya and Māndukya Upanishad set forth as the object of profound religious meditation, the highest spiritual efficacy being attributed not only to the whole word but a lso to the three sounds a (a-kāra), u (u-kāra), m (ma-kāra), of which it consists. A-kara means form or shape like earth, trees, or any other object. U-kāra means formless or shapeless like water, air or fire. Ma-kāra means neither shape nor shapeless (but still exists) like the dark energy content of the Universe. When we combine all three syllables we get AUM which is a combination of A-kāra, U-kāra, and Ma-kāra.

Let us know about the reference of Om in various upanishads in the next post.

… to be continued

Section II: Information about Indian herbs

In this post, let us know about Katai Chhoti also known as Solanum Xanthocarpum in Latin.

• It’s a spreading herb with thorns and violet flowers
• Its fruits are of the same size as large plums
• It’s a good blood purifier
• It acts as an antiseptic for the mouth
• It also acts as killer of intestinal parasites
• It's used as a purgative

That concludes the topic for the fortnight. Till the next post keep chanting Radhekrishna Krishnaradhe Radhekrishna Krishnaradhe

Radhekrishna Krishnaradhe Radhekrishna Krishnaradhe

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam

Why do we chant Om?

JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA

JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR

JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Radhekrishna Dear Readers,

In this post we start a very important topic which is “Why do we chant Om?”

Om or Aum, written universally as ॐ, in Devanāgari as ओ३म् or ओम् and in Tamil as ஓம், in Sanskrit known as praṇava प्रणव (lit. "to sound out loudly"), Omkara, or Auṃkāra (also as Aumkāra) ओंकार, is a sacred or mystical syllable in Hinduism,

Om is pronounced as ओ३म् where ३ is Pluti, (indicating a length of three morae) (long or over-long nasalized close-mid back rounded vowel, [õːː]), like OOOM, दीर्घ O,

The syllable consists of three phonemes, a Vaishvanara, u Hiranyagarbha and m Iswara, which symbolize the beginning, duration, and dissolution of the universe and the associated gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively. The name Omkara is taken as a name of God in the Hindu revivalist Arya Samaj

The syllable om is first described as all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads. Today, in all Hindu art and all over India 'om' can be seen virtually everywhere, a common sign for Hinduism and its philosophy and theology. Hindus believe that as creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound "OM". Before creation began it was "Shunyākāsha", the emptiness or the void. Shunyākāsha, meaning literally "no sky", is more than nothingness, because everything then existed in a latent state of potentiality.

… to be continued

Section II: Information about Indian herbs

In this post let us know about Bindal also known as Cotton Seed in English and Gossypium Indioum in Latin.

· It’s a fruit of a creeper also known as Bindal Doda

· It grows wild in the rain forests

· It’s a very good purgative and emetic

· It is used in epilepsy, jaundice and piles

· If taken internally it can induce abortion by inducing menstrual flow

That concludes the post for the fortnight. Till the next post, Radhekrishna!

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam