Question: What is the sound 'AUM'?

Sri Chinmoy: ‘AUM’ represents God in His three aspects: God the Creator, God the Preserver and God the Destroyer or Transformer. God the Creator has created us. God the Preserver preserves us. But while preserving us He notices some imperfection in us, which He tries to perfect. When He is perfecting us, He becomes God the Destroyer. But ‘Destroyer’ is the wrong term; God is not destroying anything; only He is transforming us. Anything that is undivine in us God transforms and illumines. ‘A’ represents God the Creator, ‘U’ represents God the Preserver and ‘M’ represents God the Transformer. So when we chant ‘AUM’, we invoke God in His three aspects.