1.

AUM is the soundless sound. It is the vibration of the Supreme. When one hears the soundless sound within, when one identifies oneself with it, when one lives within it, one can be freed from the fetters of ignorance and realise the Supreme within and without.

AUM is called the Seed-Sound of the Universe, for with this sound God set into motion the first vibration of His creation. The teeming universe is sustained perpetually by the creative fruitfulness of the Divine AUM.

The syllable AUM is indivisible, but each portion of it represents a different aspect of the Supreme. The Sanskrit A represents and embodies the Consciousness of the Creator, Brahma; the Sanskrit U, the Preserver, Vishnu; the Sanskrit M, the Transformer, Shiva. Taken together, AUM is the spontaneous cosmic rhythm with which God embraces the universe.

The universal AUM, put forth by the Supreme, is an infinite Ocean. The individual AUM, chanted by man, is a bubble in that Ocean. It cannot be separated from the Ocean and moreover even the tiniest can claim the Ocean as its very own. Chanting AUM, man touches and calls forth the cosmic vibration of the Supreme Sound.

The unknown embraces ignorance with its self-limitation. The Unknowable embraces AUM with His absolute Self-revelation.

Without birth is AUM. Without end is AUM. Immortality is AUM's universal Identity.

When we are in Ignorance, AUM feeds us. When we are in Knowledge, AUM feeds us. When we are beyond both Ignorance and Knowledge, AUM still feeds us, for it is the nectar which gives life to creation, born and unborn.

Questions and answers

SAM 2-3. These questions were answered at a class on Yoga on 13 August 1966 at the home of Mr and Mrs Virgil Gant, 467 Central Park West, New York City.

Question: What is the meaning of AUM?

AUM is a Sanskrit word, a syllable. A Sanskrit word or a syllable has a special significance and a creative power. AUM is the Mother of all sounds. When we chant AUM, what actually happens is that we bring down Peace and Light from above and create a universal harmony within and without us. When we repeat AUM, both our inner and outer beings become inspired and surcharged with a divine feeling and aspiration. AUM has no equal. AUM has infinite power. Just by repeating AUM, we can realise God.

When you chant AUM, try to feel that it is God who is climbing up and down within you. Hundreds of seekers in India have realised God simply by repeating AUM. AUM is the symbol of God, the Creator.

One can speak and write for hours about AUM. The main thing, my personal feeling, is that when you repeat AUM, please try to observe what actually happens. If you repeat the name of a cat, a dog or a monkey, or even of an ordinary person, you get no inspiration. But when you utter AUM which is the symbol of the Creator, the life-breath of the Creator, you immediately get an inner feeling, the feeling that inspires your inner and outer movements to enlarge your vision and fulfil your life here on earth. This is the secret of AUM. If you want to cherish a secret all your life, then here is the secret. Please chant AUM and everything is yours.

Question: In connection with my mother-in-law's question, when you gave us the meditation for Buddy, why didn't you give us that word AUM instead of GOD?

The thing is… I could have given it. You know, everything has its own time. I have now told you about the significance of AUM and the other day I told you about God. You have to know in which word you have more faith. In one person, when he says God, all his love, faith and devotion come to the fore. In other persons, this may not be so. In your case, that is, in Buddy's case, I told him to repeat the name of God, for he goes to church and prays in the Christian way. So far you have been familiar with God.

Questioner: It is a term which is meaningful to us in our culture.

Exactly so. In your culture, it is God. In India, we repeat AUM or the name of a god or goddess, i.e. Shiva, Krishna, Kali, etc, The most important thing is to know in whom or in which aspect of the Supreme we have absolute faith. When I told you and Buddy about God, I had the feeling that all your life you had been trained to pray to God. But today AUM enters into you with its significance. The time comes when you can go deeper within, and if AUM inspires you more than GOD, then, certainly one day, I shall meditate with you two. I shall see whether God, Aum, Supreme, Infinite or some other aspect of the Ultimate inspires you most. It is the inspiration that you get which is of the utmost importance.

Ten thousand times!

Asim is a middle-aged man. He lives with his family — parents, brothers and sisters, wife and children. He has, like all men, both good and bad characteristics. The worst of the bad ones is his addiction to drinking.

One day, early in the evening, he came home heavily drunk. His parents became furious; their eyes were emitting fire. His brothers and sisters were greatly shocked. His wife began to shed bitter tears, while the children were terribly frightened. He finally realised that his drinking habit had reached an unbearable point. He therefore left for his Guru's ashram.

On reaching the ashram, he found that his Guru was not in. But he saw Shibhu, Guru's dearest disciple, and unburdened to him all his mental agonies, recounting the upheaval at home. Shibhu said, "I can well imagine their reaction to your drinking habit. But you should know by now that when you drink you are giving your family a bad reputation.

"But nothing is too late!” continued the disciple. "Just sit here cross-legged and repeat AUM ten thousand times. This will purify your body and you will be able to go home with peace of mind. You will be able to turn over a new leaf.”

Now, full of inner inspiration, Asim started repeating AUM aloud. At the same time, he was counting. No sooner had he repeated AUM five hundred times, than their Guru, Gholanda, came in. He enquired of the matter. Shibhu narrated the whole story to their Master and told about the instructions he had given to Asim for the purification of his body and for the forgiveness of God.

When the Guru heard that Asim had been asked to repeat AUM ten thousand times, he was utterly shocked at Shibhu's decree. Turning to Asim, he asked him how many times he had already repeated AUM. Asim answered in a trembling voice, "Five hundred times." The Guru asked him most affectionately to get up and stand beside him, He then commanded Shibhu to sit in the spot where Asim had sat. Then the Guru said, "Now you complete his journey … only 9,500 times to go! Do you think the power of AUM is so weak that one has to repeat it ten thousand times? When are you going to learn that AUM is omnipotent and has omnipotent power!

"No matter how grave one's sin is, if one repeats or chants AUM just a few times, from the depth of one's heart, the omnipotent compassion of AUM will forgive and redeem the victim.

"In the twinkling of an eye, the power of AUM transforms darkness into Light, ignorance into Knowledge, and death into Immortality."

2.

AUM is the Clarion-Call of the Infinite. AUM is the universal Teacher.

Some are of the opinion that A starts its journey from the back of the mouth, and U from the middle, and M from the lips. Others hold (and I personally prefer this second discovery) that the sprinter A starts its journey from the heart-centre (Anahata) and comes up to U, which has been waiting at the throat-centre (Visuddha) for A's arrival. Now both A and U come to M which has been waiting at the centre between the eyebrows (Ajna). Combined, they run toward the Infinite vast.

When we chant AUM loudly, we feel the Omnipotence of the Supreme. When we chant AUM softly, we feel the Delight of the Supreme. When we chant AUM silently, we feel the Peace of the Supreme.

We chant AUM. Where does the sound terminate? It terminates both in the Infinite Invisible Beyond and in the immediate visible cosmic manifestation.

The sound of AUM inspires the seeker to feel that God will be coming. The message of AUM inspires the seeker to feel that God is coming. The significance of AUM inspires the seeker to feel that God is come. The life-breath of AUM makes the seeker feel that God has always been within him and will forever be.

As regards the sounding of AUM, the M should last at least three times as long as AU which sounds as long O. Finally, the seeker must know that AUM should come to him as a revelation and not as a mental or intellectual discovery.

AUM is our concentration, meditation and contemplation. While chanting AUM, our body becomes a uniquely one-pointed field of concentration, our mind becomes an energising and fulfilling meditation, our heart becomes Infinity's self-absorbed contemplation.

GOD in AUM:

A stands for aspiration to realise God.

U stands for union with God.

M stands for the manifestation of God, in us, with us, and through us.

AUM says that man errs when he says that he lives because he breathes. He lives because in his breath there is the power that is God himself.

O man, AUM can fulfil all your desires. AUM can free you from all your desires. Only one boon is granted; choose either of the two. If your worldly desires are infinite, then rest assured that God's wealth is more than infinite. So you can safely continue asking Him for things mundane. Again, if you want inner and outer freedom, God, being absolute Freedom, can fulfil your highest aspiration. So you can safely go on aspiring for things Divine.

AUM existed. Nothing else. AUM exists. Nothing else. AUM will exist. Nothing else. Now what is AUM? It is the Mother of all Indian mantras. What is a mantra? It is power in the guise of a sound. The sound of AUM is unique. Generally, when two things are struck together, we hear a sound. But this sound needs no striking. It is Anahata (unstruck). It is a soundless sound. A yogi or a spiritual figure hears it in the inmost recesses of his heart. When you hear it, you can be certain that you are far advanced in the spiritual life. Your God-realisation will no longer remain a mere cry in the wilderness. The day of your Self-Realisation is fast approaching.

The difference between man and God, according to AUM, is very simple. Man needs God more than he wants Him. God wants man more than He needs him. As a matter of fact, both man and God need each other. Man needs God to fulfil his desires and his earth-bound life. God needs man to transform His Vision into Reality, His manifestation into perfect Perfection.

There are seven higher worlds and seven lower worlds. The higher worlds are: Bhur, Bhuvar, Swar, Jana, Mahar, Tapas and Satya. One of the Upanishads names seven higher regions. These are: Agniloka, Vayuloka, Varunaloka, Adityaloka, Indraloka, Prajapatiloka and Brahmaloka. Certain spiritual figures are of the opinion that the first-mentioned group of worlds corresponds to the second. Others, equally qualified, strongly object to this belief. Strangely enough, all, without exception, agree that the world Satya and Brahmaloka are one and the same.

Now the seven lower worlds are: Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Mahatala and Patala.

AUM and AUM alone has a free access to all these higher and lower worlds.