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 OM

(Auṃ or Oṃ or ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual symbol in Indian religions. It Signifies the Essence of the Ultimate Reality, Consciousness. The syllable Om is also referred to as onkara (ओङ्कार, oṅkāra), omkara (ओंकार, oṃkāra) and pranava (प्रणव, praṇava).

"Om (Devanagari: ॐ, Kannada: ಓಂ, Tamil: ௐ, Malayalam: ഓം, Telugu: ఓం, Bengali: ওঁ, Odia : ଓଁ or ଓ‍ଁ) is referred to as praṇava."

What is AUM?

AUM is not from any language or religion. Aum is the universal symbol for people of all faiths, religions and cultures. AUM is the universal cosmic sound of creation and destruction. AUM is just a sound that means nothing, yet can mean everything. AUM is the sound that maintains the consciousness of nature and mother earth.

In Hinduism,

Om refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). Om (or Aum, ॐ) is the sacred sound symbol that represents Universe; the ultimate reality (Brahman). It is prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Vedic mantras and prayers. Aum is often said to represent God in the three aspects of Brahman (A), Vishnu (U) and Shiva (M). As the Divine primordial vibration, it represents the one ultimate reality , underlying and encompassing all of nature and all of existence.

In Sikhism,

Ik Onkar, iconically represented as ੴ in Sikhism are the opening words of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, The Sikh scripture. It is the statement that 'there is one God', and that there is 'singularity despite seeming plurality'. AUM is invoked as “Ik Onkar” in Sikhism, spelt out as "ਇੱਕ ਓਅੰਕਾਰ" in Guru Granth sahib. Guru Granth sahib is the most sacred book of Sikhism. Ik onkar literally means “One god” thus emphasizing on oneness of god to resemble their monotheistic belief. AUM is known by words like Shabd, Naam and "Bani” in sikhism. According to Sikhism, Shabad is the most powerful force that can create everything including the smallest of larvae.

In Christianity,

Amen is the Christian equivalent of AUM. Many scholars believe that Amen is formed by combining the two words (Aum + men). This literally means that Aum is the father of all mankind. i.e AUM is God.

As we all know that Jesus is mentioned as the father of mankind in the bible, Sanskrit word ‘AUM’ not only represent Hindu God ‘Brahman’ but also Christian god “Jesus”.

NOTE - Sacredness of AUM is clearly evident from the first verse of bible that states "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

In Islam,

Ameen, a sacred word in Islam, is phonetically very similar to AUM. Though Ameen does not appear in quran, Muslims always say Ameen after closing the Prayers.

The importance of uttering ‘Amen’ to free the soul from all sins."If a Muslim says amen [that] coincides with the angels, than all past sins will be forgiven."

In Jainism,

Om is considered a condensed form of reference to the Pañca-Parameṣṭhi, by their initials A+A+A+U+M (o3m). The Dravyasamgraha quotes a Prakrit line. AAAUM (or just "Om") is one syllable short form of the initials of the five parameshthis: "Arihant, Ashiri, Acharya, Upajjhaya, Muni".

In Buddhism,

AUM is also placed at the begining of Buddhist mantras. AUM mani padme hum is the sacred mantra of Esoteric Buddhists.

AUM is referred by Buddhist mystics as the Transcendental Sound of Avalokiteshvara. In Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, AUM is extolled as Roar of Dharmata. In Theravada Buddhism, AUM is called the Sound of Silence. AUM is chanted as HUM in Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Buddhist literature “Surangama Sutra”, listening to sound is the best method of Self- Realization.

In Judaism,

Judaism was highly influenced by Hinduism. Aum sound is one of such influences.

Like AUM, three letters in Hebrew is said to be the source of all articulate sounds. This three letters are Shin, Mem, and Aleph. Aleph is silent, Mem sounds like "Mmmmmm" and Shin like "Shhhhhh". So, phonetically, these three Hebrew letters is very similar to AUM. Amen is said to be derived from Aman meaning “to nourish” and “make strong”. Hence chanting of Amen is meant to instill energy and nourishment in the body.

Conclusion :

Aum is a single, indivisible sound that is the seed of the universe. Through this sound, gods set the motion of all the planets of this universe. Every second, AUM chant maintains this materialistic existence. Without AUM, there is no birth. Without AUM, there is no death. AUM existed, exists and will forever exist till the end of eternity.Sacred Sound of AUM vibrates the universe. AUM is the creative sound of the universe. So, it should not be surprising to see the influence of AUM in all major religions of the world. Chant AUM to realize the power of AUM.