The single word AUM (ॐ) is known as the pranava mantra (प्रणव मंत्र) and is perhaps the most significant mantra in Hinduism. The symbol AUM is composed of three syllables, namely the letters A, U, M, and when written has a crescent and dot on its top. The letters A, U and M symbolise respectively speech, the mind and the breath of life, while the entire symbol stands for the living spirit, which is but a portion of the divine spirit. Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it. Aum Also stands for the three gunas or qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas, while the whole symbol represents a gunatita, one who has transcended and gone beyond the pull of the gunas. The A, U and M depict the three stages of yogic discipline, namely, asana (2), pranayama (3) and pratyahara (4). The entire symbol represents samadhi (1), the goal for which the three stages are the steps. The letter A symbolises the conscious or waking state ( jagratha-avastha ), the letter U the dream state ( svapna-avstha ) and the letter M the dreamless sleep state ( susupta-avastha ) of the mind and spirit. The entire symbol, together with the crescent and the dot, stands for the fourth state ( turiya-avastha ), which combines all these states and transcends them. This is the state of samadhi.
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| Aum Symbol Wallpaper For Meditation |
