The Word That is God
The Word That is God
The Word That is God
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mantra [Pranava, Om] which <strong>is</strong> the essence [substance] of the Vedas. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> Brahman. It<br />
should be meditated upon.” (Jabala Upan<strong>is</strong>had 3, 4)<br />
Japa and meditation of Om are so simple, so “small,” that it <strong>is</strong> only natural for us to<br />
wonder if such things could result in the attaining of Cosmic Consciousness. So h<strong>is</strong> students<br />
asked the great sage Yajnavalkya if life eternal, the knowledge of <strong>God</strong>, could be gained by<br />
means of them. <strong>The</strong> answer was clear and unequivocal: Yes.<br />
Kaivalya Upan<strong>is</strong>had<br />
“By making h<strong>is</strong> own inner sense [i.e., awareness] the lower arani and the Pranava the<br />
upper arani, the accompl<strong>is</strong>hed adept completely burns up and reduces to ashes h<strong>is</strong> ignorance<br />
of the atman.” (Kaivalya Upan<strong>is</strong>had 11)<br />
<strong>The</strong> inner consciousness of the yogi and Om, when “rubbed together” by japa and meditation,<br />
produce the fire of divine knowledge which reduces ignorance to ashes. It <strong>is</strong> ignorance that<br />
produces all the wrong and fool<strong>is</strong>h actions engaged in by human beings, and those actions<br />
produce all the sufferings of human beings. Ignorance, then, <strong>is</strong> the root of sin and suffering,<br />
and eradication of ignorance <strong>is</strong> the only way to be rid of sin and suffering. Japa and meditation<br />
of Om completely burn up our ignorance and reduce the seeds of our karma to ashes, ending<br />
ignorance and rebirth for us and enlightening and freeing us.<br />
Katha Upan<strong>is</strong>had<br />
“I will tell you briefly of that Goal which all the Vedas with one voice propound, which all<br />
the austerities speak of, and w<strong>is</strong>hing for Which people practice d<strong>is</strong>cipline: It <strong>is</strong> Om. Om,<br />
indeed, <strong>is</strong> the Lower Brahman; th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong>, indeed, the Higher Brahman. Anyone who, meditating<br />
on Om, w<strong>is</strong>hes either of the Two [aspects], by him that <strong>is</strong> attained. Th<strong>is</strong> [Om] <strong>is</strong> the best<br />
means [of attainment and realization]; th<strong>is</strong> means <strong>is</strong> the Higher and Lesser Brahman. Meditating<br />
on Om, one becomes worthy of worship in the world of Brahman.” (Katha Upan<strong>is</strong>had 1.<br />
2.15-17)<br />
Om <strong>is</strong> the aim of all spiritual aspirations, and Om <strong>is</strong> the means to attain them.<br />
<strong>The</strong> terms “Lower” and “Higher” in th<strong>is</strong> quotation refer to Brahman in H<strong>is</strong> manifestations<br />
as all Relative Ex<strong>is</strong>tence and the Transcendent Absolute Ex<strong>is</strong>tence. <strong>The</strong> idea here <strong>is</strong> that Om<br />
embraces the total range of ex<strong>is</strong>tence–the totality of <strong>God</strong>–and therefore <strong>is</strong> <strong>God</strong> (Brahman).<br />
And <strong>God</strong> <strong>is</strong> Om, and can be attained through Om. <strong>The</strong> upan<strong>is</strong>had tells us that both aspects of<br />
<strong>God</strong> can be attained by Om Yog<strong>is</strong> lest they think that the transcendental aspect, Nirguna<br />
Brahman, <strong>is</strong> beyond their capacity to attain. Om attains everything. Since <strong>God</strong> includes all that<br />
ex<strong>is</strong>ts, Om <strong>is</strong> the key to everything–material, psychic, or spiritual–indeed, <strong>is</strong> everything. Thus<br />
Om Itself <strong>is</strong> Cosmic Consciousness.<br />
Om <strong>is</strong> the means to attain divinity; and those who so attain become themselves “deities,”<br />
worthy of worship and able to ass<strong>is</strong>t those who call upon them. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> the secret of the “gods”<br />
who, the upan<strong>is</strong>hads tell us, took refuge in Om, thereby merging in <strong>That</strong> Which <strong>is</strong> Om and<br />
becoming themselves Om and worthy of worship by those who would also attain the “world”<br />
(status) of Brahman. Shankara in h<strong>is</strong> commentary on th<strong>is</strong> upan<strong>is</strong>had says: “‘Meditating on Om<br />
one <strong>is</strong> worshipped in the world of Brahman.’ Th<strong>is</strong> idea <strong>is</strong> th<strong>is</strong>: Getting identified with Brahman,<br />
he becomes worshippable like Brahman.”<br />
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