The Word That is God

“Om is hidden in the Vedas” as their inmost meaning or message, as well as their essence.
Thus the knowledge of Om is the sovereign secret of the Vedas. For this reason sages never
cease invoking It.
“The Syllable Om is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation.” (Mahanarayan
Upanishad 12:17)
“The one Syllable Om is Brahman. Its use is for the union with the Paramatman Who
exists as the manifold Universe.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 33: 1)
He who is one with Om is one with all: both the absolute, the Paramatman, and the
relative, the manifold Universe. For they are one.
“Om is Brahman. Om is Vayu [Prana]. Om is the finite self. Om is the Supreme Truth. Om
is all. Om is the multitude of citadels [the bodies of creatures]. Salutation to Him. That
Supreme Being moves inside the heart of created being possessing manifold forms. O
Supreme,…Thou art Om.” (Mahanarayan Upanishad 68:1,2)
“By means of Om the yogi should concentrate his thought on the Supreme Self. This
syllable Om verily is the substance of many great upanishads and a secret guarded by the gods
without imparting to the unqualified. He who practices meditation on the Supreme thus with
the aid of the Pranava attains to the unlimited greatness of the Supreme. By that [Om] he
attains to the greatness of Brahman. Thus the secret knowledge has been imparted.”
(Mahanarayan Upanishad 80:18)
Since “upanishad” literally means “that which was heard while sitting near,” the words
“many great upanishads” in the foregoing verse may simply mean “many great teachings.”
Maitrayana Upanishad
The Maitrayana Upanishad is a different recension of the better-known Maitri Upanishad
which will follow this section. Because there are some points of difference I am including and
commenting on both.
“‘Indeed, there are two forms of Brahman, the one having form, the other formless;’ 24 but
the one having form is the untruth [or: unreal], the formless one is the truth [or: real], is
Brahman, as Brahman the light, as the light of the sun; but this is the Syllable Om as the self.
‘But He made himself threefold,’ 25 because in Om there are three matras [a, u, and m];
through It this whole world is all interwoven lengthwise and breadthwise in that [Brahman
who is the sun]. As it is said: ‘Indeed the sun is this Om;’ therefore one should meditate and
make himself ready to unite himself with it.
“And in another place also it is said: ‘The udgitha is the Pranava and the Pranava is the
udgitha. That is why the udgitha is that sun and is the Pranava.’ 26 Because it is said: ‘[One
should meditate on] that udgitha, which is called the holy sound [Om], which is the guide or
24 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1
25 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.2.3
26 Chandogya Upanishad 1.5.1
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