The Word That is God
The Word That is God
The Word That is God
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“[In the beginning] there manifested the singly-syllabled Brahman as the word Om. It<br />
expressed Brahman.” (Shiva Purana. Vayaviyasamhita 35:1)<br />
“<strong>The</strong> unmanifest Pranava was transmuted into the Veda.” (Shiva Purana. Vayaviyasamhita<br />
35:6)<br />
“Whatever object there <strong>is</strong>, whether compounded or separated, <strong>is</strong> indicated by the Pranava.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, th<strong>is</strong> single-syllabled Brahman <strong>is</strong> the expression of all meanings. <strong>The</strong>refore at the<br />
outset Shiva creates the universe, saying ‘Om.’ Shiva <strong>is</strong> the Pranava and the Pranava <strong>is</strong> Shiva.<br />
<strong>That</strong> <strong>is</strong> because there <strong>is</strong> no difference between that which <strong>is</strong> named and the name [the<br />
designated and the designator]. Shiva <strong>is</strong> that which <strong>is</strong> expressed by the single-syllabled Om.<br />
…Thus they call Me Om.” (Shiva Purana. Vayaviyasamhita 35:42-46,53)<br />
“Repetition of Om <strong>is</strong> known as r<strong>is</strong>ing to Shiva’s world [loka]. Japa of Om purifies the mind.<br />
At the time of meditation the japa of Om should be mental.” 44<br />
<strong>The</strong> tangled mind <strong>is</strong> the foremost problem for the aspirant. Japa and meditation of Om<br />
untangle the mind and make it clear (purified). <strong>The</strong> Purana also makes it clear that japa and<br />
meditation are done in silence, mentally.<br />
Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Holy Lord said: Seated on a seat of moderate height with h<strong>is</strong> body erect in a<br />
comfortable posture, placing both h<strong>is</strong> hands on h<strong>is</strong> lap and steadying h<strong>is</strong> gaze on the tip of h<strong>is</strong><br />
nose, and having fully controlled h<strong>is</strong> senses, he should manifest in h<strong>is</strong> mind the sound of the<br />
Pranava–continuous as the ringing of a bell–as extending uninterruptedly, fine as a fiber of a<br />
lotus stalk.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.32-34)<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea <strong>is</strong> that the meditator should intone Om continuously (in time with h<strong>is</strong> breath),<br />
relaxing h<strong>is</strong> awareness into the inner sound that should become increasingly subtle, “fine as a<br />
fiber of a lotus stalk.”<br />
“I am the Pranava.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.16.11)<br />
“In the beginning [in the Satya Yuga] the Pranava alone formed the Veda.” (Srimad<br />
Bhagavatam)<br />
In Indian reckoning a Yuga <strong>is</strong> an Age–one of the div<strong>is</strong>ions of evolutionary time. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
four Yugas, known as Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. <strong>The</strong> Satya Yuga <strong>is</strong><br />
the highest age in which spiritual consciousness <strong>is</strong> most highly developed in human beings. In<br />
that age there are no rituals, hymns, or prayers–only Om. And for those who are approaching<br />
higher consciousness, in whatever age they may be living, Om becomes their sole spiritual<br />
support.<br />
According to th<strong>is</strong> and other scriptures, the Vedas were not utilized in the Satya Yuga–but<br />
were only given to the world in the Treta Yuga. So Vedic Dharma <strong>is</strong> not really based on the<br />
Vedas but on Om–of Which they are considered to be a later evolute. <strong>The</strong> Vedas were the<br />
earliest formal scriptures, that <strong>is</strong> true, but according to th<strong>is</strong> passage from the Srimad Bhagavatam<br />
44 Unfortunately, the reference was not noted for th<strong>is</strong>.<br />
59