Lord Shiva alias ‘Rudra’

Series on Shiva the Supreme!

(Continued)

– Dr. Dhananjay B. Ghare

(This series is designed in a dramatic conversation format, the selected important information on Lord Shiva as it is available in several related Pauraṇic, Upaniṣadic and Vedic Sūkta literature. This episode is mainly based on information in the ‘Rudra Samhitā’ section of Shiva Purāṇa text)

Śaunakādika: Respected Sūta Mahāṛṣi, thanks for the information about a) the Vedopaṇiśadic concept represented by lord Shiva and b) some important methods useful for pleasing Lord Shiva such as i) performances called as his ‘vrata’s (meaning tools to wrap and grab him via miniature forms of penances or ‘Tapācharaṇa’s’) and ii) five to 16 step procedures of worships to honour and please him. Now please tell us about some other information about Lord Shiva.

Sūta (alias Romaharṣaṇa):  Once sage Nārada was pondering about his own self achievements and progress in spiritual path. Lord Kāmadeva (representing the divine capability to make a wish or ‘Desire’ about possessing or witnessing ‘something’), is considered as the son of Lord Viṣṇu and Goddess ‘Lakṣmi’. To have a full mental control over this divine capability, is considered as a very difficult task achievable by saints and sages of highest order of spiritual status and emotional detachment. Somehow, Nārada in his wrong self over assessment, strongly felt that he had achieved these rare spiritual feet of ‘mental control’ representing a ‘win over Kāmadeva’.

Happily, he hurriedly went to ‘Kailāśa’ and told Lord Shiva about his own opinion on his spiritual achievement of mental self-control representing his ‘win’ over Lord ‘Kāmadeva’. Lord Shiva was amused and laughed heartily and realized that ‘self-pride’ (garva, durahankāra) had overtaken the ‘commonsense’ and ‘humbleness’ in the mental sheath (‘manomaya Kośa’) of the sage. Therefore, Lord Shiva (outwardly) congratulated Nārada over his self-assessment of spiritual progress and advised him to keep it confidential and not to tell this to anybody else, especially Lord Viṣṇu. Sage Nārada however did not take this advice seriously. On the contrary, like a child, he straightaway got inclined to do what he was advised to avoid.

From ‘Kailāśa’, Nārada straightaway went to ‘Vaikuṇṭha’ the abode of Lord Viṣṇu and described about his claim of having achieved the rare mental control and victory over Lord ‘Kāmadeva’. Lord Viṣṇu in reply, mockingly congratulated him on one hand but cunningly created a hypnotic false stage around sage Nārada. As the sage came out of ‘Vaikuṇṭha’, Nārada entered this illusive dramatic atmosphere created by Lord Viṣṇu, which was similar to an experience in a ‘dreaming state’. There, he saw a kingdom ruled by the king ‘Śīlanidhi’ who welcomed and honored sage Nārada with great respect. His daughter princess ‘Śrīmati’ was extremely attractive and extraordinarily beautiful. King ‘Śīlanidhi’ told Nārada that he was soon organizing the program where she was going to get married by the ‘svayamvara’ (self-selection) process. In this process, the princess with a garland of flowers in her hand, was supposed to choose the most impressive ‘Personality’ in the ‘Svayamvara’ program assembly and garland the person chosen by her for getting married.

Nārada was unaware of this ‘Māyā’ meaning a false and non-existing ‘illusive stage’ created by Lord Viṣṇu, in which he had got trapped. His mind got possessed by a strong desire to get selected and married by the extraordinarily beautiful Princess ‘Śrīmati’. This strong desire born in his mind was a clear indication that he had not reached the spiritual status of ‘win over Lord Kāmadeva’. Nārada hurriedly went back to ‘Vaikuṇṭha’ and requested Lord ‘Hari’ alias ‘Viṣṇu’ to give him in boon, a ‘handsome personality like himself’. Lord Viṣṇu mockingly granted the boon that he will look like ‘Hari’ which is one of the thousands of names of Lord Viṣṇu. Each name of a Vedic God is actually a characteristics or description of some action, activity  carried out by that God. e.g. a) ‘Keshava’ means the divine power which has killed the demon ‘Keshi’, b) ‘Gopāla’ means a cowherd taking care of cows and c) ‘Mādhava’ or ‘Madhusūdana’ both names mean the divine power which has killed the demon ‘Madhu’ etc.

(Source of image: https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/narads-monkey-face/)

Nārada thought that he had received the boon to look like handsome Lord ‘Hari’ alias Viṣṇu.  Unless seen in a mirror, nobody knows how exactly his or her face is looking at any instant. Therefore, Nārada got into a mental illusion that he must now be looking as handsome as Lord Viṣṇu. However, the word ‘Hari’ also meant like a ‘Monkey’.  Lord Viṣṇu in his jocular mood had actually used his powerful ‘Māyā’ to make sage Nārada’s face to look like a ‘Monkey’. Sage Nārada unaware of this trick played on him by Lord Viṣṇu, attended the marriage of that illusive princess ‘Śrīmati’. There, he noticed that all persons in the assembly were looking at him in great amazement and smiling heartily. All were actually laughing at his face looking like a Monkey. However, sage Nārada thought that they were getting impressed by his handsome personality similar to Lord Viṣṇu. Soon, Lord Viṣṇu himself came there and the princess pleased by his handsome personality, garlanded him and got married to Lord Viṣṇu. Sage Nārada wondered about what went wrong with him and had a look at himself in a mirror. Immediately, he realized that Lord Viṣṇu had played a dirty trick on him and given him the face of a monkey. Raging with anger, sage Nārada went to ‘Vaikuṇṭha’ and cursed Lord Viṣṇu that he will suffer parting away (viyoga) from his wife ‘Sītā’ and will be forced to take the help of monkeys to fight a war against the abductor demon Rāvaṇa, during his human incarnation as Lord ‘Rāma’.

(Source of image: https://www.tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in/destinations/rameswaram-temple)

After listening to these angry outbursts and curses from sage Nārada, Lord Viṣṇu calmly pointed out to him that he had neither won control over ‘Kāmadeva’ (making ‘Desires), nor had he conquered ‘Anger’ (Krodha). Excited by these bad emotions he had himself suffered from sorrowful conditions and had even cursed Lord Nārāyaṇa, his most beloved and respected God. He should therefore carry out a pilgrimage of holy places of Lord Shiva and get blessings and guidance from the holy presence of Lord Shiva at such special locations, for cleansing his mind and for ensuring his proper progress on the spiritual path of self-moral-upgradation. Nārada as per this advice, visited several important ‘Śaiva’ pilgrimage centres like Somanātha, Kāshī, Rāmeśvara, Shrīśailam etc. to get blessed by Lord Shiva and to improve his spiritual status.

Śaunakādika: Dear Sūta ji, it was interesting to know about the suffering of sage Nārada because of his discarding and ignoring the wise advice given to him by Lord Shiva. Now please tell us about why is Lord Shiva called as ‘Rudra’.

Sūta: The meaning of the verb ‘rud’ is to ‘cry’. Therefore, ‘Rudra’ literally means a) one who is crying himself or b) one who causes ‘crying’ around his location. Lord Shiva spent a lot of time in wandering all over Indian subcontinent with the dead body of ‘Satī’ over his shoulders and crying over her unfortunate death. This episode is one of the reasons to call Lord Shiva as ‘Rudra’ meaning a crying personality.

(Source of image: https://www.bonobology.com/when-shiva-lost-sati/)

Further, he is recognized as the power which causes ‘Laya’ meaning dissolution of each and everything that gets born in this Universe. This ‘Laya’ obviously causes apparent destruction or death or end of every existence which gets born. Therefore, this activity also causes ‘crying’ like emotions among the sufferers (e.g. close relatives and friends of the dying personality). Moreover, when in anger, and while fighting a fierce war, Lord Shiva is known to look so fearfully terrible that the enemies and their relatives can feel like crying (due to auto triggering of that emotion by the fearful appearance of Lord Shiva).

(to be continued….)

Dr. Dhananjay B. Ghare, Former Scientist, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Whatsapp Symbolism for Expressing and Learning

– Bal Ram Singh, PhD

Symbolism has been part of not only the human civilization but also the entire creation. Symbols may be considered as the non-verbal communication tools or a make belief world for interpreting the perception of the world. For example, the Sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, plants, animals, machines, art, etc. are all symbols that represent the characteristics of those objects.

Sculptural depiction of Ganesha, Saraswati, and Shiva are all examples of Vedic symbolism, as are the representation of Om (ॐ), Swāstika (स्वस्तिक), and Śṛīyantra (श्रीयन्त्र). The story of Ganesha, for example, is a deeper reflection of Vedic philosophy of Prakṛti, Puruśa, and Māyā. According to an article by Dr. David Frawley, “Ganesha symbolizes the human soul and its latent aspiration for the infinite. Initially, the soul is bound to Māyā or Prakṛti, symbolized by Ganesha being created by Parvati (Prakṛti) and seeking to protect her as her servant. The ignorant soul does not know Shiva, the transcendent reality beyond Māyā. Shiva, therefore, cannot recognize the soul as his own.”

The words themselves are symbols in writing as much in speaking. Different scripts in the world represent symbols of communications. Currently, there are 156 scripts in the world, 76 of them active in the Indian Subcontinent, also referred to as South Asia. The level of diversity in scripts, languages, and dialects In ancient times, there were hieroglyphs, a writing system with symbols found on stones, papyrus, temples, etc., as a system of communication over a time and space. According to the Ministry of Education, the Government of India, “The Indus Valley Script was a product of the now well-known Indus Valley Civilization. The greater Indus region was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations, others being the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Chinese civilizations. Most of its ruins remain to be fully excavated and studied, as nothing was known about this civilization until 1920s. What is more, the ancient Indus script has not yet been deciphered – although there have been many claims and counter-claims.” In other words, the world has always had ways to communicate through symbols with self and others.

According to the New World Encyclopedia, a hieroglyph is a character used in a pictorial writing system. The term derives from the Greek term for “sacred carving” translated from the Egyptian phrase “the god’s words”. The term originally referred only to the Egyptian hieroglyphs, but was later also applied to ancient Cretan, Luwian, Mayan and Mi’kmaq scripts. Hieroglyphs are characters composed of graphical figures. Often, hieroglyphic symbols are readily recognizable as an everyday physical object, such as a person, a tool, the sun, or an animal. In many cases, symbols stand for the object they represent, but they can also be used to represent a concept associated with the object (such as “day” for “sun”) or a phonetic sound associated with the object’s name. A single system of hieroglyphic writing can use a combination of phonetic and logographic symbols.

India, which taut to have currently 23 official languages, coming from estimated 1,652 “mother tongues” – including 103 foreign mother tongues (Census 1961 & Nigam 1972: p. xv), is by far the most communicative country on Earth. However, the current computer culture, has taken over the re-hieroglyphization of the world with its symbolic gestures in social media. India seems to be losing a non-fighting battle, which could be detrimental to the world civilizations. India has arguably remained the proverbial beacon of light for the world’s civilizations through interactions with educated, intellectuals, wise, and the learned.

Unfortunately, India has been dubbed as an old civilization, which is either considered good for dead, or dead for good, as modern Indians continue with chorus culture of following the leaders even in the areas of their well-established eminent contributions. Let’s address some terms here which are either for eulogy or admirations of those gone or ready to be gone. Old is gold, which means keep it away and safe. The other is, we must follow the tradition of respecting our old. What is exactly old? There are perspectives on old – for time, physical stature, and experience. Time has passed by, and physical stature may have weakened, but experience of the old is richer than those new. An old person or a civilization with creative mind and innovative practices can be readily described as ‘Younger for Longer’ clan or culture. As a member of the YOUnger FOr LOnger or YOUFOLO club, I have noticed the following gestures being frequently used in several groups for symbolic expression. Some of these symbols have been used in India for eons, albeit with different meanings. While the symbolic gestures – scriptic, artistic, or facial- are critical for communication, these might mean different enough to be misconstrued or at least lose the diversity of expression.

Here are a few symbols, in Whatsapp chats in a Hindu academic group, something Hindus use as commonly since ancient times!

*👍, for thumbs up, but it could be taken as thengā (ठेंगा) 😄

* 🙏, for folded hands in appreciation, but could be also taken as, enough, not anymore

(अब और हमसे नहीं होगा 🙂)

and,

*❤️, for love it, but in the language of the deck of playing cards ‘the heart suits symbolize the Church’ 🙄. 

(See an article, Card Symbol Names and Suits Symbolism by Vijaya Bharti – August 3, 2022)

So, here are my suggestions for Hinduizjng (Indianizing) these gestures at least in our thoughts.

👍 = Eklavya dedication gesture!

🙏 = Dashendriya dedication gesture!

❤️ = Hanumān-Sīnāfāda (सीनाफाड़) self-confidence gesture!

Please laugh first, and think amusingly, then let it sink🙏

I also decided to analyze the gestures being used in that group by men and women, and found differences in the preference of the gestures. These gestures are thus indicative of different personalities displaying different traits to reflect those personalities. Men seem to lack Hanuman gesture of opening their heart, but are strong in Ekalavya gesture of sacrificing their most valuable element at the alter of the source of the knowledge. Both genders are closer in their approach to use their dashendriyās (sense and action) to appreciate others.

(Figure: Distinct Hindu gestures exhibited by deviyān (देवियाँ) and sajjangan (सज्जनगण)!)

As a chemist, I have seen symbols used everywhere, be it inorganic chemistry as in the periodic table, organic chemistry as in the structures of compounds, such as benzene, or in biochemistry for representing biological molecules or processes. It is impossible to learn chemistry without symbols and communicate it with other chemists, or even non-chemists who use the chemicals or biochemicals all the time. The uniformalization has been an essential element of this communication, but chemists find ways to personalize or uniquify them to extract the exact meanings.

We are dwelling in an interesting time, where science and society collide to sparkle new thoughts of becoming a learned! Let’s sail along!

Prof. Bal Ram Singh, President, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA

Darshan Shastras for Śāśvat Śānti and Samatvam

Sh. Charan JS Manektala

Ṛṣis in Iśāvāsya Upaniṣad, Verse 2, remind us of our impermanence, affirm us of our endowed age of hundred years, and encourage us to regulate our life per the universal governing principles and forces.

How one may have an opportunity to live for hundred years, and regulate one’s life per the universal governing principles?

Darshan Shastras holds the key to such treasurers! There are six Darshan Shastras or systematic Indian philosophies in our treasure, which are Āstik, as all of these seek Pramāṇ or proof referencing Vedas to validate the knowledge. These six schools are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-Mimansa and Uttar-Mimansa or Vedanta. Shrutis, which are our Vedic scriptures, are the perceptions of our Ṛṣis, whereas Smritis, which includes Darshan Shastras, are the inferences of our ancestors.

Once Vedic insights of knowledge and ignorance, Vidyā and Avidyā, Samsara or Māyā was revealed to us, Darshan Shastras had then provided a framework to differentiate between Vidyā and Avidyā, to identify delusions within self or others, to detail the steps (Vidhi), when performing Vedic rituals, correctly.  All six schools expounded epistemology or in other words explained systematically on how to differentiate between justified belief from opinion. The schools provided mechanism with which we acquire knowledge, for example Pratyakśa (perception), Anumana (Inference), Upamana (Analogy) etc.

At this point, let us pivot from the abstract notation of philosophy to the applicability of it in our daily lives. Though all Darshan Shastras provide guidance for our day to day lives, we shall first review the School of Yoga, which all of us are most familiar with, and shall review other Darshan Shastras in subsequent articles.

Guiding verses of School of Yoga are known as Patanjali Sutras. Ignorance or Avidyā was  recognized as the cause of suffering, and Patanjali provided us method, highlighted by these verses, to address suffering. As is true for other Schools, the seed verses may have been identified from the Shrutis, and were detailed further, to make us comprehend the process steps. We do find similar guidance in the Svetasvatara Upaniṣad, and time frames of expressed guidance has always generated passionate debates among historians and philosophers. 

The four Pādas or chapters of Patanjali Sutras are Samādhi Pāda (51 verses), Sādhana Pāda (55 Verses), Vibhuti Pāda (56 Verses) and Kaivalya Pāda (34 Verses). The Pādas illustrate the stages that a Yogi may transition through, when adhering to prescribed steps, which begins with the transcendence, steps to the practice, leads to the perception of glory and finally settles into segregation. Of notable importance is the Sādhana Pāda of the Patanjali Sutras, which emphasizes the moral code and daily conduct for the Yogi. Here is an example from Patanjali Sutra (2.30-32)

अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः

जातिदेशकालसमयानवच्छिन्नाः सार्वभौमा महाव्रतम् ॥

शौचसंतोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः ॥

Adhere to Non-violence, speak truth, do not steal, develop dispassion, do not associate with objects! Adhere to these restraints, irrespective of your status, location, time, or condition, these are the universal moral restraints, or Māhāvrata! Follow a routine of purity (within, bodily, and around you), develop contentment, follow austerity, conduct introspection, while concentrating on the impermanent!

As indicated earlier, Patanjali sutras may have originated from select root verses of Svetasvatara Upaniṣad. For example, Svetasvatara Upaniṣad 2.10, recommends meditation, on an even floor, which is pure, has no pebbles, is not exposed to fire and dust, is quieter and not in a damp surrounding, promotes concentration of mind, is not irritating to eyes, like cave dwellings, which also avoids turbulent winds. Such physical layout features are sought to dullen the intrinsic attributes of senses or Indriya.

समे शुचौ शर्करावह्निवालुकाविवर्जिते शब्दजलाश्रयादिभि:।

मनोऽनुकूले न तु चक्षुपीडने गुहानिवाताश्रयणे प्रयोजयेत्॥

When we are born, all of us are equipped with the needed physical mechanisms, mental faculties, and modes of interconnected consciousness, to experience the fullness of life. It is our intervention, intrinsic or extrinsic, which demodulates the life spans or the fullness of life experience. Ṛṣis, with the help of verses quoted above, are providing us a path to modulation, and thus reviving, if dampened presently, or continuing, if flourishing presently, and thus to experience the fullness of life.

The Yogasth state, as illustrated by Patanjali, develops a discriminating mind, which may then overcome fear of any uncertainties, may address any foreseeable challenges of the old age and may avoid unnatural death (which certainly is not in accordance with the guidance of Iśāvāsya Upaniṣad. 

(Source of Image : https://vediccosmos.com/)

Mindful meditation or Samādhi (stillness of mind), as practiced by the Ṛṣis, when sitting in a meditative stance, not only develops a discriminative mind, but may also bring awareness to a Yogi of various attributes of consciousness endowed to him or her, namely, mental vigor, vision, steadfastness, opinion, wisdom, uninterrupted flow, or motion, memory, and mental resolve. A Yogi can then consciously begin to manage the other attributes of consciousness, such as physical exertion, energy, desire, and later is then able to exert control and will.

In the following articles, we shall review different Pādas of Patanjali Sutras, and establish Ṛṣi Patanjali school of Yoga’s mandated daily routine, needed moral conduct, its precepts and revelations.

Sh. Charan JS Manektala, Former Dean of Deans, Technology Institutes

                                                                      

Scientific Significance of OM

              – Dr. Raj Kumar, Assistant Professor, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, MA.

Dr. Kumar has developed a broad multidisciplinary background in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, spectroscopy, biophysical studies, cell culture, cell and animal assays. He is an alumni of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi where he completed his bachelor and master in science. He completed his Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts, USA, in the field related to Botulinum Neurotoxin. Before joining to the institute, he worked as a lecturer in UMASS, Dartmouth. Apart from his own field, he has also developed the interest in studying the various aspects of Vedas. He already published an article about Ayurveda. As a rational thinker, he emphasized more on scientific aspects of Vedas.

From the very words of the Krishna Yajurveda, Kapisthala-katha-Samhita (42.1) —– “Prajāpatir vai idam āsīt: In the beginning was Brahman. Tasya vāg dvitīya āsīt; with whom was the Vāk (or Sound)… Vāg vai paramam Brahma; and the Vāk (Sound) is Brahman”. According to the “Shabda Yoga”—– The Science of Light and Sound, creation came into being through the light and sound of the creator. This sound is called OM. There is no scientific evidence which can provide proofs whether OM is a sound of creation or not. Although all the spiritual thoughts/aspects/truth cannot be verified with modern scientific tools, a few fundamental bases can be tested with modern scientific instrumentation (may not be appropriate all the time). In this blog, my efforts will be more concentrated on the scientific basis rather than the spiritual one.

First look into the phonetics of the word. According to Mandukya Upanishad (Johnston, 1923), OM is the manifestation of all states of time, Atman, consciousness, and knowledge. In Sanskrit, the sound “O” is a diphthong spelled “AU”.  A diphthong is a mixture of two vowel sounds and can be separately heard. This is why OM sounds “AUM”, which represents the 3-folds division of time.

A (apti) represents the waking state (symbolizes darkness, inertia, ignorance).

U (utkarsha) represents the dream or creative state (symbolizes passion, activity, dynamism).

M (miti) represents the state of deep sleep or meditative state (symbolizes purity, truth, light).

When we sleep we dream and this dream state is part of bigger dream state which we experience in waking state. The dream which we see in the meditative or sleeping state is the dream within dreams, and the life is a big dream or illusion. At the end of OM chanting, there is complete silence.  This represents the state of Turiya, the fourth state; infinite or pure consciousness. Achieving this state evaporates all dreams and one faces the reality (dream disappears and truth emerges). Chanting of OM symbolizes a journey of darkness to pure light—–

The symbol of OM is also representation of these four states (Johnston, 1923). The large bottom curve symbolizes the waking state, A. The middle curve signifies the dream state, U. The upper curve denotes the state of deep sleep, M. The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness, Turiya. The semi-circle at the top represents “Maya” and separates the dot from the other three states. The illusion of Maya due to the materialistic world is an obstacle to the realization of the pure consciousness (Fig. 1).

Figure 1: A representation of word OM.

Now, examine the significance of the above explanation scientifically. Heisnam Jina Devi and colleagues analyzed sound related to OM (A, U, M and AUM). They observed that A is flat, U is initially flat but finally tapered off or flattened off abruptly, and M is the synchronized sound of U which gradually tapered or flattened off. Thus, OM sound is a mixture of all three sounds (A, U, and M) (Fig. 2).

 Figure 2: Spectral analysis of Vedic mantra OM (AUM) (Taken from Heisnam Jina Devi et al., 2004).

In another experiment, scientists analyzed fMRI before and after OM (Kalyani et al., 2011). Chanting of OM affects the vibration and generate resonances near to the ear, very close to the cranial nerves. These resonances are transmitted through the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Chanting of OM has significant deactivation of amygdala, parahippocampal and hippocampal brain regions.

Chanting of OM mantra sequentially activates the stomach, spinal cord, throat, nasal and brain region. The energy moves from stomach all the way to the brain. Resonance observed in fMRI in the vagus nerve supports the above point. So, chanting OM has several benefits – therapeutic, physiological and spiritual.

Om is also called Pranava, meaning it sustains life and runs through the breath or Prana. The ‘O” or ‘AU’ sound makes all the bones of the thoracic cage vibrate, which leads to the vibration of lungs and finally to the delicate membranes of the alveolus. This can stimulate pulmonary cells and enables a proper exchange of air in the lungs.  These vibrations produce a much accentuated effects in the endocrine glands. This leads to the balance activation of several glands and organs. Besides this vibrational message, which results from the emission of the vowels ‘AU’, the latter acts especially in the abdominal and thoracic cage, whilst the vibration of ‘M’ in the skulls induces a vibration of the cranial nerves. Gurjar and Ladhake (2008) concluded, based on their research, that OM chanting steadys the mind, which ultimately helps in reducing stress of the human mind.

Based on the above data OM can be represented as a model (Fig. 3), summarizing the above arguments as follows. By chanting ‘A’ we activate communication of body and mind, whereas chanting ‘U’ and ‘M’ activates conscious and unconscious mind which finally connects to infinite or pure consciousness.

Figure 3: A model representing different components of OM.

In my view, there are two important components which are the basis of Vedic philosophy: a) The unmanifest (avyakt) gives rise to the manifest (vyakt), and b) Sound vibration is a tool which provides a medium for this transformation. The primordial sound is a medium (pure consciousness) from where everything emerged and to which everything will return. Thus, sound vibration has a profound effect on the physical, conscious/unconscious, astral, and spiritual body. This is one of the reasons why Vedic philosophy considers OM as a primordial sound.

References

Devi, HJ, Swamy, NVC, and Nagendra, HR (2004). Spectral analysis of Vedic mantra. International Journal of traditional knowledge, 3, 154 – 161.

Gurjar, AA, and Ladhake, SA (2008). Time-Frequency analysis of chanting Sanskrit Divine sound “OM” mantra. International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 8, 170- 175.

Johnston, C (1923). The Measures of the Eternal – Mandukya Upanishad. Theosophical Quarterly, October, 1923, 158-162.

Kalyani, BG, Venkatasubramanian, G, Arasappa, R, Rao, NP, Kalmady, SV, Behere, RV, Gangadhar, BN (2011). Neurohemodynamic correlates of “OM” chanting: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study. International Journal of Yoga, 4, 3–6.