THE PRANAVA OR OMKARA

The Vedas, in their form as the Samhitās, constitute an introduction to the subject dealt with in the Vedānta or the Upanishads. The Upanishads are secret teachings containing wisdom beyond the realm of the earth and revealing proclamations of the great sages of yore on the nature of Reality. Among the Upanishads, the Māndūkya may be regarded as the most important, and it is aptly said – māndūkyam ekam eva alam mumukshūnām vimuktaye - for the liberation of the mumukṣhū or seeker the Māndūkya alone is enough; and if you are able to understand the true meaning of this single Upanishad, there may not be a necessity to study any other Upanishad, not even the Chhāndogya or the Brihadāranyaka, because the theme of the Māndūkya Upanishad is a direct approach to the depths of human nature. It does not give analogies, tell stories or make comparisons. It states bare facts in respect of man in general and Reality in its essential character. A very comprehensive Upanishad is this, containing only twelve statements called mantras, in which the whole wisdom or knowledge of the Upanishads is packed into a nutshell. The Upanishad commences with a prayer. All Upanishads start with a prayer – prayer to the guardians of the quarters, the deities or the manifestations of God, who rule the whole of creation, that we be blessed with health and understanding in order to go into the secrets of the Upanishads, to meditate upon them and to realise the Truth proclaimed in them.   The Māndūkya Upanishad is attributed to the revelation of a great sage called Māndūka. That which pertains toThe Māndūkya Upanishad is attributed to the revelation of a great sage called Māndūka. That which pertains Māndūka is Māndūkya. The Upanishad or the secret teaching revealed to the sage Māndūka is the Māndūkya Upanishad. It commences with a solemn declaration:  

Ōmityetadakṣharamidam sarvam, tasyopavyākhyanam,   bhūtam bhavatbhaviṣhyaditi sarvamomkāra eva;                                          yaccānyat trikālātītam tadapyomkāra eva.  

The Imperishable is OM, and it is ‘all this’. Everything else, whatever be of the past, present or future, is like an exposition, explanation or commentary on the meaning of this great Truth – the Imperishable Om. Sarvam Omkāra eva: Everything is Om, indeed. This is how the Upanishad begins. Ōm ityetadakṣharam idam sarvam: All this, whatever is visible, whatever is cognizable, whatever can come within the purview of sense-perception, inference or verbal testimony, whatever can be comprehended under the single term, creation – all this is Om