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Part 1: The Divine Vibration of Oṁ I will now read one of Swāmījī’s explanations. Please close your eyes and relax. We will sing Oṁ. Oṁ is the divine name. Oṁ is God. Oṁ is the light. Singing Oṁ purifies the atmosphere, illuminates your inner space, and fills every cell of your body with cosmic energy. It purifies the nāḍīs and activates your cakras. Sing Oṁ very consciously, relaxing your body and your breathing. First, the sound rises to the throat as Paśyantī, then to the lips where it becomes articulated as Madhyamā, and then to the heart. Within less than a second it reaches the brain, creating a vibration throughout the entire head, felt especially in the eyebrow center, the Ājñā Cakra. When this vibration touches the Sahasrāra Cakra, it is reflected as light, which penetrates your whole body and forms a protective sheath around you. Its vibration wanders into infinity through space, preparing and purifying a beautiful path for you. So far, Swāmījī’s words. Now, in this consciousness, let us chant Oṁ three times together. Dīp Karatā Paramparā, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī... Try to feel the Aum vibration inside your body. Protect your body with the mantra “Aum” all around you, and travel in eternity through space. Hari Om. You may open your eyes again. I thought Aum would be the perfect topic for today. On one hand, it is a central technique of the Kriyā Anuṣṭhān program and one of our daily practices—whenever we meditate, we use Aum, and every mantra Swāmījī gives contains Oṁ. On the other hand, it fits beautifully into the lecture series of Śarvīpārvatī on the Vedas. It is said that for one who studies Vedānta and seeks to realize God through the path of Jñāna Yoga, a single small scripture of merely twelve ślokas should suffice for self-realization: the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Probably the shortest of all Upaniṣads, it is also the most essential; everything about Oṁ is found there. So it is said: meditate on that Upaniṣad and you realize God. If that does not work, then take up all ten major Upaniṣads. If still there is no enlightenment, study thirty Upaniṣads. And if you are a little slow and still unenlightened, then you must study all of them. This highlights how vital the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is held to be. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad begins with the word Oṁ. This word contains the whole universe. Its second śloka is very important for us because it presents one of the four Mahāvākyas of the Vedas. It says: all this is Brahman. This Ātmā is Brahman. The Sanskrit declares, “Ayam Ātmā Brahma”—this is one of the four Mahāvākyas: “I am Ātmā Brahman.” It means our Ātmā is Brahman, not in the sense of the Jīvātmā, but in the sense of the pure divine Ātmā. The Upaniṣad then explains that the Ātmā has four aspects. A, U, and M are three of them. A symbolizes the waking state, the ordinary daytime consciousness in which we now find ourselves. U stands for the dream state, the realm of the subconscious. M represents deep sleep, the unconscious level. These are the three states. The fourth level of consciousness is called Turīya, which simply means “the fourth.” Usually we equate it with samādhi—it is the aim of all yoga to reach this state. This is the Oṁ, this Turīya. In the seventh śloka, the Upaniṣad attempts to give an idea of what Turīya is. The difficulty is that we are speaking directly about God, which is indescribable. Therefore, most descriptions are negative, indicating only what it is not. Turīya is not that which is conscious of the inner world, nor the outer world, nor both together. It is not a mere mass of consciousness, nor simple consciousness or unconsciousness. It is unthinkable and indescribable. It is the essence of consciousness, peace, bliss, and beyond duality. This is what is known as the fourth, Turīya. This is the Ātmā, the Self, and it is what must be realized. The final verse concludes: Oṁ is the Ātmā, verily. He who knows this merges his self into the universal Self. We are speaking here directly about God. That is why Swāmījī always says: Nāda-rūpa-parabrahma. Nāda is sound, vibration; Rūpa is form; Parabrahma is the highest formless Divine Self, the same as Brahman. Very often Swāmījī explains that out of these sounds the whole creation has originated. In the beginning was Brahman, one, formless, eternal. Then came the thought—though this word is inadequate for that reality—Eko’haṁ bahu syām: “I am one, let me become many.” This is what Swāmījī calls the first spanda, the first subtle vibration. It manifests as a certain vibration, and that vibration is Oṁ. It is still one, formless, nirguṇa. Nothing has happened yet. But it is like a seed that then begins to develop. This seed of the one Oṁ splits into three parts: A, U, and M. Recall the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad’s four aspects of Oṁ: A, U, M, and Oṁ as a whole. First was the whole Oṁ, nirguṇa. From that emerge the three aspects, A-U-M, which are the three guṇas. The three guṇas together are called Prakṛti or Māyā—the origin of the universe, the Divine Mother. Often we call it nature, and then nature follows its course. The development, the creation, begins as the guṇas interact. First the very subtle levels of the universe are created, then the grosser levels—for example, the five elements. The very last step of this creation is the physical world in which we now live, and in which we spend most of our time, with our consciousness engaged outwardly. So this is the teaching of the Vedas, Swāmījī’s teaching. But it is not mere teaching; it is a reality. You find it even in other holy scriptures. Let us look at the Bible, the Gospel according to John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” This clearly states that the Word was at the origin of creation. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Remember what I read from Swāmījī? He said, “Oṁ is the light, prāṇa, the life.” Truth is truth. Another interesting sentence follows a little later, verse 14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Here the Bible speaks of the incarnation of God. You see, it is one and the same. The only thing missing is to specify what this Word is. We must be aware, of course, that this is a translation, not the original text, and the word “word” does not really fit, because it suggests a language, a mouth to speak, an ear to hear. But at the beginning of creation there was no ear, no mouth—nothing yet. Therefore, we must understand it as a very subtle, symbolic language. It is actually a vibration of sound, or perhaps the origin of sound itself. Almost word for word, we find the same teaching in the Ṛgveda, with the single difference that the Word is named: it is clearly declared to be Oṁ. There is also a beautiful mantra about Oṁ: Oṁkāra-bindu-saṃyuktaṁ nityaṁ dhyāyanti yoginaḥ. (Oṁ is connected with the bindu—the dot or drop.) You know this word from the Bindu Cakra. Bindu means the dot or the drop, which in Swāmījī’s teaching refers to the drop of divine nectar, the nectar of immortality. So in symbolic language, Oṁ is connected with the drop of amṛta, implying that Oṁ is the origin of immortality. Nityaṁ dhyāyanti yoginaḥ: therefore, the yogīs meditate on Oṁ constantly. It helps purify our qualities, our karmas, and calm desire. And this is the path to liberation. Oṁkārāya namo namaḥ. My salutation to the Divine. Oṁ. We have the title of the bhajan, “Oṁ Kār Mantra Kā Bhajan,” meaning a bhajan about Oṁ. Briefly, the word Oṁkāra: “kāra” means the sound or the letter, so we also say A-kāra, U-kāra—the sound A, the sound U. No bhajans singing without rhythm, please. Can someone bring the bhajans? You know that Holī Gurujī was a bhakta, one hundred percent, two hundred percent dedicated to Mahāprabhujī alone. So it is somehow astonishing that he wrote this bhajan about Oṁ. Part 2: The Wisdom of Oṁ: Holy Gurujī’s Bhajan and the Upaniṣadic Teaching You will see that there is not a single difference between the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, the Bible as Swāmījī teaches it, and what we find here in Holy Gurujī’s bhajan. Oṁ akhila rachanā sārī re. Everything is the creation of Oṁ. Jñānī jñānī bhed. The wise ones know the secret of Oṁ. Te jñānī rahe sukhiyārī. Therefore they live in bliss all the time. Oṁkār Parabrahma rūpa. Oṁ is the form of the highest Self. This is exactly the same state as Nāda rūpa Parabrahma. Oṁ kī chāyā nahīṁ, rūpa hai—Oṁ is not a shadow; it is the very form. Oṁ is the light, the divine light. You know the word nirādhāra—from mūlādhāra—nirādhāra means without base, without foundation. It means Oṁ does not depend on anything. Oṁ is not created through anything or anyone, because Oṁ itself is the origin. So here, Holy Gurujī, in the first verse, clearly speaks about this Oṁ as the highest divine self. Now, in the second verse, he follows exactly how Swāmījī says the creation starts: Ādi sau te triguṇī, Oṁkār kī triguṇā māyā. Māyā here is not in the sense of something dangerous; it is another word for the Divine Mother. As Jagadācārya says, these three guṇas in the origin are like three seeds. Nothing has actually started yet; the potential is there but unrealized. Then creation begins. It emerges from this māyā, and through it the whole world is created. And we who live in this world—Oṁ meṁ jīva rahe: the living beings live in Oṁ. Sab dehadhārī—all who bear a physical body—live like a fish in the ocean, in Oṁ. Vidyā sarva Oṁ se āye. All knowledge, all wisdom comes through Oṁ. There is an interesting story about this. Some of you may know an ancient game recently republished under the name Līlā—a spiritual game about which Swāmījī himself spoke many years ago. One of the fields in this game is Oṁ, and in the explanation of that field, they relate a piece of research. At a university, a group of students was given a very difficult question. The papers were collected, and only a few knew the right answer. Then they chanted Oṁ together for an hour. Afterwards, they were asked the same question again, and the result: many more now knew the correct answer. Our inner self knows everything; we are just disconnected from it. All yoga techniques—especially Oṁ and our mantra—bring us back into contact with that. So even worldly knowledge can be awakened through Oṁ. But of course, far more important is the divine knowledge, and that is the Vedas. Oṁkār se Ved rachāye. Through Oṁ the Vedas were created. Sarva mantra kā mūla— the root, the origin of all mantras, is Oṁ. Does anyone here have a mantra from Swāmījī that does not include Oṁ? I see no one. Swāmījī himself said, “There cannot be a true mantra without Oṁ.” And basically, the whole Veda is a collection of mantras, especially the Saṁhitās, the first part, which are actually called Mantra Saṁhitās. When you take a mantra out of context, it is always good to add Oṁ. Oṁ tryambakam—we do not sing just “tryambakam”; we sing Oṁ tryambakam. Oṁ se Brahmavichārī re. All thoughts of God, all our spiritual seeking—the very fact that we are seekers—comes from Oṁ. Oṁkār rato mela sārā. Therefore, all together, repeat Oṁ again and again. It was hard to see Holy Gurujī ever without his mālā in his hand, without repeating his mantra. Even while giving a lecture, you could see him moving his mālā. Oṁkār se hot ujjārā. Ujjārā means light. Through Oṁ the light comes—not physical light, but the divine light, for it is this very light. And what does that light mean for us? Dharo Oṁ kā dhyān. Therefore, always hold fast to meditation on Oṁ. Never give it up. Oṁ se bhavabhay harī re. Bhavabhaya means worldly fears: all our desires, complexes, and concerns. Ṛṣi muni aur yogī sar Oṁkār ko hṛdaya dharā. Therefore, all the saints keep Oṁ in their heart all the time. Oṁkār sī hote ānanda. This is a special way of stating it in Hindi: “hote ānanda.” It is like a fundamental, always-valid statement, just like “one and one is two.” It is not sometimes bliss, it is always bliss: “Oṁ comes bliss.” Govinda jāne Oṁ. Now, who is Govinda? It is one of the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but I think here it is used poetically—Lord Kṛṣṇa stands for every saint, every divine incarnation. As it was already said in the refrain: Jñānī jñānī bhed. The wise ones know the secret of Oṁ. Hī jān rahe sukhiyārī. Therefore, they remain in bliss all the time. This verse is actually a paraphrase of the refrain, repeating the same truth in other words. Through Oṁ, you purify your kāja. Let us give an example. Imagine you are standing at a river, looking at the water. You see many small ripples and waves. Then a big ship passes, perhaps two hundred meters away. After it has passed, big waves spread out, and eventually they reach the shore. When those large waves arrive, what happens to the small ripples that were there before? They are gone—absorbed into these powerful waves from the ship. In the same way, you can understand these small ripples as our karmas, and these big, powerful waves as our mantra, which is Oṁ. Let them carry the ripples away. Oṁ se śuddha re kāj. Through Oṁ, all our karmas are purified. Oṁ se hoya bhava parīne. This refers to the reaction in us to this world—when we react, creating desires and attachment. That is our problem, that is worldliness. But Oṁ is such a strong, uplifting energy that we forget these lower things. Now, we should not forget: this is a bhajan of Holy Gurujī, so certainly he cannot but greet his master. Oṁ namo Prabhudīp Swāmī. My salutation to my beloved master Mahāprabhujī. He is for me like the personification of Oṁ. Remember, even in the Bible it is said, “The divine incarnation comes through the word.” As Holy Gurujī says, Oṁko vandanā hamārī re— my salutation to the divine Oṁ. So let us sing this bhajan. Do we have someone on the dolak? After the second part of the verse, it returns to the refrain and then repeats the second part again, so it moves up and down a little. Please try to follow. Those ṛṣis who received the mantras—this is called mantra-dṛṣṭi. They saw the mantras; they saw the very shape of the mantras. So also the shape of the Oṁ syllable as you know it—that is very powerful. Our original āśram was meant to be called Oṁ Āśram, but due to difficulties with the registration of the name, it was changed to Śrī Viśvagurukul. I was never happy about that. In my heart, it will always be the Oṁ Āśram, not the Śrī Āśram. But Swāmījī once said, “I can prove that it is the same,” and after what I have explained, you must already understand why. Why are Oṁ and Śrī the same? Because when Oṁ splits into three parts—the three guṇas—this is called Māyā or Prakṛti, the Divine Mother. And Śrī is the name of the Divine Mother. There we have it. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya. We have one bhajan that fits very beautifully here. It contains that very high teaching I was speaking about. Swāmījī once tried to translate it, and when I was present, he somehow gave up. It is a bhajan about that highest state of consciousness, the Oṁ consciousness: Merā Satguru diyo sandesho. When I start a satsaṅg, I often say, “Now we can have a half-liter satsaṅg.” Because I like satsaṅg, I always say we can have a half-liter satsaṅg. Actually, one addition to my lecture, since I spoke about the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. You may find a single edition of the Upaniṣad, for example from Swami Sivananda. I myself use two collections of the major Upanishads: one with the commentary of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya in two volumes, and the other called the Principal Upaniṣads with a commentary of Swāmī Śivānanda. For holy scripture, from my point of view, only one thing is important: take the commentary of a self-realized saint. That is essential—not the commentary of a learned scholar. This is truly the highest wisdom, and whoever has not realized it has basically no right to comment on it. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. I said Oṁ; so that was my lecture. There was a function before the Kumbha started in 2007. All the Mahāmaṇḍaleśvaras were present, each giving a speech about the Kumbha Melā and its importance. A long line of about twenty-five—Swāmījī was there too, and everyone was speaking. The microphone came to Niranjan Nānzī, whom you all know, and he simply went: Oṁ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudachyate, pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate. Which means: “It is finished.” Everyone looked at him and said, “What?” And he said, “Yes, that’s Purāṇa; that’s it. Everything is there. Hari Oṁ.”