OM KARA NADA-- PRANAVA(SOUND OF AUm)

                SYMBOL OF PRANAVA

OM(AUm) KARA SOUND THAT MAKES ALL PRANAS BEND(DIRECT) TOWARDS ATHMA IS CALLED PRANAVA.IT PERVADES OUR LIFE & RUNS THROUGH PRANA OR BREATH.

THAT SOUND WHEN RECITED EVEN ONCE UPLIFTS
SPIRITUALLY IS OM(AUm) KARA.

THERE IS NO MANTRA SUPERIOR OR GREATER THAN
PRANAVA-OM(AUm)

PRANAVA IS ALSO CALLED AS SHABDA BRAHMA.
NADA BRAHMA IS THE NATURAL VIBRATION FOUND IN PRAKRITI WHICH WHEN EXPANDS(VIKASA) SHABDA BRAHMA IS PRODUCED.

PRANAVA-OM IS THE SYMBOL OF HINDUISM & ALSO
RECOGNISED BY JAINISM, BUDDHISM, SIKHISM. 

SEVEN STEPS OF PRANAVA:

1)BHU

2)BHUVA

3)SUVA

4)MAHA

5)JANA

6)THAPA

7)SATHYAM

13 NAMES OF PRANAVA:

1)OM KARA 2)PRANAVA 3)THARAH 4)HAMSO 5)NARAYANO 6)DHRUVAH 7)VEDATHMA 

8)SATHVA VEDADI 9)ADITHYA 10)SARVA PAVANA

11)MOKSHAGO 12)MUKTHI MARGASHCHA 

13)SARVA SANDHARANA KSHAMA

PRANAVA--OM(AUm) SYMBOL HAS 5 PARTS:

akarashcha ukarashcha makaro bindunadakau 

panchaksharanya munyahu pranavasthani panditha II 

'A'kara,'U'kara,'m'kara,Bindu,Nada-these five aksharas

are in PRANAVA, so say the learned(jnanis)

A , U, m , NADA ,BINDU

BEGINNING(SRISTI),MAINTAINING(STHITI) &

END(LAYA) OF COSMIC UNIVERSE TAKE PLACE

WITH PRANAVA.

LORD KRISHNA GAVE VISHVA RUPA DARSHANA 

TO ARJUNA ALONG WITH PRANAVA

VISHVA RUPA DARSHANA

BHAGAVAD GITHA (verse 7.8)--

O,Arjuna,I am the taste of pure water and the light of Moon and the Sun-

I am the essential nature of the mantra Om mentioned in the holy scriptures,the sound in ether,as well as the courage and virility of human beings.

(verse 8.13)

The mantra Om symbolises Reality.At the time of death, repeat Om and you will go forth from body and attain the Supreme Goal.

(Verse 17.24)
Before starting sacrifices, holy practices and austerities (as prescribed by the scriptures), serious spiritual seekers should chant Om

 SRIRANGA MAHAGURU   
           

           svadhamno brahmanasakshadvachakah paramathmana I
             sa sarvopanishadvedabijam sanathanam II

(For God having his own aura glow, his direct voice is pranava. That is the seed for all upanishads & vedas. That is present all the time(sanathana))

PRANAVA takes jnanies(learned) upwards, ajnanies
(not learned) downwards.Who knows that PRANAVA,
that person knows VEDAS and is called 'VEDAVITH'

PRASHNOTTARA RATNA MALIKA OF 
SHANKARACHARYA

Q:  From where were VEDAS CREATED ?
ANS: From the letter OM.

Q: What(kah) is the source and dissolving centre(bhuuh) of all Veda(sarva-veda) ?
A: It is(atha-ca) the indeclinable sound Om or AUM. (Om is the pranava mantra - also spelled as AUM) .

UPADESHA SAHASRI OF SHANKARACHARYA

76-77. Give up all connection with caste etc. all actions and all talk regarding the non-Self. Always meditate on the pure Self, the all-comprehensive Principle, as Aum. The Self, which like a causeway protects everything established (such as, castes, order of life etc.) and which, untouched by day and night, is in all directions, horizontal, upward and downward, and free from unhappiness, is of the nature of eternal consciousness.
     
MANDUKYA UPANISHAD DEALS WITH PRANAVA-OM

Know it as the essence of purity, as the light of light.
Meditate on the Aum as your inner self… may you 
cross over the darkness to the other side.

Aum is a bow, the arrow is the self, and Brahman (Absolute Reality) is said to be the mark.

DEVATHA FOR 'A' KARA IS-- BRAHMA 

DEVATHA FOR 'U' KARA IS-- VISHNU

DEVATHA FOR 'm' KARA IS-- RUDRA

'NADA' MAKES FIVE ELEMENTS(PANCHA BHUTHAS)

TO JOIN IT.

'BINDU' MAKES HRIDAYA(SPIRITUAL HEART),CHITTA

(MIND),BUDDI(INTELLECT) TO JOIN IT.

NADA - BINDU UPANISHATH STATES --

                                      DEVATHA(DEITY)

'A' KARA -- ONE MATRA -- AGNI 

'U' KARA -- ONE MATRA -- VAYU 

'm' KARA -- ONE MATRA -- RESPLENDENT LIKE SUN

'NADA'  }

+'BINDU'} -- HALF MATRA -- VARUNA

END RESULT OF NADA YOGA

When the (spiritual) sight becomes fixed without any object to be seen, when the Vayu (Prana) becomes still without any effort, and when the Chitta becomes firm without any support, he becomes of the form of the internal sound of Brahman-Pranava

TEITTIRIYA UPANISHAD STATES--

OM is Brahman.OM is all this.OM is a well known word

of concurrence.Recite to the GODS, beginning with OM.

They commence singing SAMAS with OM.Uttering the 

words "OM SOM" they recite SHASTRAS.BRAHMA approves the word OM.AGNIHOTRA sacrifice is performed

with the word OM.A brahmana, when about to recite Vedas utters OM with the idea,"I shall attain BRAHMAN".

He verily attains BRAHMAN. 

DHYANA BINDU UPANISHAD--

The one Akshara (letter OM) should be contemplated upon
 as Brahman by all who aspire for emancipation.

Let Om be the bow, mind the arrow, and Higher 

Consciousness the target.
Those who want enlightenment 

should reflect on the sound and the meaning of Om. 
When

the arrow is released from the bow it goes straight to the 

target.

 

Like the continuous flow of an oil stream and like the 

vibration of a bell ... this is the way to chant Om and the 

way to really know the meaning of the Vedas.

Concentrate on Om in the heart center as though it is like a 

candle flame the same size as your thumb.

He who does not know Omkara as having eight Angas 

(parts), four Padas (feet), three Sthanas (seats) and five 

Devatas (presiding deities) is not a Brahmana(who has Brahma jnana).

KATHA UPANISHAD--

The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma. 

SWETHESHWATARA UPANISHAD--

Fire, though potentially present in firewood,is not seen until 
one stick is rubbed against another.The Atma is that fire; it is realized by the constant awareness of the sacred mantra Om.
Let your individual personality be one stick and Om the other. Thus you will realize your real nature, which is hidden within just as fire is, 
in a sense, hidden in combustible materials.

THURIATITA AVADHUTHA UPANISHAD--
AVADHUTHA MERGES WITH OM-PRANAVA & GIVES UP

HIS BODY--

Always observing silence and deeply meditating on his Self, he has for his support the propless (Brahman); forgetting everything (else) in consonance with the absorption in his Self; this Turiyatita sage reaching the state of the Avadhuta ascetic and completely absorbed in non-duality (of the Atman) (finally) gives up his body as he has become one with Om (the Pranava): such an ascetic is an Avadhuta

MANDUKYA KARIKA OF GOUDAPADA(SHANKARA'S GURU'S GURU)

Let the mind be fixed on OM,for such a person there is 

no fear what so ever from anything.

OM is Brahman,without a cause,without interior or exterior

without effect & is un-decaying.

OM is the LORD, dwelling in the hearts of all,having known the all pervasive OM, intelligent one does not grieve.

He by whom is known OM, which is without measure & of

infinite magnitude,which is auspicious,since all duality ceases in it, is a sage & none else.

Omkara Gita Essentials

Based on Lahiri Mahasaya's Commentary on the Omkar Gita.

Those who contemplate every day and see a dazzling light like a million suns, are still not in Complete Consciousness unless and until a deep calm is theirs, is the teaching.

1. The individual Self is of Knowledge

THE PHYSICAL body is the form of the OM sound — Bindu, the spot, is transcended by the inner Sound — Beyond secret radiation are dazzling jewels. [V. 3-5; cf. v. 29; 44]

Deep inside oneself is a star encircled with a yellow colour called "the golden ring". [Cf. v. 9]

When you become one with the supreme Person by OM, you are eternal and supreme Being — Complete Consciousness is all there is. [Cf. v. 16; 56]

One is to tranquilise the prana ("breath") at the heart, which is esoterically in the area between the eyebrows too — One should expand the prana, which is automatically and spontaneously expanded in higher Consciousness. [Cf. v. 22; 25] (2)

The OM sound in the form of inner light is kutastha — The supreme Person is the embodiment of knowledge. [Cf. v. 7; 52]

There is no substratum or nada (sound) in the great calm brought on by kriya. Then all is a void, a so-called void. [Cf. v. 29]

Without Self-Knowledge, nobody can attain full well — The individual self is the ultimate Self somehow. [Cf. v. 78-79; 9]

Tranquility is a form of the supreme Self — Kriya is the means to serve the Self. [Cf. v. 26; 15]

2. Those who contemplate every day may understand more and better as time goes by

THE OM sound has no end — Tranquil breath is seen as "deep dark" and of high vibrations. [Cf. v. 11; 31]

Serve the Self and Lord every day with all the organs — The eternal Being is beyond the mind and impossible to experience unless and until the mouth of the Secret Lotus inside is no longer upside down. [Cf. v. 15; 39]

You can also try to lessen desires by calm breathing. [Cf. v. 62-64]

The supreme Person lives at the heart, and is dazzling like billions of suns — If you meditate on OM by doing Omkara kriyas, you will see lightning like electricity. [Cf. v. 45-47; 21] (4)

The eternal Being is a Person, sages say. [Cf. v. 37]

3. Individual hearts are created

IN THE void of the heart is sound and calmness — Individual beings are created. 

[Cf. v. 3-5; 9]

AJAPA OF PRANAVA --

      When kundalini rises to ANAHATHA CHAKRA, PRANAVA             continuously takes place involuntarily.   

The transcendental sound of OM--PRANAVA is heard only by Yogins(AJAPA-involuntary continuous hearing) whose kundalini has reached ANAHATHA CHAKRA.

SRIRANGA MAHAGURU--

         shabda brahmamayah shabdonahatha sthathra drshyathe I
                anahathakyam thathpadma munibhi parikeerthitham II

(Without any recitation of shabdabrahma,sound produced by itself can be heard there.That place sages have called 'anahatha' by name in lotus form.)

Experiencing ANAHATHA NADA through path of GURU's guidance is not just pleasing to hearing but brings liberation to YOGIES.

In the correct pronunciation of OM-- PRANAVA the sound proceeds from the Muladara, with a deep and harmonious vibration, and gradually manifests itself by stages(para, pashyanthi, madhyama, vykhary) at the upper part of the nostrils where the Anusvara or the Chandrabindu(nada + bindu) is sounded.

All manthras are born in KUNDALI,so say jnanies.At 
MULADHARA, is born thought form called PARA,next at
hridaya(spiritual) PASHYANTHI and after joining with buddi MADHYAMA,afterwards sound comes out from mouth as
VYKHARY.So based on SUSHUMNA,supported by air,various sounds are produced.    

WHAT PRANAVA SIGNIFES--

PRANAVA signifies the three periods of time, the three states of consciousness, the entire existence.

Three periods of time-- Past , Present , Future

Three states of consciousness--   
'A' is the waking state or Virat and Visva. 
'U' is the dreaming state or Hiranyagarbha and Taijasa. 
'm' is the sleeping state or Isvara and Prajna. 

On continuous recitation of PRANAVA, as mind becomes
thoughtless, gap between recitations is called TURIYA--
THE FOURTH STATE OF BLISS

PRANAVA IS FORMLESS GOD(ATHMA)-- 
As it is sound vibration only !
HOWEVER IT APPLIES TO WITH FORM ALSO.

YAJNAVALKYA--
GOD being without form,who can be grasped through 
mind with Bhakthi,is called Omkara.He is pleased when called like that.
For PRANAVA Brahma is Rishi
                       Gayathri is meter
                       Devatha is Agni
after remembering above,practice Omkara.Recite Omkara
which is three and half mathras,like long sound vibration produced by bell.Recite it at the beginning of any karma
(work).

SRIRANGA MAHAGURU--
DIVINE WISDOM ON PRANAVA--

Sanyasi(who renounced the world) should meditate GOD
through PRANAVA.  

vykthaavyakthe cha purusha thisro mathra: prakeerthitha: I
ardha mathra param brahma jneyamadhyathma chinthakei: II
(Vyktha,Avyaktha and Purusha these are PRANAVA'S
three mathras. Ardha mathra is PARA BRAHMA, so should understand spiritual thinkers.)

chathurvimshathi thathvanam yadekam thathvamuttamam
anupadhi param brahma ththparanjyothiromithi II

(That which is original cause of twenty four tathvas{truth
  aspects},that which is one good tathva(truth) without any hindrance- PARABRAHMA,that holy DIVINE LIGHT is
OMkara)

Twenty Four truth aspects(tathvas)--
Elements-Akasha,Air,Water,Fire,Earth---------------5 
Jnanendriyas-ear,skin,eyes,tongue,nose------------5
Karmendriyas-speech,hands,legs,anus,genitals---5
Thanmatras-sound,touch,form,taste,smell-----------5
Others-ahankara,mind,prakriti,mahat------------------4
                                                                               --------
                                                                                  24
                                                                               =====
SANGEETHA RATHNAKARA--
chaithanyam servabhuthanam vivratham jagadathmana
nadabrahma thadanandamadvithiyamupasmahe II

(That which is the active spirit in all elements,that which           has expanded itself as the soul of this world, is       
  NADABRAHMA, which is full of bliss & has no second,
  we adore & prey.)

PRANAVA covers the entire range of sound produced by
human beings--
A kara at the throat when lips wide open
U kara middle range when lips curved round 
m KARA sound produced when lips closed

NINE DIVISIONS OF PRANAVA IS ALSO THERE--
VISHNU, LAKSHMI, JEEVA, BINDU, NADA, ARDHAMATHRE, NADANTHA,NADATHITHA,
NADATHITHANTHA.

WHAT IS NADA ?
nakaram prananamanam dakaramanalam viduh
jathah pranagni samyogathena nadobhidhiyathe II
(Nakara represents Prana,dakara represents Agni should
be understood.Born due to the association of 
prana + agni is the reason to call it 'NADA')

In the middle of ATHMA--PRANA is there
In the middle of PRANA--DHVANI(SOUND) is there
In the middle of DHVANI--NADA(sound vibration) is there
In the middle of NADA ----SADASHIVA(GOD) is there

At the NADANTHA of PRANAVA jnanies see through their
mind,GOD who is highest bliss,truth,divine knowledge,
divine power, of shining golden colour,who helps to cross ocean of samsara.

When mind sees SUSHUMNA NADI,hears NADA without break,sees JYOTHI at NADANTHA is called RAJA YOGA.

At the center of SUSHUMNA is DIVINE FIRE,on the right & left side of it are MOON & SUN NADIES,at the end of
SUSHUMNA, NADA of OM OM is generated which is
greatest wonder & astonishment.

YOGI goes through SUSHUMNA path to CHIDAKASHA
which is free of defect,where he sees JYOTHI which is brightly glowing by itself in the pure sky(OF CHIDAKASHA)
At the center of which he should prey always NADA-BINDU,
by this YOGI's get liberated & this is called RAJA YOGA

SHARADA THILAKA--
Following was told by Jnanies.That sound vibration generated at BINDU, which is rich in melody is called SHABDA BRAHMA.Parama SHIVA who is opposite to creation,his first,spirited,wholesome indescribable,nature of Nada-Bindu, which is expanding & divine sound,we should understand as SHABDA BRAHMA.


AHIRBUDNYA SAMHITHA--- 
That which is of highest order of sound melody which is
combined,bright power of VISHNU,expands SHABDA BRAHMA through SUSHUMNA.

PRANAVA IS NADA & LIGHT(JYOTHI) ALSO--
SRIRANGA MAHAGURU 
Light(Jyothi) associated with PRANAVA opens up in nine stages.

Intensity of light(Jyothi) is like that of twelve suns.

When OM is added in front of any manthra its power
increases many fold.   
eg.Gayathri Mantra --Aum Bhur Bhuvah Svah ---
      Astakshari Mantra--Aum Namo Narayanaya 

BHAGWAN NITHYANANDA ON PRANAVA

ATHMA is the Bindu in Omkar. It is MA, A, E(U?), OM the Great. Movable and the Seen, OM the Essence. It is what is declared by the sages as The Truth. OM. OM.

RAMANA MAHARSHI ON PRANAVA

PRANAVA is Pathanakshara, Ajapa, Advaitha mantra.
Meditate with devotion leading to SAMADHI.

REAL LIFE AS PER SWAMY SIVANANDA--

To live in OM
To chant OM
To meditate on OM
Is real Life

GURU'S INNER CONSCIOUSNESS SHOULD HAVE
ANAHATHA BINDU-NADA-- 

Avadhoota Venkatachala

of Sakarayapattana

sachidanandarupaya bindunadantharathmane I
adimadyantha shunyaya gurunam guruve namaha II
(He who is of the nature SAT-CHIT-ANANDA, inner
consciousness with involuntary PRANAVA(ANAHATHA BINDU-NADA), without BEGINNING-MIDDLE-END,  
reverence to such a GURU'S GURU.)

SHABDABRAHMA LEADS TO THE KNOWLRDGE OF
PARABRAHMA-- 

dvee brahmani shabdabrahma param ha yath I
shabdabrahmani nishnathah param brahmadigachathi II
(Understand the two Brahma things Shabdabrahma-
Parabrahma. An expert in Shabdabrahma who understood its core knowledge,will understand Parabrahma also.)