Do You Know the Importance of Omkara?
When you start chanting Sahasra Nama, it begins with Omkara.
In fact, all the thousand names are contained in Omkara. All the thousand names are different ways of expressing Omkara.
सर्वे वेदा यत'पदमामनन्ति तपांसि सर्वाणि च यद्वदन्ति यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण ब्रवीमि
The term meditated upon in all the Vedas, spoken about in all kinds of austerities, desiring which Brahmacharya is observed — I shall tell you that in brief:
ॐ इत्येतत् – That is Omkara.
एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं ब्रह्म एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं परं
एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं ज्ञात्वा यो यदिच्छति तस्य तत्
This is the imperishable Brahma.
This is the imperishable ultimate truth.
Knowing this, whatever one desires — that becomes his.
यः पुनरेतं त्रिमात्रेण ओमित्येतेनैव अक्षरेण परं पुरुषमभिध्यायीत
The Parama Purusha should be meditated upon with this Omkara, which is of a duration of 3 matras.
Hrasvaksharas are of single matra duration, like tha.
Deerghaksharas are of 2 matras — thaa.
Omkara should be pronounced with three matras — ॐ ॐ ॐ
ओकार एवेदं सर्वं – All this is Omkara.
There are 9 names in the first shloka:
विश्वं विष्णुः वषट्कारः भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः भूतकृत् भूतभृत् भावः भूतात्मा भूतभावनः
विश्वं – विश्वस्य जगतः कारणत्वेन विश्वं इत्युच्यते – Brahma.
Because he is the cause of the universe — he caused the universe to come into existence — he is called Vishvam. That is Brahma, as described in Vedanta.
Brahma which is the ultimate reality, truth, consciousness, and Ananda — not Brahmaa who is the creator god among the Trimurthys.
As I have explained in the interpretation of Atharva Sheersha, the difference between Brahma and Brahmaa should be remembered.
परस्मात्पुरुषात् न भिन्नमिदं विश्वं परमार्थतः
This universe is not different from that Parama Purusha Sri Hari. This entire universe that you see around you is nothing but Sri Hari, and Sri Hari is none other than Brahma as described in Vedanta.
Brahma is just another name for Sri Hari.
If you have gone through the texts of Vedanta, wherever you find the term Brahma, just substitute it with Sri Hari — it will be one and the same. Whether you use the term Brahma or Sri Hari does not matter.
ब्रह्मैवेदं विश्वमिदं वरिष्ठं
This universe is nothing but Brahma.
Brahma transforms himself from Nirguna to Saguna and the universe comes into existence.
The universe is not a creation — it is the Creator himself.
Once the creation happens, the Creator himself has transformed himself into creation.
A lump of clay becomes a sculpture.
Once the sculpture is made, the clay no longer exists separately — at least if you have used the whole clay available to you. It has transformed itself into the sculpture.
The only difference is that there are no hands making the clay into the sculpture. The clay — Brahma — is transforming itself into the sculpture.
So Vishvam is the same as Brahma.
There is nothing other than himself.
And that Brahma is Sri Hari.
पुरुष एवेदँ सर्वं पुरुष एवेदं विश्वं
Purusha alone is all this.
Purusha is universe.
And Sri Hari is Purusha Brahma.
Vish means to enter.
Upon creating or transforming himself into the universe, he has entered it.
तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेव अनुप्राविशत्
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