Om Symbol Meaning? This guide will tell you everything

Om Symbol is the most famous and sacred Hindu and Tibetan symbol, Meaning of personification of the universe sound. He is also known as Aum and Soham. The Om symbol has many interpretations.

It is believed that the “Om” symbol has a deep metaphysical meaning permeating the human consciousness itself. Well, let’s take a closer look at what the sign and the sound “Aum” tells us, what interpretations of symbolism are and what is the meaning of the Om tattoo.

Om Symbol Graphic Meaning

There are several interpretations of the “Om” symbol, it expresses both a graphic sign and a combination of sounds.

Where did the belief come from that Aum has a sacred significance and carries a deep spiritual message? Different teachings with some differences, but these approaches certainly have a lot in common.

• The letter “A” in the Om symbol is understood as the beginning of something, birth (adimatva).
• The letter “U” – development, movement, transformation (utkarsha).
• The letter “M” represents destruction, and decay (miti). Within this view of the sacred sign “Aum” meaning, there is a general opinion that this is the special energy of the natural processes of creation, development, and destruction.

The whole om symbol meaning symbolizes the creation, and each of the letters means the masculine, feminine and neuter gender.

The sign “Om” is also understood in terms of time – past, present, and future. The om symbol meaning is timeless. It is also worth understanding the yoga symbol as the teaching of the mother, father, and guru.

But in general, it means the knowledge of one’s own Self, an awareness of inner peace.

The letter “A” is interpreted as vak (speech), “U” – manas (mind), “M” – prana (breath of life). The om symbol personifies the living spirit.

The three letters can also be interpreted as length, width, and height, and the om symbol implies Force, and cosmic energy, not limited by shape and size.

Om Symbol Jewelry

In jewelry “Om” symbol has a triple meaning. In addition to the above examples, it is manifested in the following equivalents: qualities (guna) – rajas (energy), sattva (purity), Tamas (ignorance), main – body, soul, spirit, Deities – Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, etc…

To understand all the greatness of this symbol, you must have religious knowledge, imbued with the sacredness of the sign.

Om Meaning In Different Cultures

Indian “Om” symbol in Hinduism is the most sacred. It is pronounced at the very beginning of mantras and sacred texts. It symbolizes the trinity of Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda.

The sound of “Aum” is perceived as three times of the day, a person’s abilities (desire, knowledge, action), and three levels of existence (heaven, air, earth). The Buddhist “Om” symbol is borrowed from Hinduism.

It is used in mantras, and rituals, and personifies the three jewels of Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), Body, Speech, and Mind Buddha.

In Yoga & meditation practices Om symbol is used as a mantra. The sound is consistently created in three parts of the body – the abdominal area (“A”), the chest (“U”), and the crown (“M”).

Om meaning In Tibetan Buddhism

The Buddhist Om symbol surprisingly is used in world culture. For example, the band The Beatles used the mantra in the chorus of one of their songs.

George Harrison placed a symbol on the covers of several of his albums. And even in the movie “The Matrix” in one of the songs you can hear the mantra “Om”.

Om meaning in Sanskrit

Visually, the sign “Om” symbol looks in the Sanskrit alphabet as a ligature consisting of the letters “A”, “U”, and also anusvara, pronounced as “M”.

In Sanskrit, “Om” is one letter, and graphically the Om symbol is represented by a combination of three letters, above which you can see an image of a crescent with a dot at the top.

According to Sri Vinoba Bhave, the Sanskrit word Aum and the Latin Omne have the same root. They express omnipresence and omnipotence, and they can be translated as “so be it”, or “true.” In addition, there are still at least 19 meanings of this syllable.

Today it is not so rarely applied as a tattoo mark “Om”. However, before applying it you need to know the special rules. Om symbol can be depicted only on the skin of the upper body, but in no case below the belt.

As it became clear, this is not just an interesting drawing. This is a magical symbol containing an incomprehensible sacred mystery of being.

Sometimes a sign is depicted as a separate symbol from other elements, but its design is also extremely popular, for example, a lotus flower or a ring made of a multi-syllable ornament.

Om Mani Padme hum tattoo

What importance does the tattoo mark “Om” symbol mean? In addition to decorating the body, people who are not close to religious teachings believe that it can be used to find a way out of even the most difficult life circumstances.

He skillfully directs the person to the correct exit. Those who seek to take the path of cleansing the mind, for example, practicing certain religious areas of Hinduism, put on an Om tattoo, the significance of which is to help a person overcome the ordeals on the path to enlightenment.

Om As A Sacred Sound

“Om” symbol is considered an Indian sign of Omas the sacred sound used in mantras. The sound “Aum” is considered the primary sound, independent of the cultural context.

It can be said that this sound contains the whole alphabet, as for its pronunciation it is necessary to go through a phased metamorphosis. So, the open mouth from “A” to “M” moves to its closure. And it has a deep sacred meaning.

Considering this phenomenon from the point of view of metaphorical decoding, it follows that: the sound “A” is pronounced with an open mouth, which personifies the state of wakefulness, and activity.

The sound “A” is pronounced with an open mouth, which personifies the state of wakefulness, and activity. The sound “U” is a transitional stage, which is formed from openness, but by closing the mouth, which symbolizes the state of sleep.

The sound “M” – there is a complete closing of the lips, interpreted as a state of a deep sleep, locking the doors to the outside world. “Om” symbol is the sound of the fourth dimension, invisible to the human senses, which perceive only the material world.

Mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” definition

It has already been pointed out that the sound “Om” is often used in religious mantras. They hide a deep Sign Om tattoo value sacred meaning, often personified.

For example, in one of the most famous mantras Om Mane Padme Hum. The tattoo with her image can be interpreted in different ways. Literally from the Tibetan language is translated as “Oh, the jewel in the lotus flower!”.

But it is endowed with a wider meaning. It is commonly believed that this is the mantra of Aodokiteshvara’s compassionate bodhisattva, consisting of six syllables, each of which is aimed at saving beings from man, animals, spirits, and those who live in the underworld.

For example, it is believed that every word in the tattoo “Om Mani Padme Hum” means the following: The word “Om” – the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha.

“Mani” – love, sincere compassion, awakening. “Padme” – wisdom. “Hum” – the unity of practice and wisdom. The “Om” symbol is able to become a talisman for a person who is in a difficult life situation or who does not know which decision will be right. Om symbol and sacred sound will help those who truly believe in it.