The Atman as the Pranava (OM)
Divine Life
Society Publication: Section7 The Mandukya
Upanishad by Swami Krishnananda
The three syllables, A, U, M, may
be compared with the three states described of the Atman – Jagarita (waking),
Svapna (dream), Sushupti (sleep). And, also, just as there is a fourth
transcendent state beyond the three states of the Atman, there is a
transcendent state of Om, too, beyond the three syllables, A, U, M. As there
are four states of consciousness, there are four states of Omkara, each one,
respectively, comparable with its corresponding counterpart. All these
comparisons are symbolic, and we should not take them literally. All
meditations are symbolic; all Vidyas of the Upanishads are symbolic.
What is the first state of the
Atman? The Jagaritasthana, or the waking condition of the Atman, called the
Visva, or Vaisvanara, is the first syllable of Om – Akara. From the point of
view of the Jiva – not from the point of view of Isvara – the waking condition
is the cause, and dream and sleep may be regarded as its effects. Ya evam veda: One who knows this
secret of meditation on the harmony between Akara and the waking state of the
Atman, becomes a master over all things, a perfected Siddha does he become, and
he is an adept in Yoga.
Ukara is the second syllable
of Om, which can be compared with the second Pada or foot of the Atman. Taijasa
or dream-consciousness comes as an effect of the waking experience; proceeding
from the waking experience, existing midway between waking and sleep. One who
meditates in this manner, rises in his status of knowledge and becomes an equalizing
factor in society and in all creation. One has peace within oneself, and
creates peace outside, too, on account of the radiance of peace emanating from
oneself.
Makara is the third Matra of Om,
and it is comparable with Prajna (deep sleep state of consciousness), the third
state, causal, of the Atman. It is the measure of all things, and it is the
dissolver of all things. When we chant Om, Akara and Ukara merge in Makara, as
all the impressions of waking and dream merge in Prajna, deep sleep, the causal
state. Deep sleep is the cause, and all experiences in waking and dream are its
effects. As Isvara is the cause of all things, the deep sleep state seems to be
the cause of our waking and dreaming, in one sense, namely, that we wake up
from sleep on account of unfulfilled desires. If all our desires are fulfilled,
we would not be waking up from sleep, at all. 'A' and 'U', merge themselves in
'M'. One, who meditates thus, has the capacity to measure all things, that is,
to know everything – he becomes Sarvajna. He becomes Isvara Himself. Everything
merges in him; as the verse in the second chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita says,
everything enters into him, as rivers enter the ocean. Isvara is the Merger of
all creation, and when you become Isvara, the whole creation merges in you. You
realize this state by this meditation on the unity of Makara and Prajna, the
causal state of Pranava and the causal state of Consciousness, both
individually and cosmically.
Now, as there are three
relative conditions of the Atman, Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti – waking, dream
and deep sleep – Akara, Ukara, and Makara of Pranava, or Omkara, may be
regarded as its relative conditions. But, just as there is a transcendent state
of the Atman, there is a transcendent condition of Pranava, or Omkara, which is
not constituted of Matras or syllables, but is Amatra, without any measure or
syllable. Even as we cannot designate the Atman as either this or that, so we
cannot specify this Amatra condition of Om as either this or that. It is a
vibration of being, and not a state of sound, and there is no material content
in this vibration. It transcends the physical, the subtle and the causal
states, and it is not even merely the vibration which sets creation in motion.
It is subtler than even the causal vibration with which creation commenced. The
only word the Upanishad uses to name this state is Amatra, immeasurable. As the
Atman is ungraspable, unrelatable, indescribable, unthinkable, so is this
Amatra condition of Omkara measureless in every way.
 |
| Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva within OM |
The
Atman alone is. When the Atman becomes the Atman through the Atman,
it is called Atma-sakshatkara – realization of the Atman. It is also
Brahma-sakshatkara – realization of Brahman. From the point of view of the
Atman animating the individual states, we call this achievement Atma-sakshatkara.
From the standpoint of this very same Atman animating the whole cosmos, we call
it Brahma-sakshatkara. It is Self-realization and God-realization at one and
the same time. It is Existence, it is Consciousness, it is Power, it is Bliss,
it is Perfection, it is Immortality, it is Moksha, it is Kaivalya. This is the
Goal of life, the path to which is beautifully described in the Mandukya
Upanishad.
Excerpts from:
The Atman as the Pranava - Section7 The Mandukya
Upanishad by Swami Krishnananda
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