EKAKSHARAM AUM
ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् |
य: प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् || 13||8
oṁ ityekākṣharaṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim
om—sacred syllable representing the formless aspect of God; iti—thus;
eka-akṣharam—one-syllabled; brahma—the Absolute Truth; vyāharan—chanting;
mām—Me (Shree Krishna); anusmaran—remembering; yaḥ—who; prayāti—departs;
tyajan—quitting; deham—the body; saḥ—he; yāti—attains; paramām—the supreme;
gatim—goal
om ityekaksharam brahma vyaharan mam anusmaran
yah prayati tyajan deham sa yati paramam gatim
BG 8.13: One who departs from the body while remembering Me, the Supreme
Personality, and chanting the syllable Om, will attain the supreme goal.
The Vedic scriptures state that at the beginning of creation, God first
created sound. With sound, He created space and then continued with the
rest of the creation process. That primordial sound was the sacred
syllable OM it is also called Pranav—the sound manifestation of the
Brahman. It represents the formless aspect of the Supreme Lord, without any
attributes and virtues. The Bible also mentions this in John 1:1: In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The sound Om pervades the entire creation; it is imperishable and infinite
like God Himself. Hence, it is also called anāhat nād. In the Vedic
philosophy, it is conferred as the mahā vākya, or the Great Sound Vibration
of the Vedas and often attached to the beginning of the Vedic mantras, as
bīja (seed or core) mantra similar to hrīṁ, klīṁ, etc.
For proper chanting of the sacred word OM, the emphasis is on the
vibrations of three letters: A… U… M… One starts by making an “A” sound
from the belly, with an open mouth and throat; it then merges into a “U”
created in the middle of the mouth. Finally, it ends in chanting “M” with a
closed mouth.
Devotees consider the word Om as the impersonal form of God. In ashtanga
yoga, the Praṇav sound is considered the object of meditation. In this
verse, Shree Krishna is describing the process of meditation with regard to
the ashtanga yoga sadhana. He states that to focus the mind on God, one
should chant “Óm” while practicing austerities and maintaining the vow of
celibacy.
However, the devotees who take the path of bhakti yoga prefer to meditate
upon the personal Names of the Lord. They experience greater sweetness in
God’s bliss when they meditate on; the personal Name and Forms of God, such
as Ram, Krishna, Shiv, etc.
If you compare; the pleasure experienced by two ladies, one who is an
expectant mother and one who has her new-born baby in her lap. The
experience is much sweeter for the new mother. Seeing her beautiful baby,
she even forgets the discomfort and pain she had experienced during
childbirth.
The time of death is the final test of our meditation. As death is said to
be intensely painful and despite the pain, those who are able to focus on
God even at that last moment; attain Him. And on leaving the body, their
souls reach His divine abode. However, to achieve such a state is very
difficult; it requires continuous practice throughout one’s life. The
merciful Lord Krishna shows us an easier path in the next verse.
This is in continuation of verse 8 12 where it is said
Chapter-8. (Akshara-brahma-Yogam )
Slokam- 12. (The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual
engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the
heart and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in
yoga.)
sarvadvaranni samyamya mano hrdi nirudhya ca
murdhanyadhayatmanah pranam asthito yogadharannam.
sarvadvaranni samyamya = controlling all doors of
sense-organs;
manah hrdi nirudhya = keeping the mind in the heart;
atmanah pranam = the pranan ( life-principle / jiva ) of one's
own self; (KR: KINDLY WATCH ATMAN IS NOT THE SPIRIT)(HENCE SPIRITUALISM
IS UNRELATED TO THE ATMA)
murdhani adhaya = fixing it on the head;
yogadharannam asthitah = keeping close all the activities
of cittam within ( in anthratma );
Lord Krishna describes the method in brief with details with the word
samyamya meaning restrained. {KR Restrained means different and not
related the spiritualism; spiritualism is followed by everybody on their
lips.} Having restrained all the senses by withdrawing them from their
respective objects, all the doors of the body such as the eyes, ears, etc.,
along with the cessation of all worldly considerations, fixing the mind in
the heart and directing the life breath to the ajna cakra between the
eyebrows one so becomes established in yoga or the science of the
individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate
consciousness. Lord Krishna uses the words sarva-dvarani samyamya means
controlling the passages which enter into the body. This denotes
withdrawing the senses from external cognition or restricting the senses
from their normal outgoing tendencies. The words hrdi-nirudhya means
locking the mind in the heart. It denotes directing devotional feelings
from the mind to the atma or soul in the heart and offering them to the
aksaram or imperishable Supreme Lord enthroned there. The words yoga-dharanam
or performing the science of the individual consciousness attaining
communion with the ultimate consciousness in unwavering meditation. This
denotes concerted concentration in perfectly meditating upon the Supreme
Lord with complete attention.
The proposed means together with its accessories is being stated by in this
verse and the next. Lord Krishna uses the word samyamya which means
controlling. Withdrawing all the inlets of the organs being eyes, ears,
tongue, etc. by non-cognition of external objects and focusing the mind in
the heart, dismissing all external conceptions while fixing the life force
in the ajna cakra between the eyebrows one should establish themselves and
become absorbed in yoga or the science of the individual consciousness
attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness.
ADHYATMAVADHA IS THE SPIRITUALISM. Spiritualism is an *idealistic
view* that considers the soul as the root of the world. According to one
school of spiritualism, the material world is a medium of manifestation of
God and His attributes. While for other spiritualists it is an illusion of
human consciousness. The proponents of spiritualism believe that the soul
exists independently of the body. In the Yajurveda, to explain the concept
of soul, it is said that the soul (Aham Brahmasmi) is only a spectator
(Sakshi), which sees all the activities of our thoughts, senses and
actions, but remains passive itself. Consistent spiritualists falsify the
achievements of modern science and try to establish superstition in ghosts
and divine law in place of science. Spirituality is a reality which is not
visible to the naked eye, to understand it one needs self-knowledge. In
bourgeois philosophy, spiritualism often means idealism.
Spiritualism means the idea that considers the soul as the root of the
world. It is an idealistic ideology. According to spiritualism, the soul
has a separate existence from the body. Spiritualism is a supporter of
theism. It believes in the soul and God.
Spiritualism is the opposite of materialism.
Materialism considers matter as the basic entity, while spiritualism
considers it as a conscious form.
Materialism is mechanistic and naturalistic, while spiritualism is
pragmatist and unnatural.
Materialism is atheistic, while spiritualism is theistic.
Materialism is sensual and realistic, while spiritualism is supersensuous
and idealistic.
Spiritualism promotes morality and religion.
Spirituality is related to spirituality, immateriality, and religiosity.
Spirituality is a way of living a complete and balanced life.
Spirituality enriches the inner life and improves interpersonal
relationships.
It is duality more akin to Religions of the world; as in Christianity the
God , the spirit angel and the demon the opposite. Ekaksharam is advaitham.
Thus, it all started in 18th century only as a mark to deny any religion or
way of life but to come pure by yoga and meditation believed buy the
western cult. Our Godmen and speakers like Suki Sivam etc gave a meaning of
Bhakti to it. Adyatmavadham is within the vedantham but it is a road to
elevate and not assigning as a Brahmam as could be seen from B G 8 12
followed by 13 where Ekaakshara the Brahmam is the path of moksha while
spirituality may elevate but not place on that road.
Rig vedam brings it in as
Rig Veda 10.82.3
यो नः पिता जनिता यो विधाता धामानि वेद भुवनानि विश्वा । यो देवानां नामधा एक
एव तं सम्प्रश्नं भुवना यन्त्यन्या ॥
yo naḥ pitā janitā yo vidhātā dhāmāni veda bhuvanāni viśvā | yo devānāṃ
nāmadhā eka eva taṃ sampraśnam bhuvanā yanty anyā ||
“He who is our preserver, our parent, the creator (of all), who knows our
abodes (and knows) all beings, who is the name-giver of the gods-- he is
one; other beings come to him to inquire.”
Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya
I.e., to ask, 'who is the supreme lord?' or, they ask, what their offices
are, and he appoints them their several functions.
This was expanded later in Sama vedam, Krishna Yajurvedam and Sukla
Yajurvedam as Ekaakshara. There was Ekaakshara Upanishad long ago in these
columns.
K Rajaram IRS 11225
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