AUM.. The Primordial sound of Silence

The Mandukya Upanishads maps out the entire range of life experience range of life experience in the sound of Aum, in elaborating on the mystery of Brahmn, in 12 short verses. It does so by juxtaposing the four states of consciousness with the syllable Aum, and alludes to how this Aum pranava sound syllable corresponds to each of those states.

The opening Amorphism sets the tone for an inquiry into the cause of this material temporal world, by asserting that the Aum principles lies at the root of not only this manifest universe but also at the heart of the cosmic rhythm itself.

While establishing Aum as the sonic measure of the universe ,the madukya equates it with the” four –footed” Atman

The Mandukya goes into a description of the four stages of Consciousness which define the Atman, The Jagrat, Waking state; the svapna, dream state; the sushupti, sleep state; and turiya, the fourth transcedental state where all of us are alive to the body and the visible consciousness, make us aware of and the visible world.

• Vaishvanara—the waking consciousness-operating the-seven limbs and 19 mouths.

i.e. 5 jnandriya,5 karmendriya,five pranas,4 inner faculties-manas,budhi,ahankara,chitta

• Taijasa-the dream consciousness

Mind is active in both above these states.

• Prajnaghanah-sushputi state –which means no external or subtle movement of mind. This induces a happiness-bliss of deep sleep-causal state-no distraction from desire.

Seeker to refined his consciousness in a way to summon up this blissful state at will, the yogic sadhana .

• Turiya-thought itself found its source and has got absorbed in it.

The knower and the known become one.

Mandukya upnishad corresponds the turiya state of pure consciousness with the syllable Aum.-the primordial sound of silence.

A-waking state of consciousness

U-dream state

M-deep sleep sate

Sound-of Aum-the frequency at which the primal energy resonates. into which all sounds of world get absorbed. When sound merges into the Pranava, Atman alone remains..

Source: THE SPEAKING TREE.