How chanting AUM raises level of consciousness and is the way to Self-Realization
In the preceding few articles, we have been discussing on the significance of AUM. If you haven’t read those articles, kindly go through the below links
AUM-The most sacred sound of the universe
AUM- the primordial sound that creates this universe
How chanting AUM or mantra changes your DNA
How to change body forms by chanting AUM or mantra
Aum-The sacred syllable and sound of God
Why AUM word in all mantras
In this article, we will discuss on how chanting AUm raises level of consciousness and is the most sole way to self-realization
Om or Aum symbol is the most sacred symbol in Hinduism. This sacred syllable represents both, personal as well as impersonal aspect of the universal Brahman (God). AUM is not from any language or religion. Aum is the universal symbol for people of all faith, religion and culture. AUM is the universal cosmic sound of creation and destruction. AUM is just a sound that means nothing, yet can mean everything.
Aum represents four level of consciousness
Curves of AUM symbolizes the entire physical phenomenon of this materialistic world
According to Patanjali Yoga, AUM has four levels of consciousness
1) Jagrat(waking) state---- consciousness+thinking. This is symbolized by the lower curve of AUM which means the consciousness is directed outwards to the gates of senses. Larger size means that this is the most common stage of human consciousness. In this stage, we direct our sense organs to experience objects of this materialistic world. We sense and enjoy the materialistic objects.
2) Svapna(dreaming) state--- unconsciousness+thinking. This stage is symbolized by the outside curve which indicates the consciousness is directed towards the soul where the mind beholds the enchanting view of the universal creation in his dreams. Our mind and not the sense organs see & experience objects.
3) Sushupti(deep sleep) state --- unconsciousness-thinking. This stage is symbolized by the upper curve where the person craves nothing nor does behold any dream. Mind goes into the unmanifested state to realize this creation. We neither sense nor enjoy the materialistic objects.
4) Turiya (enlightened) state---- consciousness -thinking. This is symbolized by the dot that indicates the ultimate consciousness is neither outwards nor inwards. This blissful state is the ultimate goal of all living beings. Semicircle beneath the dot symbolizes MAYA (illusion) that separates the spiritual world from the materialistic world. This illusion separates the human beings from the stage of self-realization or enlightenment. Maya prevents the spiritual seeker to reach the ultimate goal of realization by trapping him in the materialistic pleasures.
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Symbolism of AUM sound with above level of consciousness
The ‘aaah’ sound signifies the waking state. All living beings are conscious and interact with this materialistic world through our senses. This signifies our life on mother earth.
The ‘oooh’ sound signifies the dreaming state. This is the dreaming state our mind witness behind the lids of our eye.
The ‘mmm’ sound signifies the deep sleep state. In this stage, soul dreams of nothing nor do have any desires.
The silence that follows signifies the turiya state. This stage represents the rising of the soul from the illusion of the materialistic world.
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Turiya frees you of all illusions
In the state of Turiya, there is no need of thinking, Turiya can be mathematically expressed as (consciousness - thinking). In this state, one remains unaffected to MAYA, attachment or desires i.e it liberates you from all sufferings and sorrow. IT represents the perfect state of conscious mind that is free of all materialistic influences and illusions. Without thinking, one in the stage of Turiya feels and understands the realities of this universe. Illusion and reality is more clearly seen not through our naked eyes but with the closed divine eyes. The person in the highest state is unaffected by MAYA (illusion).Such a peaceful and blissful Turiya state should be the aim of all human beings.
Turiya is the stage of awakened consciousness
This is the state where you realize I am everything. All the objects that I sense and enjoy are not outside me but within me. One realizes that he is real and this materialistic world is an illusion. A person who is awake yet not awake as he is not lost in the illusion of materialistic desires is in the state of Turiya. Turiya is the stage of pure consciousness where the impure thoughts subside and the conscious mind increasingly becomes more awake and aware of the supreme reality. This is why a dot is worn on the forehead to awaken the internal kundalini. Turiya is what differentiates the saint from the sage because the saint is lost in the imagination of the world while the sage doesn’t dream as he sees the lord directly through his divine eyes. An enlightened sage never sleeps or dreams because he is above all materialistic workings of this universe.
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Third and fourth state reveals the secrets of the universe
Third state and fourth state let our brain vibrate at a frequency below 12 hertz and 4 hertz respectively. This helps the brain visualize and experience the low frequency subtle sound of all vibrating objects in the universe. Latest research revealed the frequency of sound coming from the black hole as B flat. B flat is a frequency billion times lowers than the human ear can hear. Thus our ear can hear the sound of the universe only in the state of Turiya.
Listening to low frequency sound is encoded in DNA
Listening to such low frequency sound is encoded in our DNA. Length of one genome is six feet. Given that there are more than 35 trillion cells in our body, if we go on straitening the entire spiraled DNA in one single line, our DNA would circle the earth 6 million times. Thus Our DNA is like of a large network of antenna that is encoded to listen to every level of low frequencies of the universe.
Ancient sages had the wisdom and power to focus their entire energy on listening and communicating with the world that lies outside earth. Modern scientists with all their equipments do not have the veracity to test the effect of magical meditation.
Self realization or reaching the stage of Turiya is very painful process
Passage from Jagrat to Turiya is not so easy. One has to perform severe penance and has to go through years of intense pain to experience the divine realities of enlightenment. Ordinary people fail to live up to their potential as they are far away from this fourth state of consciousness.
How the sound pass through various chakras (level of consciousness)
On the formation of sound, Science says that sound comes from the throat when we speak but Vedas differs from this. Vedas says that when we have urge to speak, Vaayu(air) moves up from the root chakra to form Paraa, the subtle or unmanifested sound.
Paraa is the first stage of sound formation and the source of all filthy thoughts and ideas. In this stage, there is no distinction between the object and the sound used to represent that object. This unclear sound then goes through various levels to become vyakta(clear). Some yogis claim Paraa as the high frequency sound that does not produce any kind of vibrations.
Paraa then traverses up to the Manipuraka chakra (navel) and heart chakras as Pasyanti and Madhyamaa respectively. In pasyanti stage, sound has additional attributes of object like color, shape etc. Pasyanti is like a mental sound whose Frequency is comparatively less than Paraa sound. This sound that reaches the navel in vibratory form with no syllable attached to it but the glimpse of the object in the mind is called as Pashyanti-vaak.
Pasyanti on reaching the Anaahata(HearteartHeart) chakra undergoes changes that bring audibility to the sound. This sound is called as Madhyama Vaak where Madhyama means middle or ‘in between’. At this stage, mind establishes the connection between the sound and the object. Madhyama Vaak is still a mental speech that can be heard only by our subtle ear (Not the visible one). Sound of this level can be heard only by enlightened yogis. Yogis who can hear this sound is capable of reading others mind and forecasting the future state of events through his divine third eye.
Madhyama vaak then moves up to the throat, mouth, teeth, tongue as Vaikhari to finally come out as articulate sound audible at the materialistic level. Vaikhari is the last stage of sound formation that produces the sound heard by the external ear.
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Levels of sound formation
These four levels of sound formation represent the four levels of consciousness. They are:
Paraa - Transcendental consciousness(TURIYA state)
Pasyanti - Intellectual consciousness(Dreamless state)
Madhyama-Mental consciousness(Dreaming state)
Vaikhari - Physical consciousness(Wakeful state)
Less three subtle stages of sound formation represent the three internal powers. They are
Iccha-shakti(Will power) within the Pasyanti-vaak
Jnana-shakti(power of knowledge) within the Madhyama-vaak
Kriya-shakti(power of action) within the Vaikhari-vaak
These stages of sound formation at the gross body level are comparable to the several stages of samkalpa where a simple thought becomes the firm obligatory decision.
Chanting AUM is the way to enlightenment or self-realization
Through continuous practice of meditation, chanting, breathing exercises and yoga, one experiences this stage of complete freedom, total clarity, inner peace and universal harmony rejecting all the desires and materialistic forces. Turiya is the eternal reality, only one that is above all universal phenomena. It is this stage that a spiritual follower realizes the divine magic of AUM. AUM is the only sound that pervades life and reaches our soul through breath. Just as the living body has no vivacity without the blood flowing through the veins, a mantra has no life without the AUM flowing through its words. Aum is the only sacred word that connects the mediator directly with the divine. After a brief interval of time, the mediator no longer chants AUM, instead his inner spirit hears the divine AUM sound vibrating in his body. Not only hear, he also feels the vibrations flowing through the body.
In the stage of enlightenment, you can hear the AUM sound in chirping of birds, lapping of waves, blowing of winds, falling of leaves etc. When the seeker hears the cosmic AUM sound, his heart become serene and controlled free of all fear and sufferings. In this exalted state of consciousness, one can see the glow in his body as he/she unites with the god and attains absolute liberation.
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Only divine soul can perceive symbolism of AUM
AUM is the oldest divine hymn that is not chanted for monetary or materialistic gain, but for the purity and liberation of the soul. Symbolic representation of AUM can be understood only by the divine mind as the cosmic vibration of the musical AUM is inaudible to the human ears. Only prolonged meditation and self-realization can transform your chargeless body to a cosmic radio or television that receives the natural vibrations of AUM sound.
AUM in general can be symbolized as
A-Aspiration to conceive god
U- Union with God.
M- Manifestation of God in our heart and all around us
Chanting AUM helps in winning over materialistic desires
Generally, desires are external and internal. Selfish materialistic humans strives for external desires like sex, money, pleasures, fame etc while karmic human beings strives for the self-realization of the soul. Fools are the ones who do meditation and yoga for potent boons like immense wealth, gaining powerful weapons or winning over the three worlds. People easily gets influenced to tantric and black magic to win over your opponents but they fails to realize that the aim of this materialistic life is not to win against the opponent but to win over all evil and materialistic desires. Aum can help you in achieving your internal aspirations.
Chanting AUM increases the level of consciousness
When the mind chants AUMMM, our body resonates in unison with the resonating frequency of this universe thus enabling us to view the realities of this materialistic world through our divine eyes (divya drishti). Even a ten year science student knows that when two systems vibrate in perfect resonance, then there is a rise in amplitude of the resulting wave. Similarly, when our body resonates in sync with the universe, there is a rise in our consciousness level that let us see all the modalities of this materialistic universe. Primordial vibration produced by the AUM sound is hundred times more than the vibration of the 10 kHz transformer. Continuous chanting increases the consciousness level and brings your brain to a level where there is no room for intuition. AUM recharges our body by connecting our body with the vibrations of the divine reality. Chanting AUM is the password to open the door of spiritual wisdom. Chanting AUM will take you to the state of happiness where the mind illuminates like a shining sun. Chanting AUM is the first step of the spiritual journey towards self-realization where the drop of water (soul) merges with the ocean (Almighty)
Self-realization is not for the wordly peoples who love to hanker after wealth, pleasures, lust, comfoerts etc. Don’t get yourself ricked by the fake sadhus as chanting AUM is the right path of realizing the divine for all spiritual seekers.
AUM chants vibrates at the frequency of 432 Hz which is very close to the frequency of all objects of this universe. So by chanting AUM, we tune ourselves to frequency of nature and try to connect with other living beings of this universe.
Gaining control over the mind by liberating ourselves from all selfish thoughts is the goal of meditation and yoga but having mastery of the mind is a very slow and diffciult process. Chanting AUM is just the baby step that can detach the negative flow of thoughts. When Vedic sages practices the art of meditating upon the AUM symbol, Pranava(life) runs because of chanting and the body no longer needs food or water. This art of meditating upon the AUM symbol is called Pranava upasana.
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HOW chanting AUM connects us to god?
Some positive energy exists around the idol which is experienced by the devotees continuously. When we chant, sound vibrations that are produced by our concentrated mind react with this positive energy and create a divine current. This current instills some of the positive energy within our body thus bringing internal peace to the mind. This effect is very similar to the magnetic effect instilled in an iron rod that was rubbed by the magnet for few minutes. We are just a small fraction of the sum total created by god. Sometimes, the mantras are chanted with yantras(instrument) which may include musical instruments like flute, sitar, bells etc. This is done to produce extremely powerful sound vibrations that can cure illness by the constant flow of positive divine energy. It is said chanting produces certain lighting figures of deities in the mind which become brighter and brighter as we advances in the various stages of self-realization.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjJGsegUilQ>
Enlightenment
Why you should practice spirituality with an open mind?
Today, your belief of this materialistic world is of what you I see in waking state but you fail to consider the different facets of your personality. Your personal facets may hide the ultimate truth and would show only what you prefer to see. If you are an atheist, your personal belief would never let you see the spiritual energies flowing in the atmosphere and the spiritual events happening in the surrounding environment. To break this view of limited perception, you need to spread your wings and let your mind have a re-look to the worldly existence. Upanishad mode of enquiry states your existence not confined only to the waking state but also in the dream and deep sleep state.
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Conclusion
There are certain aspects that would always remain a mystery as science has its own limitations in proving the physical realities of this universe. It is up to us how we transform our inner mind to realize and understand this mysterical universe. Do meditation and realize the power of AUM.
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