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Om

OM (or AUM)

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology | 2001 | Copyright

OM (or AUM)

A Sanskrit word of special sanctity in the Hindu religion, generally interchangable with AUM. It is pronounced at the beginning and end of every lesson in the Vedas (ancient scriptures) and is also the introductory word of the Puranas (religious works embodying legends and mythology). The Katha-Upanishad states: "Whoever knows this syllable obtains whatever he wishes."

There are various accounts of its origin; one that it is the term of assent used by the gods and possibly an old contracted form of the Sanskrit word evam meaning "thus." The Manu-Sangita (Laws of Manu), a religious work of social laws, states the word was formed by Brahma himself, who extracted the letters a-u-m from the Vedas.

Om is also the name given by the Hindus to the spiritual sun, as opposed to Surya, the natural sun.
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Om

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Om , [Skt.,=yes, so be it] for Hindus and Buddhists, a mystic word or mantra . Om is regarded as the syllable of the supreme Reality and is sometimes called "the mother of mantras." It is often found at the beginning of prayers, mantras, and scriptures as a word of invocation and adoration. In Hinduism its three Sanskrit phonemes (transliterated a, u, and m ) symbolize the triad of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer, or the three levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. In Buddhism it is often understood as symbolizing the true "empty" character of reality, as that truth has been communicated by various historical Buddhas, celestial Buddhas, and, directly, by the true character of reality itself (see sunyata ).

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Oṃ

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Oṃ or Auṃ. The most sacred syllable in Hinduism, which first appears in the Upaniṣads. It is often regarded as the bija (seed) of all mantras, containing, as it does, all origination and dissolution. It is known as praṇava (‘reverberation’), and it is the supreme akṣara (syllable). See also ŚABDA.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Oṃ." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Oṃ

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

Oṃ (Skt.). An ancient Indian sacred syllable. Various complex explanations of its meaning are found in exegetical literature and it characteristically prefixes most mantras used in Buddhism. It becomes a symbol of spiritual knowledge, especially of emptiness (śūnyatā), in Mahāyāna and tantric Buddhism.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Oṃ." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Oṃ." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-O.html

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om

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

om in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts. The word comes from Sanskrit, and is sometimes regarded as three sounds, a-u-m, symbolic of the three major Hindu deities.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "om." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "om." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-om.html

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Om

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Om (Aum) Sacred mystical symbol representing a sound considered to have divine power by some Hindus, Buddhists, and other religious groups. The sound is chanted at the beginning and end of prayers, and is used as a mantra in meditation.
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om-

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | Copyright

om- (omo-) combining form denoting the shoulder.
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om

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

om •brome, chrome, comb, Crome, dome, foam, gnome, holm, Holme, hom, home, Jerome, loam, Nome, ohm, om, roam, Rome, tome •Guillaume • biome • Beerbohm •radome • astrodome • Styrofoam •megohm • Stockholm • Bornholm •motorhome • backcomb • honeycomb •cockscomb, coxcomb •toothcomb • genome • gastronome •metronome • syndrome • palindrome •polychrome • Nichrome •monochrome • velodrome •hippodrome • aerodrome •cyclostome • rhizome

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OM

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations | 1998 | | Copyright

OM British vehicle registration for Birmingham
• airline flight code for MIAT-Monglian Airlines
• old man
• optical microscopy
• Optimus Maximus (Latin: greatest and best; title given by Romans to Jupiter)
• Order of Merit
• ordnance map
• organic matter
• international civil aircraft marking for Slovakia
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FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "OM." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "OM." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-OM1.html

FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "OM." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-OM1.html

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Hindu symbol for Om. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

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