HINDU RELIGIOUS SYMBOL:

OM is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism. It is called pranava Mantra in Sanskrit and sound form of God. It

'OM' Symbol

stands for Brahman, both as personal and impersonal God.  In all mantra’s of Hindu God and Goddesses Om is the vital part of it. The syllable is taken to consist of three phonemes, a, u and m, variously symbolizing the three Vedas or the Hindu Trimurti- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three stages of life ( birth, life and death ).

 In Mandukya Upanishad the mystic syllable 'AUM' is expounded. There are three letters in the word aum : ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’. The ‘a’ stands for the state of wakefulness, where we experience externally through our mind and sense organs. The ‘u’ stands for the dream state, in which inward experiences are available. In the state of deep sleep, represented by the sound ‘m’, there is no desire and consciousness is gathered in upon itself.

Sri Ramakrishna explains Om: The sound OM is Brahman. The rishis and sages practiced austerity to realize that Sound-Brahman. After attaining perfection one hears the sound of this eternal Word rising spontaneously from the navel. "'What will you gain', some sages ask, 'by merely hearing this sound?' You hear the roar of the ocean from a distance. By following the roar you can reach the ocean. As long as there is the roar, there must also be the ocean. By following the trail of OM you attain Brahman, of which the Word is the symbol. That Brahman has been described by the Vedas as the ultimate goal. 

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