‘Aum’ the goal of all sadhana

Yama says to Nachiketas, in the Kathopanishad, “That Word, desiring which, people perform austerities to attain, that Word, I will declare to you in brief. It is Aum.

The entire Vedas and the Upanishads declare Om or Aum as the One Word, the One Truth. People perform austerities and live the life of brahmacharya to attain that Supreme Being, the Brahman who is none other than that word Aum.

In the Mandukya Upanishad, Om or Aum is described as the symbol of the different states of consciousness. ‘A’ is for the waking state or Jagriti, ‘U’ is for the dream state or Swapna and ‘M’ is for the deep sleep state or Sushupti. And beyond the three, is what is known as Turiya which is the Witness of all three states.

When one understands that Witness, one knows that all these states are relatively unreal when compared to each other. In the dream, if somebody said it was not real, you wouldn’t believe it, but when you wake up, it is unreal. So, in the dream state the waking state is unreal and in the waking state, the dream is a dream. Now, these states are relative to each other, real only when they exist and unreal when they don’t.

But there is a Witness who witnesses and is conscious and aware of all that is happening, and that is known as Turiya. All this is represented by Aum – the last ringing sound which comes after you chant Aum. The mmm sound which goes on at the end, that is Turiya.

Those, who are in the practice of sadhana, will know that in the deep states of meditation, one begins to hear the Pranava Aum within and that is the link to moving into the higher realms of consciousness.

If you understand what that Aum is, you have understood the entire mystery of the universe and have attained everything. Aum is the highest end, and the aim of life is to understand that, Aum. Yama then explains that when you understand that inner Self, our true identity, you are free of joy and sorrow and are not disturbed by any of the opposites.

The Self, which is the Witness is like the eye that sees everything. This Supreme Self is the Seer of everything and although it is not seen by itself, it knows that it exists because it sees everything else. The Self, which is your true identity, is never born nor does it die. If one gets fixed on this firm foundation of understanding one’s own inner Self, one is no more identified with the body but is identified with the Self, the Witness of all states of being.