Editing Om (section)

{{Short description|Sacred sound in Indian religions}}
{{redirect|Aum|other uses|Aum (disambiguation)|and|Om (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
[[File:Om symbol.svg|thumb|''Om'' [[Ligature (writing)|ligature]] in [[Devanagari]] script]]
[[File:004 Gopura, Aum Sign (26596636998).jpg|thumb|''Om'' ({{script|Taml|ௐ}}) in [[Tamil script]] with a ''[[trishula]]'' at [[Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple]], [[Singapore]]; ''Om'' appears frequently as an [[Religious image|icon]] in temples (''[[kovil]]s'') and spiritual retreats]]
[[File:Golden Mandala with Om symbol at Hindu temple in Malaysia.jpg|thumb|A ''[[rangoli]]'' featuring ''Om'' surrounded by stylised [[Peafowl#Indian peafowl|peacock]]s; ''Om'' often features prominently in the religious art and iconography of [[Indian religions]]]]
[[File:OM in Rakhi.jpg|thumb|A ''[[Raksha Bandhan|rakhi]]'' in the shape of ''Om'']]
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}

'''''Om''''' (or '''''Aum'''''; {{audio|LL-Q9610 (ben)-Titodutta-ওঁ.wav|listen}}; {{langx|sa|ॐ, ओम्|translit=Oṃ, Auṃ|translit-std=IAST}}, ISO&nbsp;15919: ''Ōṁ'') is a [[polysemous]] symbol representing a sacred sound, syllable, [[mantra]], and [[invocation]] in [[Hinduism]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Constance |url= |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |last2=Ryan |first2=James D. |date=2006 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |pages=319–20 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Guy L. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/824698506 |title=Sonic liturgy: ritual and music in Hindu tradition |date=2012 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-61117-108-2 |location=Columbia |pages=25 |oclc=824698506}}</ref> Its written form is the most important symbol in the Hindu religion.<ref name="wilke4352">{{Cite book |last1=Wilke |first1=Annette |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wmYz_OtZ_gC&pg=PA435 |title=Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism |last2=Moebus |first2=Oliver |date=2011 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3110181593 |location=Berlin |page=435}}</ref> It is the essence of the supreme Absolute,<ref name=":1" /> consciousness,<ref name="james4822">James Lochtefeld (2002), "Om", ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', Vol. 2: N-Z, Rosen Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0823931804}}, page 482</ref><ref name="Holdrege19962">{{Cite book |last=Holdrege |first=Barbara A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vnUFxccJ4igC |title=Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7914-1640-2 |page=57}}</ref><ref name="merriam-webster.com2">"[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/om Om]". ''Merriam-Webster'' (2013), Pronounced: \ˈōm\</ref> ''[[Ātman (Hinduism)|Ātman]],'' ''[[Brahman]],'' or the cosmic world.<ref name="David Leeming 20052">David Leeming (2005), ''The Oxford Companion to World Mythology'', [[Oxford University Press]], {{ISBN|978-0195156690}}, page 54</ref><ref name="ReferenceA2">Hajime Nakamura, ''A History of Early Vedānta Philosophy'', Part 2, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120819634}}, page 318</ref><ref name="annette2">Annette Wilke and Oliver Moebus (2011), ''Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism'', De Gruyter, {{ISBN|978-3110181593}}, pages 435–456</ref> In [[Indian religions]], ''Om'' serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of [[Vedas|Vedic]] authority and a central aspect of [[soteriological]] doctrines and practices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite thesis |last1=Gerety |first1=Moore |last2=McKean |first2=Finnian |date=2015-05-20 |title=This Whole World Is OM: Song, Soteriology, and the Emergence of the Sacred Syllable |url=https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/17467527 |publisher=Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences |pages=33 |issn=1746-7527}}</ref> It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to [[Moksha|liberation]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Kudelska |first=Marta |url=https://www.peterlang.com/view/title/63055 |title=Why Is There I Rather Than It? |date=2019-01-01 |publisher=Peter Lang D |isbn=978-3-631-84429-8 |pages=244 |doi=10.3726/b17932}}</ref> The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the [[Vedas]], the [[Upanishads]], and other [[Hindu texts]].<ref name="annette2" /> It is described as the goal of all the Vedas.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://shlokam.org/texts/katha-1-2-15/ | title=Kathopanishad- Verse 15 - kathopanishad-1-2-15-sarve vedā - in Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) }}</ref>

''Om'' emerged in the [[Vedic Literature|Vedic corpus]] and is said to be an encapsulated form of [[Samaveda|''Samavedic'']] chants or songs.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]]'' and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passage (''[[Samskara (rite of passage)|samskara]]'') such as weddings, and during meditative and spiritual activities such as [[Pranava yoga]].<ref name="David White 20112">David White (2011), ''Yoga in Practice'', Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|978-0691140865}}, pp. 104–111</ref><ref name="Alexander Studholme 20122">Alexander Studholme (2012), ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra'', State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791453902}}, pages 1–4</ref> It is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries, and spiritual retreats in [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]], and [[Sikhism]].<ref>T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1993), ''Elements of Hindu Iconography'', Volume 2, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120808775}}, p. 248</ref><ref>Sehdev Kumar (2001), ''A Thousand Petalled Lotus: Jain Temples of Rajasthan'', {{ISBN|978-8170173489}}, p. 5</ref> As a syllable, it is often chanted either independently or before a spiritual recitation and during [[meditation]] in Hinduism, [[Buddhism]], and [[Jainism]].<ref name="The Indian Mantra pp. 2442">[[Jan Gonda]] (1963), ''The Indian Mantra'', Oriens, Vol. 16, pp. 244–297</ref><ref name="lipner2">[[Julius Lipner]] (2010), ''Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415456760}}, pp. 66–67</ref>

The syllable ''Om'' is also referred to as '''Onkara (Omkara)''' and '''Pranava''' among [[#Common names and synonyms|many other names]].<ref name="Misra20182">{{Cite book |last=Misra |first=Nityanand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e89eDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 |title=The Om Mala: Meanings of the Mystic Sound |date=25 July 2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-93-87471-85-6 |pages=104–}}</ref><ref>"[http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=OM&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning=0 OM]". ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', University of Köln, Germany</ref>