what does the 'om' or 'aum' symbol mean to you?

Question

Just wondering what others think about this symbol and what it means to them.

I know what the symbol means, I just want to see how others think of this symbol.

Answer 1

The most powerful and the significant one is the single-syllabled incantation called the Pranava. This is the OM.

The available literature upon the significances of the Vedic mantra is almost voluminous. Nowhere in the world can we meet with a more sacred symbol that has got such a vast amount of significance.

From Vedic times until the present day the word 'OM' has been taken as a symbol and as an aid to meditation by spiritual aspirants. It is accepted both as one with 'Brahman' and as the medium, the Logos, connecting man and God. The entire history of the syllable is in the revelations of the Vedas and in the declarations of the Upanishads.

The sound of OM is also called 'Pranava', meaning, that it is something that pervades life, or runs through prana or breath.

Speaking of OM, the Taittiriya Upanishad says: "Thou art the sheath of Brahman.' That is, OM is the container for the Supreme and, therefore, invoking OM is invoking the Supreme.

Answer 2

Om is supposed to be a celestial and holy sound. It is also associated with the trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). The first "au" is Brahma, the second "uuuu" is Vishnu, and the final "uum" is Shiva. Thus in one sound, the creative, preserving, and destructive aspects of the Divine are showcased.

Answer 3

To me it represents the initials of the Indo-European Trinity: Agni, Ushas, Mitra. It also represents the transcendence of Deity, because it covers the range of vowels without intervening consonants. There are some other things about it, but I swore a bloody oath not to reveal them.