The Four Petals of AUM

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 9

The sound vibration of the syllable “OM” consists of four parts A, U, M, and after-sound (anusvara / naadi). Patanjali who codified the Yoga Sutras given by Lord Dattatreya says that our mind becomes one-pointed and gets prepared for meditation when one chants “AUM” while contemplating its meaning at the same time. Lord Vishnu describes the meaning of this great syllable to Lord Brahma.

Arjuna asks Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita what should come to mind when one chants “AUM”. For example, when one says dog, one immediately envisions that animal. Similarly, what is to be envisioned when one chants this great syllable. The Lord says that one should think of him when one chants “AUM”. It means one should think of the Lord’s spiritual form.

For the purpose of material creation, Bhagavan (Vasudeva) assumed the form of a Cosmic Being (Vishnu). Lord Brahma emerged on a lotus from Lord Vishnu’s navel. He couldn’t see the source of his creation when he was born. He didn’t know the purpose of his birth. Then he heard the word “tapa” (penance) twice. He then controlled his breath and mind and meditated on the Super Soul in his heart.

Lord Brahma got the vision of a spiritual place which is described as follows:

• Absence of Time

• Absence of subtle material forces (goodness, passion, and ignorance) that affect the mind

• Residents performing worship of Lord Hari

• People are fearless

• Every resident looked charming and has brilliant splendor

• People of varying complexions like the coral, lapiz lazuli, etc.

• Presence of effulgent aerial cars and young women on brilliant complexion

• Goddess of wealth (Lakshmi) on a swing singing the glories of Lord Hari

• Paramahamsa’s serving the Lord of four arms

It is evident that the spiritual creation is not formless. It is vibrant with various manifestations. It is self-effulgent and eternal. The formless spirit (Brahman) has various spiritual manifestations.

We can compare and contrast that to matter; the matter is formless in an atomic state. But, the same formless matter manifests into various material manifestations such as planets, stars, minerals, bodies of living beings, etc.

Lord’s soul and body are non-different because both are spirit and imperishable unlike us whose soul is a spirit and body is a matter, which is temporary.

Brahma finally saw the Lord in front of him. He was filled with joyful tears seeing the Lord.

The Lord then described the four parts of AUM to Brahma. These four parts constitute the essence of the Vedas. It is to be understood that the essence of the Vedas is the syllable “OM”. This same knowledge was reiterated by Lord Brahma to Sage Narada through Purusha Suktam. Srimad Bhagavatam is the elaboration of AUM and Purusha Suktam over 18,000 verses. The reading and chanting of this great scripture yield the same benefit as chanting AUM and Purusha Suktam. In addition, it evokes love for the Supreme Lord and enables us to surrender to him.

A-kara:

• This is Bhagavad Jnana (the knowledge of God)

• Only the Supreme Lord existed before creation

• Only the Supreme Lord will exist when the creation is annihilated

• The Supreme Lord witnesses the act of creation by Brahma

U-kara:

• This is Maya Jnana (knowledge about the Lord’s illusory energy)

• Anything that appears valuable but is not connected to the Supreme Lord is a product of the Lord’s illusory energy

• It is meant to keep the living being bounded to the matter

• Do not desire such things or invest your heart in them

M-kara:

• This is Jagat Jnana (knowledge of the material creation)

• All components of creation such as Earth, water, etc. are present but temporary

• The entire creation is the manifestation of atomic matter which is a transformation of my spiritual energy

• The Supreme Lord is present in every aspect of material creation but he is also outside of the material creation

Anusvara:

• This is Atma Jnana (knowledge about the Soul)

• In every circumstance, in every place and time, the seeker should control his mind, realize one’s spiritual nature, and ultimately must come to know the Supreme Lord to get liberated

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that the object of the Vedas is to know him. AUM is the essence of the Vedas and by chanting this great syllable, one gets to connect with the object of the Vedas, the Supreme Lord. So, some seekers chant the names of the Supreme Lord directly because of the greater sweetness of God’s bliss in the personal names.

We can use an example to describe the relationship between God (Bhagavan), Material Creation (Prakriti), and Soul (Atma). If we say God is Sun, then the material creation is solar electrical power i.e. Sun's energy transformed into electrical energy. The Soul is like one of the rays of the Sun. There are many rays; each has the same quality as the Sun but these are the parts while the Sun is the whole.

This narration by Sage Sukha is in response to Parikshit's question "The Supreme Person from whom Lord Brahma was born is described as having the same form and the same number of limbs as a human being. If that is the case, what is the difference between the Supreme Person and a human being?"