OM SRI SAI RAM  

Om. In every “Hindu” prayer or pooja or homam, we hear the word Om uttered or chanted. All auspicious acts in the rituals or prayers start with the word Om. What does it really mean? What does it signify? Why is it being given so much importance in the Hindu prayers? 

Similar sounding words are used in other major religions too viz., in Christian, Buddhist and Muslim prayers.  Christians use the word “Amen”, Muslims “Ameen”, Buddhists and Jains use “OM”. There appears to be a cOmmon ground among the religions in the usage of this word, OM or OM’s similar cousins. This write-up focusses on the meaning of the word OM as expressed in the Hindu scriptures like Upanishads. It is my hope that similar ideas are valid for other cousin religions too since it appears that there is a common basis amongst all religions. Swami, Sri Satya Sai Baba, has emphasized this common basis throughout His Avatar period. 

The word “Amen” is said to have its origin in Hebrew and then it found its way into the English Language (1).  Amen and Ameen are triliteral (A M N) word as is OM (A U M). The word Amen has been ascribed to several similar meanings such as “so be it”, “faith”, “verily”, “reliable” etc. (1).  All the meanings point to “assenting” – an approval stamp.  It is also interesting that sOme believe that the Hebrew word for “emuna” (for faith) cOmes from the root Amen (1). The sound of the word emuna itself in Sanskrit refers to a sacred river and the name of a Deity, Jamuna (the letter Ja sometimes becomes Ya in Sanskrit). I have used the words Devanagari script and Sanskrit letters to mean the same in this write up (as per common understanding although it should be made clear that the script we call as Sanskrit is in Devanagari).

The Arabic word “Ameen”, is said to mean assertion too after a prayer or “Oh Allah Accept our invocation”. In Arabic, the word is derived from its  common root word ʾĀmana (Arabic: آمن‎), which has the same meaning as the Hebrew root word (2). 

Om is considered by Buddhists to be the first sound ever uttered out loud in the newly created universe, and is the first syllable of the mantra Om Maṇi Padme Hum, prayer to Avalokitsvara, the Compassionate Buddha. It is considered to be a powerful protective symbol (3). 

Now to the written representation of the word. Even if one looks at the written script of the word OM in different languages, there appears to be a resemblance although one has to look into them in depth with some assumptions and some artistic, spiritual common-theme license to bring out a similarity or a common basis.  

Alphabets in different scripts are made of lines, dots and arcs (part-circles).  Some of these lines and arcs have to be repositioned or erased and rearranged to arrive at a common symbolism in the written form of Om. Let me take a few examples. Some schematics of rearrangements are given in Figure 1. The purpose of the above exercise is to bring out the similarity and commonality among religions of the world. 

Buddhist mantram is Om Maṇi Padme Hum. In Devanagari, it is written as ओ म् म णि प   द् मे  हु म् . A cursory examination of the two scripts show the similarity of this mantram after some trivial adjustments. 

Modifications and alterations of scripts would always be the case due to different cultural ways, time and events in history and locations.  For example, the names Smith and Schmidt are tongue and location based.

The commonality of the scripts points out to different verbal and written expressions of the same Sanātana Dharma emphasized by Sri Sathya Sai Baba during His entire Avatar period.  May the world adopt His Teachings to find common ground amongst widely different economic, cultural and prioritized factors that had and is contributing to a splintered warring world society. The current political and cultural differences in the world hardly justifies the term “society”. In fact, it is polarizing strongly in opposite directions. The world is now a fragmented fighting pieces of groups of people who unwittingly follow their political leaders like sheep following the butcher. The sheep and the cows should be, instead, following Sai, The Good Shepherd and Sri Krishna. The common spirituality among various religions and sects must first be established among the splintered pieces before peace can be thought of.  A march or an orientation towards God, the source from where all came from, is a necessary first step to promote peace in the world and in our own selves. The step should be in the direction of the Vedic age and not the modern way of life. Bringing the state of our minds equivalent to Divinity alone brings us peace and tranquility. The rest is mere noise. If more of us do this march towards Divinity, the less the distraction would be in the world. This has been the Mission of Swami all along. Om Sri Sai Ram.