14 Year Old Anwesha Discovers the Magic of "OM" - Times of India
When I read the news of Anwesha’s discovery about the power of Pranava Naad ‘Om’, I felt that all is still not lost in India in context of our ancient culture and heritage. In my earlier post on Creation: The Big Bang and the eternal sound ‘OM’, I had signed off with the following words…
“The young India does not like to read these amazing books… We ourselves have turned the immensely practical treasure trove of our rich heritage of culture and knowledge into a straightjacketed ritualistic customs and practices, hidden behind the closed and crumbling temple walls across the country, through our fanatic religious shortsightedness.” - Click here to read the full article
But young girl like Anwesha, Mathematicians like Manjul Bhargava, Rap Singers like Blaaze are still out there, reaching out to our ancient literature and cultural heritage, studying it and coming out with innovative ways and experiments to put the ancient knowledge across the world with new and modern perspective.
Manjul Bhargava, Maths Nobel winner, was inspired by a shloka, which his grand father gave him to read, to write his PhD thesis. Blaaze, famous MTV Idol, Rap Singer of ‘Baba Rap’, ‘Hosanna Rap’ Bunty Aur Bubbly, Slum Dog Millionaire etc. was inspired enough by a priest to create rap shloka like Dandakam Shloka, Gita Dhyaanam etc. and it gives me an immense pleasure to see that Anwesha, a 14-year-old has wowed city scientists with her discovery of the impact of the 'Om' sound in reducing fatigue.
But OM is beyond reducing physical fatigue; it’s the eternal vibration through which the whole universe is manifested. As more and more experiments being conducted, trying to find the God Particle, scientists will read a stage where they will come to conclude that “Eternal Sound” is all that is underlying the fabric of cosmos. This is what our ancient sages has said almost 5000 years ago as well.
Māndūkya Upanishad starts with solemn proposition with the following…
“OM! This imperishable word is the whole of this visible universe.”
Chandogya Upanishad explains the origin of the universe as…
“Space, said he. Verily, all things here arise out of space. They disappear back into space, for space alone is greater than these, space is the final goal. This is the most excellent Udgitha. This is endless. The most excellent is his, the most excellent worlds does he win, who, knowing it thus, reveres the most excellent Udgitha [Om, ॐ].” - Verse 1.9.1-1.9.2
Many people say that if ‘Om’ is such powerful word then why it is not mentioned in Veda. To understand this omission, you have to have the proper context. In ancient Vedic times, the “OM” was considered too sacred to be written down. It was given to the disciple by the guru in secret manner, mostly by being whispered into his ear, since it was such potent sound, to be even heard an un-prepared disciple through study and deep reflection, to receive it.
The Key to Unlocking Our Brain
If we consider our brain as a computer, scientists are increasingly calling it a ‘Wetware’, then the software which runs it are of two types. - One is logic and the other is language. If we take our ancient literature like Kalidasa’s Meghdoot, Bhagwat Gita, Purana, Veda etc. you will realise that it not only comprise of deep thoughts, ideas or way of life but it was written in beautiful and lyrical language.
As we read more and more of our ancient literature, it slowly unlocks the obscurity of our subconscious mind and firms up certain synaptic connections, that makes one more conducive to receiving deeper knowledge. That the sage writers of these work of art and science some how knew how our consciousness works and gave us keys to explore hidden areas within our selves.
And I believe that the key to unlocking our hidden purpose and strength is the sound ‘Om’.
We can all debate, till the cows come home, whether ancient Vedic philosophy was a scientific study or just incoherent musings of village mendicant or local sadhu. But I firmly believe if you dig deeper into these ancient resources of knowledge, you will find something that will connect with you. That is the only spark you need to become what you are destined to be. That alone will give you, your purpose of life and will make you what you are.
And as I keep asking the young generation at my workshops and my book "Songs of the Mist" talks, please don’t go by what you have heard or read some one say, you read it yourself. Go back to our ancient culture and heritage, if nothing else, the language alone will change you.
“Now that light which shines above this heaven, higher than all, higher than everything, in the highest world, beyond which there are no other worlds, that is the same light which is within man” —Chandogya Upanishad 3.13.7
Flames of devotion
Sculpts darkness of mind into
Beauty of our souls
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Shashi
ॐ नमः शिवाय
