Aum (Om): The Symbol of Hinduism

Posted by Harsh Nevatia May 3, 2007

I have been searching for some time for an appropriate image to go with this topic on Hinduism. After evaluating a few options I have selected the symbol for Aum, also known as Om.

Om is the primeval sound from which the sages divined the Vedas and therefore it is only appropriate that Aum represents the Hindu spirit. The symbol for Aum is instantly recognized as a Hindu symbol, just as a cross is recognized as a symbol of Christianity.

There are many interpretations of Aum in the Hindu scriptures and the commentaries by learned men. But whenever I read of Aum I go back to a novel I read in my youth, long before I became academically involved with Hinduism. This novel is “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse. Siddhartha is the story of a Brahmin lad who is an expert in his profession but not satisfied with it. He undertakes a long journey in search of his Self, which he finds in the company of a ferryman, taking people across a river.

As a Brahmin student, Siddhartha had learnt everything about Om, the word of words. Om was the bow and the Atma was the arrow. Om was used to aim the arrow at the Brahm so as to unite the Atma with the Brahm. Siddhartha had also learnt how to pronounce Om. It was to be recited silently and inwardly with the intake of breath and with the force of the soul while breathing out.

However the ferryman has a different point of view. Om is not something to be recited but to be heard and the river was a perfect speaker because it did not speak silently like the other aspects of nature. However it spoke in many tongues and told many stories at the same time. The trick was not to get stuck on any one of the voices but to hear them all together. Then one would hear the Om and it would convey the truth and the path to peace and the discovery of the Self.

If one looks at the evolution of Hinduism it is not difficult to appreciate that the ferryman’s view of Om was the earlier one. Over time it developed into a more ritualistic one practiced by the Brahmins. As I have said earlier Hinduism puts forth points of view and lets the individual make his considered choice. I am in tune with the ferryman’s Om. We have lost the art of listening and desperately need to get it back.