Sūtra 1.27-29 [Praṇava and Praṇava-Sādhana]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 1.23-26 [concept of Īśvara]:

तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥ १.२७ ॥
तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम् ॥ १.२८ ॥
ततः प्रत्यक्चेतनाधिगमोऽप्यन्तरायाभावश्च ॥ १.२९ ॥

tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ || 1.27 ||
tajjapastadarthabhāvanam || 1.28 ||
tataḥ pratyakcetanādhigamo'pyantarāyābhāvaśca || 1.29 ||

(27) The sacred word designating Him is praṇava, themystic syllable ‘OM’. (28) Repeat it and contemplate upon its meaning. (29) From that comes realization of the individual self and the obstacles are resolved.

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

Concept of Īśvara marks a major difference in Sāṅkhya and Yoga philosophies. Sāṅkhyas are nirīśvaravādis, they do not have concept of God. Patañjali by introducing the concept of God seems to have synthesized Sāṅkhya with Vedānta. Moreover, with this concept,the path of devotion (bhakti) becomes important part of Yoga.

The sacred word designating Īśvara is praṇava or the mystic symbol ‘OM’. Vyāsa says^[1] the relationship between Īśvara and the word ‘OM’is like that of a lamp and the light. The relationship between a word and its object is always there and the convention in reference to Īśvara, expresses what is inherent in him.

The Yogī having understood the relationship between the verbal symbol and the thing expressed will, repeat it and contemplate upon its meaning. This brings about one pointedness to the mind of the Yogī who is engaged in repeating the symbol and contemplate on its meaning. Through chanting of mantras, yoga is consolidated and complimentarily, through yoga chanting, mantras improve. With this combination, the supreme soul is revealed.

From repeated chanting of the mystic symbol ‘ OM ’, comes the realization of the individual self and the obstacles in the path of Yoga are removed. Obstacles like illness are removed through Īśvarapraṇidhāna and the Yogī realizes his own self. As God is pure being (free from piety or sin), blissful (free from afflictions like nescience), isolated (free from attributes like buddhi), and thus free and unencumbered from birth, span of life and experience, so is puruṣa who is reflector of buddhi of the devotee. This is how individual soul is realized.

Osho has translated the sūtras I.27, I.28 and I.29 as:

He is known as ‘OM’;
Repeat and meditate on ‘OM’;
Repeating and meditating on ‘OM’ brings about the disappearance of all obstacles and an awakening of a new consciousness.

God is symbolized by ‘ OM ’which is symbol of the universal sound. Once the body has dropped, the mind has disappeared, the universal sound is heard. Osho says if a master of masters is to be found, get more and more attuned to the sound of ‘ OM ’. Repeat and meditate on the sound of ‘ OM ’but do not be lost in it. Remain alert. The repeated sound drops the body toa restful state and mediation on the sound and awareness helps to rise to the super conscious.Repetition helps meditation. Repetition creates the object and the subtlest object is the sound of ‘ OM ’. If one becomes aware of the subtle sound of ‘ OM ’subject and the object merge and become one. That is the state of super consciousness.

It is appropriate here to discuss the Upanisadic concept of mantra ‘ OM ’. The essence of Upaniṣadic teaching can be taken as mantras to meditate upon. Continuous repetition of aham brahmāsmi, ‘I am Brahman’, ‘I am the totality’ helps expand the individual consciousness to universal consciousness. The mantra which is unanimously advocated by the Upaniṣads as a means as well as the end to be achieved through meditation is the mystic syallable ‘ OM ’.

Kaṭhopaniṣad ^[2] says,

‘The word which all Vedas declare, and which is the subject of allausterities desiring which men lead religious life of restrain, that word I tell thee in brief, that is ‘OM’.

‘That word (‘OM’)alone is brahman. That word is supreme symbol, the highest end; knowing this very syllable whatever one desires shall be his’.

Taittirīya Upaniṣad says⁵²,

‘OM is brahman. OM is all’.

Māṇḍukya-Upaniṣad has a unique exposition of the symbol of ‘OM’and its spiritual significance. Meditation on ‘OM’ tunes one to the fourth state of consciousness—turīya, where the mystic syllable is identified with Self-Oṃkāra ātmaiva / ^[3]

Muṇḍakopaniṣad has used the simile of bow and arrow to explain how brahman, the supreme is realized.^[4]

‘Taking hold of ‘ OM ’as the bow, the great weapon, one should fix on it an arrow, sharpened with meditation. Drawing the sting with a mind absorbed in its thought, know, O beloved, that immutable brahman as the target.’

‘OM is the bow; the soul is the arrow and the brahman is the target. It is to be hit by an unerring man. One should become one with it just like an arrow with the target.’

The above mantras from various Upaniṣads make it clear that ‘OM’, the essence of the Vedas and Upaniṣads can be used as a vehicle for transporting one to to the state of super consciousness. Not only Vedas and Upaniṣads but various religious traditions though differeing in their philosophical points of views, the dualists, qualified monoists, even the atheists recognize the importance of ‘OM’ for their spiritual practices.

Osho emphasizes the importance of meditating on ‘OM’ and not merely repeating it.

He says,^[5]

‘If you repeat and don’t meditate, then it is a hypnotic device. You fall into sleep’.

Sleep is not meditation.

Pātañjalai says that the retention of the sacred syllable ‘AUM’ while meditating upon its meaning initiates inward journey of consciousness (Pratyak Chetana) and the obstacles on the path of yoga vanish.We now proceed to discuss these obstacles.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Araṇya, op.cit., p.63

[2]:

Kaṭha Upaniṣad, I.2.15-16.

[3]:

Māṇḍukya Upaniṣad, 12

[4]:

Muṇḍakopaniṣad, II.2.3-4

[5]:

Osho, Op.cit., p. 146.