![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg/640px-Om_symbol.svg.png&w=640&q=50)
Om
Sacred sound in Indic religions / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Om (or Aum) (listenⓘ; Sanskrit: ॐ, ओम्, romanized: Oṃ, ISO 15919: Ōṁ) is a symbol representing a sacred sound, syllable, mantra, and an invocation in Hinduism.[1][2] Its written representation is the most important symbol of Hinduism.[3] It is the essence of the supreme Absolute,[2] consciousness,[4][5][6] Ātman, Brahman, or the cosmic world.[7][8][9] In Indic traditions, Om serves as a sonic representation of the divine, a standard of Vedic authority and a central aspect of soteriological doctrines and practices.[10]. It is the basic tool for meditation in the yogic path to liberation.[11] The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts.[9]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg/320px-Om_symbol.svg.png)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/004_Gopura%2C_Aum_Sign_%2826596636998%29.jpg/640px-004_Gopura%2C_Aum_Sign_%2826596636998%29.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Golden_Mandala_with_Om_symbol_at_Hindu_temple_in_Malaysia.jpg/640px-Golden_Mandala_with_Om_symbol_at_Hindu_temple_in_Malaysia.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/OM_in_Rakhi.jpg/640px-OM_in_Rakhi.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Example.of.complex.text.rendering.svg/40px-Example.of.complex.text.rendering.svg.png)
Om emerged in the Vedic corpus and is said to be an encapsulated form of Samavedic chants or songs.[10][1] It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passage (samskara) such as weddings, and during meditative and spiritual activities such as Pranava yoga.[12][13] It is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries, and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.[14][15] As a syllable, it is often chanted either independently or before a spiritual recitation and during meditation in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[16][17]
The syllable Om is also referred to as Onkara (Omkara) and Pranava among many other names.[18][19]