Mystic Mantra: ‘Om’ can awaken a new consciousness

There is something mystical and yet simple about the sound of Om. It connects one immediately to the universe because it is the Primordial Sound that reverberates in the entire cosmos and every cell of our body, Chanting it at 417 Hz is amazingly beautiful. This frequency acts as a cleansing agent for our body, removing negativity and blocks, toxicity from our body and mind.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali dwells on it at length. He has said, “Repeat and meditate on the sound of Om: It brings about the disappearance of all obstacles and an awakening of a new consciousness.” What are the obstacles? In the next sutra, Patanjali says, “Disease, languor, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, delusion, impotency and instability are the obstacles that distract the mind.

But for this to happen, just chanting is not enough — you have to meditate on the sound. Most people stop chanting loudly and become content with it. No doubt it is a sweet hypnotic sound that acts as a lullaby. You will feel calm and relaxed but it is not meditation. It is like a tranquiliser which may give you good sleep, and you feel good in the morning.

While commenting on the Yoga Sutra, Osho has warned that if you use the Om as a hypnotic device, you will become addicted to it. Mind you, it is no lesser an addiction than smoking cigarettes.

He says, “Repeat and create the sound of Om all around you, but don’t be lost in it. It is such a sweet sound — you will be lost. Remain alert — remain more and more alert. As the sound goes deeper, you become more and more alert; so the sound relaxes your nervous system, but not you. The sound relaxes your body.”

This is what is meant by awakening a new consciousness. A double process has started: The sound drops your body into a restful state and the awareness helps you to rise to the superconscious. But to feel the new consciousness the body has to be healthy. For Patanjali, the disease is a disturbance in the body aura, in the prana, the bio-energy, the electricity of the body. That’s why it can be cured through Om. Try this technique given by Osho: “Sit alone in a temple sometime, under the dome.”

If a man can utter a perfect chant so that the chanter is completely lost — only pure consciousness, a flame of light, and all around, chanting — the energy falls into a circle, becomes a circle, and you have one of the most euphoric moments in life. When the energy falls into a circle, becomes harmony, there is no discord, no conflict — you have become one.

Amrit Sadhana is editor of Osho Times International. She facilitates meditation workshops based on Osho insights around the country and abroad.