Once there was a student (much like me and you) on the spiritual path who seeks a teacher to help them deepen their learning. The student asks, "What is the nature of everything, is there something more than everything I see around me?" The the teacher replies
'oṁ ity etad akṣaram idaṁ sarvam' - This syllable that is called Om is all that!
And that's just the first few words. I love this text, it's truly mind blowing. I discovered it many years ago and I have had a number of teachers over the years, some ancient commentators, some modern sages, other scholars, all brilliant and peeling back another layer of juicy ... well, quite frankly, AWE-someness that is the poetic revalations of the text. It has been part of my practice since then.
This 12 verse upanishad doesn't just describes the nature of reality and consciousness through the lens of OM. It teaches us that OM is not just a sound but the essence of the entire universe, the whole universe is held within it and from it all the universe comes forth.
For any sound healer, yogi, holistic practitioner or spiritual enquirer sounding and meditating on Om and it's 'quarters' (as separate enquiries) takes us on a journey, through sonic vibration to the divine, the universe within and without. Anyone who sound Om knows it is unparalleled for its harmony and healing.
Understand the self understand the universe…
And The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad shows us a way to do that. It consists of only 12 verses, yet SO MUCH is revealed within. It provides a complete landscape to understanding the self and the universe.
The Frog.
Its name, Māṇḍūkya, translates to “frog,” symbolizing a number of different things.
A leap from ignorance to enlightenment.
A frog takes four forms in life, spawn, tadpole, froglet & frog similar to the four states discussed within the text.
It also moves between environments with ease, mirroring the transitions between these states.
A frog sees (almost) 360 degrees, the text teaches universal perspective.
This Self Is Brahman.
Ayamātmā brahma, one of the four Mahāvākyas (great sayings) of the Upanishads. From a holistic sound healer’s perspective, this teaching reveals that the essence of our individual self (ātmā) is identical to the ultimate reality (brahman). When we chant Oṁ, the sacred vibration representing Brahman, we dissolve the idea that these two are separate and different.
Student : But I don't feel infinite.
Teacher: That's because you are only seeing yourself through the lense of one pada not the whole.
Om: The Padas
The text talks about four 'padas' (steps, verses or quarters, all linked through meaning). This itself is worth a note. How can a quarter be all these. The padas are referring to the states and so the verses in the text, but its also looking through the lense of observing a four-footed beast and splitting up the wisdom by saying 'Ok let me tell you from the perspective of this foot' or 'which foot are you stood on when you are seeing the world this particular way'. With all the vedic text the meaning is much more than a translation of what is on the page.
Pada 1: The Waking State (A): The physical experience of the external world
The realm of the physical world through the senses. It is where we interact with people, objects, and experiences, forming our understanding of reality. When we anchoring ourselves in the A vibration, we remind our selves to be grounded and present, to create a strong foundation.
Dreaming State (U): The inner realm of imagination and creativity
The realm of the dreamer, where we are living the dream. It is where the imprint of reality is, like the groves of text on a pad from an earlier, ripped off page. Where a reality is created to work things try out scenarios, to imagination and , literally, dream subconscious processing. When we anchoring ourselves in the U we are in the flow of creativity and intuition where inspiration and insights arise.
Deep Sleep State (M): A profound, restful state of unity
The realm of the sleeper. where there is absolute rest and integration, where the mind ceases activity, and the self merges into unity. It is a space of profound healing When we anchoring ourselves in the M there is a sense of wholeness and connection to something greater, this restorative stillness, allows for something deeper.
Turiya (Silence): The transcendent state of pure awareness and ultimate reality.
The realm of the beyond. the state of pure consciousness, timelessness, transcending of physical and energetic boundaries. When we anchor ourselves in the silence Turiya the individual self dissolves into universal awareness, there is infinite potential and profound peace and clarity.
Student : Hang on, you said it was part-less, how can something infinite also have '4 quarters'.
Teacher: Becuase you are already not thinking of yourself as infinite, and, so we start from where you are ...
The Part-less Nature of Om
How can Om be both partless and have four 'quarters'? it is s described in the Mandukya Upanishad, as being both infinite and indivisible. While it 'padas' can be expressed and meditated on as three parts—A, U, and M—these are not separate entities but aspects of a unified whole. The teacher speaks to the student from where their thinking currently is, body, mind, ego and something else, spirit. Or the one that is awake, the one that is dreamer, the one that is sleeping and that which is beyond and we examine and understand those and we go from there...
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