This article is the second part of the series Aum- The Ultimate Reality which tries to explain AUM and its significance by taking the reference of Mandukya Upanishad. Upanishads are basically ancient teachings by the great sages of India. They try to teach and impart wisdom regarding the Nature of Reality. Among them, Mandukya Upanishad is considered to be the most important Upanishad. It alone is enough for human liberation as it does not delineates stories but states facts.

As discussed in the first article, AUM is the imperishable. It is everything that we comprehend, speak and feel. The shloka, Om Ityetadaksharam Idam Sarvam encapsulates the importance of AUM. AUM is dual in nature. It has a nama(Name) and a rupa(Form). It is not merely a sound that we produce, but an entity which exists by its own right. We do not create AUM vibration, we just create a vibration similar to the cosmic vibration which is all pervasive.

Now, lets try to understand this concept with respect to God. God or the Supreme Absolute is rupa or the form of AUM. AUM is the nama or the Name. Name is what we connect things with in our daily life. All of us have a name. Some names have a positive effect on us, some have a negative effect. When somebody says Cancer, we have a negative feeling as the psychological connection with the word is negative. Thus names are associated with vibrations, positive or negative. Thus every nama has a rupa and a meaning associated with it.

We all come from Shrishti. There are two types of shrishtis viz. Ishwara Shrishti and Jiva Shrishti. Ishwara Shrishti is the form which corresponds to a name and Jiva Shrishti is the psychological connection between yourself and the Form. Thus you are the center of Jiva Shrishti. We have a part of Ishwara Shrishti and Jiva Shrishti both. The aspect of Ishwara Shrishti is the dignified nature and that of Jiva Shrishti is what binds us to the other forms around us Samsara.

Now going by this logic, every one of us has a dual personality. A character that differentiates us by the means of our relation to-

1) Ishwara

2) Earthly Life.

Every relationship with the forms around you is Samsara. Throughout our life we seek liberation and freedom from these earthly connections. This brings us to an important concept called as Moksha. Moksha is the absolute freedom. By Moksha, we try to establish ourselves in Ishwara and not in the Jivatva as Ishwara exists by its own right, while jivatva exists by means of relations to other things. We should strive for a shift of our existence from Jivatva to Ishwara, from dependence to independence. Thus we should be striving for Kaivalya or Moksha.

– Tejas Nimbargi.

P.S- Thanks to Swami Krishnananda from The Divine Life Society.

Link for the first part – http://tejasnimbargi.blogspot.in/2014/01/aum-ultimate-reality-part-1.html