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Creation, Preservation and Dissolution
According to Vedic philosophy the universe moves through an endless cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution. AUM is the creative phase of the cycle. Those new to yoga and meditation may be familiar with this word, but not its relevance. According to Swami Chinmayananda, one of the great Hindu philosophers who left behind comprehensive commentaries on the Vedas and the Upanisads, it is the silence (or breath) that follows the concluding M in AUM that gives this word its potency. Any chant or mantra that does not include AUM with its concluding breath, lacks power. Indeed, the completion of the word AUM with the obligatory breath is no less important than the breath that gives life to all existence. We all know that the cessation of breath means the end of life.8
Swami Chinmayananda expresses more layers to AUM's vast symbolism. The words three letters represent the entire range of the creation of articulated sound. Utterances either originate in the throat, somewhere within the cavity of the mouth, or on the tip of one's lips. With the correct pronunciation of AUM, the throat makes the sound of Athe beginning point of sound creation. As with the letter A, the formation of U starts at the throat, but then rolls right through the mouth to the tip of the lips. Pressing together the lips creates the sound of M in AUM. This final letter represents the limit to articulated sound and leads ultimately to silence, which is equally potent. With the proper articulation of AUM, the word symbolizes the Hindu concept of the creation (A), preservation (U), and dissolution (M) of the universe.
AUM is nothing less than the essence of the Supreme Creator who first uttered the Word that is the force behind the three actions of creation, preservation, and dissolution. AUM is so sacred that the symbol of the word is rarely placed on the floor, and it is never stepped on. Properly recited during meditation, AUM produces within the one who meditates a sense of inner peace. If one is truly committed to the practice of meditation
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8 Swami Chinmayananda, Art of God Symbolism (Mumbai: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 1987).

 
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