Mandukya Upanishad

Complete Text • Verse 1

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Verse 1.1Famous

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ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव । यच्चान्यत्त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥

oṁ ity etad akṣaram idaṁ sarvaṁ tasyopavyākhyānaṁ bhūtaṁ bhavad bhaviṣyad iti sarvam oṅkāra eva | yac cānyat trikālātītaṁ tad apy oṅkāra eva ||

"OM, this syllable is all this. All that is past, present, and future is truly OM. And whatever transcends the three times, that too is OM."

What This Means:

The sacred syllable OM represents everything that exists, past, present, and future. Even what lies beyond time is OM. This single sound contains the entire universe.

Going Deeper:

The Upanishad begins with a sweeping declaration: OM is not just a mantra or symbol, it IS reality itself. Akṣara means both "syllable" and "imperishable." The sound OM and the imperishable Brahman are one. Everything that exists in time, and even the timeless itself, is contained in this sound.

How To Apply This:

When you chant OM, you're not merely making a sound, you're invoking the totality of existence. Let this understanding transform a routine chant into a profound meditation on the nature of reality itself.

Key Sanskrit Terms:

Oṁkāra= The syllable OM, the sacred soundAkṣara= Syllable; also means imperishableTrikāla= The three times: past, present, futureAtīta= Beyond, transcending

#om#totality#time#transcendence

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12 verses of the Mandukya Upanishad