Aum

Aum

Aum is regarded as the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, being the sound which represents God and which brought the world into existence. It can be broken up into three distinct and separate elements which represent the three aspects of Brahman, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It may also be pronounced AOUM and as such may represent such four-fold divisions in Hinduism as the four aspects of time - past, present, future, eternity - or the four aspects of life - birth, life, death and moksha, escape from the cycle of life It is often used as a symbol for Hinduism and may be found at the beginning of books or at the top of papers. It may be uttered before prayers and is recited as an aid to worship and meditation. It is also used during certain ceremonies, e.g. when a baby is born the Aum syllable is drawn in honey on the baby's tongue.