clipped from www.greatdreams.com

The most sacred syllable, the first sound of the Almighty - the sound from which emerges each and every other sound, whether of music or of language.

In the Upanishads this sacred syllable appears as a mystic sound, regarded by scriptures as the very basis of every other sacred mantra (hymn). It is the sound not only of origination but also of dissolution. The past, present and future are all included in this one sound and even all that transcends this configuration of time is also implied in OM.

According to Taitreya Upanishad the origin of language is assigned to Prajapati, from whose meditation on the three words arose the three Vedas and from his meditation arose the three syllables, bhoor, bhuva and suah, which represent earth, atmosphere and sky. From his meditation on these three originated the divine syllable of OM, which coordinated all speech and represented the totality of the world. The syllable OM also represents the trimurti (triad) of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.