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Mmm, the humming sound of a bee, is the Pranava mantra. This is the sound of our Pranan or breathing. That's why it is called Pranava - the sound of breathing.

Why is this fact not preached?

Often when Srimad Bhagwad gita is preached, the below line is explained as

"pranavah sarva-vedesu"== the syllable OM in the Vedic mantras

instead it actually means "the sound Mmm in the vedic mantra".***

Most importantly, sound is not even Om, it's AUM...., instead of simply Om!.

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The Om sound is obviously not just "mmm" sound. Otherwise it wouldn't be written as "Om", would it?

And your confusion between "Aum" and "Om" is not really warranted. It's just Sanskrit sandhi.

A + U = O

So the separate sounds A, U and M combine to form OM.

Mandukya Upanishad 1:

ओमित्येकाक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव । यच्चान्यत्त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ।

The single syllable Om is all this. Its explanation is that it is the past, present and future, all that is Om. Whatever is beyond the three phases of time, that is also Om.

Mandukya Upanishad 8:

सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ।

This Atman is explained in regards to syllables as Om. In regards to the individual sounds (mātrā), the sounds correspond to the modes or phases of Atman. The sounds are A, U and M.

Mandukya Upanishad 9, 10, 11, 12:

जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्रा...

The waking state named "Vaishvanara" is the first sound 'A'

स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारः द्वितीया मात्रा ...

The dreaming state named "Taijasa" is the second sound 'U'

सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा ...

The deep sleep state named "Prājña" is the third sound 'M'

अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः ...

The fourth is without any sound because it is not expressible.

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  • Thanks for the detailed explanation. A doubt actually, whenever in temples, etc or even while writing before any God eg:**ॐ नमः शिवाय** people write it AUM in devanagari script ॐ, it's never ever ओम, because ॐ denotes the sound(naad), and never worded as ओम like we put it in English. ॐ should have three energies as it's considered the root pranav representative of Brahmaji, Hari, Mahesh or Trinity God's. Even if I want to chant, properly it's referred as 'AUM' in mind basically to feel the proper vibrations of the swar. Title of Wikipedia for ॐ: "मंत्रों का अधिपति "ओउ्म्" का स्वरूप"
    – Saurabh T Jain
    Aug 19, 2020 at 6:43
  • And a, u are vowel sounds different from o as well in English, so actually, it's translated though it shouldn't be considered A+U=O because it will delude the one who is chanting ॐ, but ends up chanting ओम, so the benefits aren't as it is then. It's my opinion/suggestion for writers as such to translate the root mantras with proper vibrational wordings to create musical effect too whenerever such root sound/mantras are being referred to, so that those unaware of vedas too can benefit from those writings, because while reading too, sound is created in the mind subconsciously, it's natural like
    – Saurabh T Jain
    Aug 19, 2020 at 6:53
  • @SaurabhTJain "people write it AUM in devanagari script ॐ" - that is a stylized representation. I have quoted the Upanishad text above, where ओम् occurs in all the places. You can check other Upanishads as well. It is phonetically and grammatically just ओम्.
    – RamAbloh
    Aug 19, 2020 at 14:38
  • @SaurabhTJain My suggestion is to gain an authentic understanding instead of folk understanding. Please go through Taittiriya Upanishad (vedicheritage.gov.in/flipbook/Taittiriyopanishad/#book/19) and carefully observe all the places where Om occurs, and see the Devanagari script as well. The original text has ओम्, and even where the stylized ॐ occurs, it is transliterated as Om. Also pay close attention to chapter 1 section 8, where it talks only of Om.
    – RamAbloh
    Aug 19, 2020 at 14:46
  • In modern times, both AUM and OM are authentic- with time and varied explanations of "root Pranava", the actual sound AUM came to be written down as simply OM. themodernvedic.com/logical-atheist/om-aum Below link is based on scriptures, reveals chanting AUM = ॐ- also terms 'Om' for reference as it's famous today: bhaktikishakti.com/2018/06/blog-post_68.html?m=1 My suggestion: believe in Bhagwad gita: In the Chapter 17, verse 23,24,etc: SRI KRISHNA spoke everywhere sound AUM , therefore rightly ॐ is mentioned, nothing anywhere in Bhagwad Gita ओम/ओम् has been written
    – Saurabh T Jain
    Aug 19, 2020 at 15:33

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