XV

Yama replied: That goal which all the Vedas glorify, which all
austerities proclaim, desiring which (people) practice
Brahmacharya (a life of continence and service), that goal I tell
thee briefly--it is Aum.

What name can man give to God? How can the Infinite be bound by any finite
word? All that language can express must be finite, since it is itself
finite. Yet it is very difficult for mortals to think or speak of anything
without calling it by a definite name. Knowing this, the Sages gave to the
Supreme the name A-U-M which stands as the root of all language. The first
letter "A" is the mother-sound, being the natural sound uttered by every
creature when the throat is opened, and no sound can be made without opening
the throat. The last letter "M," spoken by closing the lips, terminates all
articulation. As one carries the sound from the throat to the lips, it passes
through the sound "U." These three sounds therefore cover the whole field of
possible articulate sound. Their combination is called the Akshara or the
imperishable word, the Sound-Brahman or the Word

God, because it is the most universal name which can be given to the Supreme.
Hence it must be the word which was "in the beginning" and corresponds to the
Logos of Christian theology. It is because of the all-embracing significance
of this name that it is used so universally in the Vedic Scriptures to
designate the Absolute.


XVI

This Word is indeed Brahman. This Word is indeed the Supreme.