ORIGIN OF THE MYSTICAL SOUND A U M by Peter Gauthier In his book, Creative Mythology, The Masks of God, Joseph Campbell devotes a section to Symbolization in which he discusses the four elements of the mystic syllable AUM. He quotes from the Indian Mandukya Upanishad as follows: AUM, the text begins: This imperishable sound is the whole of this visible universe. Its explanation is as follows. What has become, what is becoming, what will become-verily, all of this is the sound AUM. And what is beyond these three states of the world of time-that too, is the sound AUM. Joseph Campbell then goes on to define AUM according to the Upanishad. A denotes Waking Consciousness and its world ( what has become ). U indicates the Dream Consciousness and its world (what is becoming ). M is the Deep Dreamless Sleep, the unconscious state (what will become ). The fourth element - The Silence before, after, and around AUM denotes that absolute, unqualified, unconditioned state-that-is- no-state of consciousness in itself. ( 1 ) In a PBS special aired some time ago, Bill Moyers interviewed Joseph Campbell, and in one segment Campbell introduced the AUM concept, and then narrated some film clips of Tibetan monks chanting AUM in a naturally orchestrated concert. The sound comes through deep and resonating, Ahhh Uuuu Mmmm. . . . Ahhh Uuuu Mmm, with the accent on the last syllable . . . . Uuuummm ( 2 ). This article suggests that perhaps the original source of the syllable AUM was a natural response of early man to an environmental threat; that the sound came first and the mythological reasoning came later.

The sound made by the concert of monks is strongly reminiscent of another, more atavistic one; that of the adult male tiger that roamed the primeval forest at night voicing his territorial claim as well as instilling terror in all those who were subject to his despotism. This then was the sound of the night that could have so terrorized early man: Ahhh Uuuu Mmmm. . . To properly appraise the tigers sound and compare it to the sound of the chanting monks, the reader is referred to a National Geographic Society Special entitled Land of the Tiger , narrated by Richard Kiley. ( 3 ) The tiger more clearly enunciates the AU part of the AUM syllable, whereas the monks stress the UM part. But there are striking similarities between the two sounds, and the human sound could have been modified in time. By recording Campbells voice of the sound AUM, followed immediately by the sound of the tigers AUM, the sounds are eerily similar, and it does give one pause.

It is easy to imagine, therefore, how early man would respond to this constant threat. In time he began to emulate AUM and to fill the night with his own cries, and thus perhaps take on some of the attributes of AUM himself. In time man learned that only the tribe acting in concert could match the decibel level and the intensity of AUM. So the practice was born of men gathering in a ritual of the night, one designed to bolster failing courage as they gained strength from one another and from the sound of Ahhh...Uuuu...Mmmm. References: 1. Campbell, Joseph. Creative Mythology-The Masks of God (p647) Penguin Books 40 W 23d St. NY NY 10010 2. Campbell, Joseph - The Power of Myth with Bill Moyer Program 6. Masks of Eternity. Mystic Fire Video Inc. P.O. Box 30969 NY, NY 10011 3. National Geographic- The Land of the Tiger Narrated by Richard Kiley ( 1985 ) National Geographic Society 17thM St. NW, Wash. D.C. 20036 National Geographic Video - Vestron Video 60 Long Ridge Rd., POB 4000, Stamford, Ct. 06907 Authors note: As a naturalist I believe that mans behavior is molded and altered by his natural environment. This is not a denial of spiritual (supernatural ) forces as they may manifest themselves in human affairs and in social evolution. As far as this article is concerned one may hold for a purely secular account of nature, or one may opt to believe in a world of divine intervention where the Almighty would use one of his creatures ( the tiger ) to influence the behavior of another ( man ). In either case the point of the article seems plausible and therefore worthy of debate. Peter Gauthier 1989 AD