Gurudev, what is Om? Who started Om?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Om is the essence of creation, like the seed of a tree.
In the seed, the whole tree is there, right? You sow a mango seed and the whole mango tree comes. This is the reason why mantras are called bij mantra (bij means seed). Om is the param bij mantra, that is, bij mantra of all the bij mantras (param means supreme). Om is the word that has been with creation from the very beginning, or from beginningless time.
In the seed, the whole tree is there, right? You sow a mango seed and the whole mango tree comes. This is the reason why mantras are called bij mantra (bij means seed). Om is the param bij mantra, that is, bij mantra of all the bij mantras (param means supreme). Om is the word that has been with creation from the very beginning, or from beginningless time.
