易只 There is only change

"There is no beginning, there is no end,

There is only change.

There is no teacher, there is no student,

There is only remembering.

There is no good, there is no evil,

There is only expression.

There is no union, there is no sharing,

There is only one.

There is no joy, there is no sadness,

There is only love.

There is no greater, there is no lesser, 

There is only balance.

There is no stasis, there is no entropy,

There is only motion.

There is no wakefulness, there is no sleep,

There is only being.

There is no limit, there is no chance,

There is only a plan. "

―  Robert Allan Monroe, Ultimate Journey, December 1st, 1994

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes

Love is all around me and so the feeling grows

It's written on the wind, it's everywhere I go

So if you really love me, come on and let it show

You know I love you, I always will

My mind's made up by the way that I feel

There's no beginning, there'll be no end

'Cause on my love you can depend"

―  The Troggs, Album: Love Is All Around (1967, Writer: Reg Presley)

"And in the end the love you take
Is equal to the love you make"

―  "The End" by the Beatles, Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) for the album Abbey Road.

"End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take."

― J.R.R. Tolkien (The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3))

छिन्नमस्ता यंत्र Chinnamastā, "She whose head is severed" Yantra

छिन्नमस्ता यंत्र Chinnamastā, one of the महाविद्या Mahavidyas, ten goddesses from the esoteric tradition of तंत्र Tantra, and a ferocious aspect of पार्वती Parvati, the हिंदू Hindu Mother goddess.

Buddhist texts recount the birth of the बौद्ध चिन्नामुंडा Buddhist Chinnamunda. One tale tells of कृष्णाचार्य Krishnacharya's disciples, two महासिद्ध Mahasiddha ("great perfected ones") sisters, मेखला Mekhala and कनखला Kanakhala, who cut their heads, offered them to their guru, and then danced. The goddess वज्रयोगिनी Vajrayogini also appeared in this form and danced with them. Another story recalls how the महासिद्ध Mahasiddha princess लक्ष्मींकर Lakshminkara, cut off her head as a punishment from the king and roamed with it in the city, where citizens extolled her as चिन्नामुंडा-वज्रवरही Chinnamunda-Vajravarahi.

Om Symbol - ॐ is the smallest manŧra (मंत्र).

It is also called mūl-manŧra; mūl (मूल) means fundamental and primordial. Some also call it praṇav-manŧra. 'Praṇav' (प्रणव) means strong/powerful.

A shlok (श्‍लोक) is a Sanskṛiŧ verse, typically of two lines. A manŧra is a phrase (or rarely a word) used for meditation and chanting.

Sacred ancient Indian texts like Veđ (वेद), are collections of shlok/s. Some of these shlok/s are used as manŧra/s.

It is a common practice to begin other manŧra/s with Om, like -

  1. 'Om namaḥ Shivāya' - ॐ नमः शिवाय,

  2. 'Om shānŧi(ħ) shānŧi(ħ)' - ओम शांति: शांति:.

Jainism, Buđđhism and Sikhism originated from India after Hinđūism. These religions adopted some of the Hinđū philosophies and practices. These religions have their own forms and understandings of 'Om'.

Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism are together referred to as Đhārmik (धार्मिक, Dharmic) religions. Some followers of Đhārmik religions believe that 'Om' is the ultimate, hyper or super-natural sound!

In देवनागरी ĐevaNāgarī, this word can be written as 'ओम्' or 'ओम'. It is general practice in Hinđī to drop the last 'halant' ('्'). So 'ओम' is generally preferred over 'ओम्'. The spelling 'ओम' is used in literature (mostly as a noun); while the symbol 'ॐ' is used for religious purposes.

The Meaning of Om or Aum

The precise meaning of the word 'Om' is uncertain. It is certainly related to God or Heaven! Twelve verses of Veđ collectively called Māṇdūk`ya Upaniṣhađ (माण्डूक्य उपनिषद) tries to explain this sacred word 'AUm'.

As per the Sanskṛiŧ grammar (Vyākaraṇ; व्याकरण), the vowel 'O' (ओ) is sometimes substituted for two consecutive vowels 'A' (अ) and 'U' (उ); generally, the public too prefer 'Om' instead of 'AUm' (अ-उ-म्)!

Gāyaŧrī Manŧra (गायत्री मंत्र) like many other Veđik shlok/s starts with Om. That is why it might be assumed that Om (ओम) means 'O my (our) Lord' ('हे परमेश्वर').

There is a relation between the words 'Om' and 'Amen'.

The Om symbol - ओंकार

An 'Om symbol' is a sign (glyph, shape) to write (scribe, represent) the 'Om' sound.

'Om symbol' is called 'Oṅkār' (ओंकार=ओङ्कार) or 'Omkār' (ओम्-कार).

The 'Om' sound can be written as 'ओम' in ĐevaNāgarī.

So 'ॐ' is a symbol of the word 'ओम' in ĐevaNāgarī.

People use this sign/symbol for meditation and worship.

Om symbol is drawn mostly as 'ॐ'.

ॐ is the main religious symbol for Hinđū/s and Buđđhists (Bauđđh; बौद्ध).

Sikhs have a derived form called 'एक ओंकार' ('Ek Oṅkār').

In Hinđī and Sanskṛiŧ,

  shape = Ākār (आकार) or Ākṛiti (आकृति)

  glyph = Akṣhar (अ‍क्षर) or Akṣharākṛiti (अ‍क्षराकृति)

  indicate = san'ket (संकेत)

  symbol = san'ket + Akṣhar (संकेत-अक्षर)

  san'ket + Akṣhar = san'ketākṣhar (संकेताक्षर)

  sign = chihn (चिह्न)

In Hinđī 'đharm' means religion (or religious duty). A religious symbol can be called a đhārmik chihn (धार्मिक चिह्न).

ओ३म् (O3m) Đayānanđ Sarasvaŧī (दयानन्द सरस्वती) was the founder of the 'Ārya Samāj'. He used to write 'ओ३म्' instead of 'ओम'. The '३' (ĐevaNāgarī digit 3) between 'O' and 'm' is called 'plūŧ' (प्लूत). Đayānanđ used 'plūŧ' to emphasize the long pronunciation of 'O'. Only members of 'Ārya Samāj' write 'ओ३म्' instead of 'ॐ' so that 'ओ३म' is to be pronounced as OOOm (o..m).

There is no scientific study to prove that the 'ॐ' is better or more powerful than any other symbol or letter for meditation etc. No symbol can bring good luck, wealth or power. The symbol is sometimes misused by greedy preachers.