What does the greeting "Hari Om" mean?
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Kamal Kothari
Jun 14, 2014, 12:19:35 AM6/14/14
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Hari Om
We often use "Hari Om" as a greeting. But I didnt know the precise meaning of this until I saw a Ques by Karishma Ramphul on the SP ji Group on FB asking for someone to explain its significance.
This was beautifully answered by Prashant Parikh and I have copied that and sharing it here :
QUOTE
"Karishma ji, this is a great question you ask. Grammatically hari om is incorrect, it requires a visarga and becomes hariH om... hari and om are both nouns, two nouns put together don't hold much meaning, but hariH becomes an invocation for this Om.
Om is not the cosmic vibration btw, Om is brahman... I'm giving the verbatim explanation of pujya swāmiji here:
EXPLANATION OF 'OM' from Pūjya Swāmi Dayānanda ji's (Ārsha Vidyā Gurukulam) commentary on the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma along with Śankara Bhāśya
____________________
Pūjya Swāmiji: The Viśṇu-sahasranāma begins with Ōm. It is an integral part of the sahasranāma. Ōm is a word, which is mangala-sūchaka, indicative of an auspicious beginning.
It is also abhidhāna, the name of Brahman, for both the saguṇa and nirguṇa aspect, for both the vastu and parameśvara. The Lord is one and Ōm is also a single syllable word. The word Ōm is derived from the verbal root 'ava rakṣaṇe' with the meaning of protecting. Avati rakṣati iti Ōm. Therefore, Ōm means that which protects. As Parameśvara, as Brahma along with the māyā-śakti, He sustains the world. Therefore, He is the source of protection and also the source of blessing. As paramātmā, Brahman blesses by satta-sphūrti-pradāna, by lending existece and consciousness to everything.
It is the material cause that sustains the effect. Clay is the material cause of the pot. The pot has come from clay and when it is broken, destroyed, it goes back to clay. Even while it is a pot, it is nothing but clay. The pot cannot stand apart from the clay. The weight, consistency, and color of the pot belong only to the clay. Minus the clay,the pot has no separate existence. Therefore, the pot is sustained by the clay, the material cause. The pot need not be destroyed to know that it is clay.
The clay can be further reduced into something and finally into particles. Particles are mere concepts, and they exist as objects of understanding. Any object of knowledge, be it perceptual, inferential or presumptuous; be it the pot or clay or particle, is nothing but consciousness. As the pot can be reduced to clay, so too, every object can be reduced into something else, without which it cannot exist. Anything that can be reduced to something else, is but a word that is centered on the tongue.
That into which everything can be reduced is the ultimate reality, and that alone sustains everything. As Ōm is the name of Brahman, everything comes from Ōm, is sustained by Ōm and goes back to Ōm. Therefore, it is Ōm that sustains and protects everything.
The Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad says, 'what was before, what will ever be, and what is now, all these are Ōm. That which is beyond time, is also Om'. That, which is beyond time, which sustains time, and is not bound by time, is consciousness, which is the meaning of 'now'. In 'now', there is no length of time, but just consciousness. That consciousness, which sustains time and the concept of time, but itself is free of time, that is, timeless, is the implied meaning of Ōm.
Again, Ōm is a word, and therefore, it is a pratīka or a sound symbol for Īśvara. Though it can be written, it is not a pratimā, a form symbol. How does it become a symbol for the Lord? We see that on the flag of a country, the will of the people, the constitution of the country, is deliberately superimposed, loaded. Deliberate superimposition on something else makes it a symbol for what is superimposd. Therefore, the flag symbolizes the country and respect shown to the flat is the respect shown to that country. Similarly, on the word Om, there is a deliberate superimposition of Īśhvara and therefore it becomes a word symbol. The names that we give to people are also sound symbols, standing for the person. So Ōm is a sound symbol, which is loaded with meaning.
'A' 'U' 'M', that is akāra, ukāra and makāra- are the component letters of Ōm. Akāra stands for the Lord as the entire sthūla prapañca, the physical world.Ukāra stands for the Lord as the sūkṣma prapañca, the subtle world which includes the thought world, knowledge, perception and the prāṇās, Makāra stands for the unmanifest world. The physical universe is sustained by the subtle universe, and both of them are represented by 'A' plus 'U', that is phonetically as 'O'.As 'O' resolves into 'M', the physical and subtle universe resolves into the unmanifest. Again 'O' comes from 'M', from the unmanifest, the gross and subtle universe emerges. The unmanifest becomes manifest and anything manifest will again go back into the unmanifest. It is similar to our sleep, where everything resolves and on waking, it manifests again. It is similar to the tree, which is in a manifest condition, and the seed where the whole tree is in an unmanifest condition. The waker and the dreamer are manifest ad the sleeper is unmanifest. This is a cycle, which repeats itself.
In the manifest state, it is the adhiṣṭhāna-brahma with māyā in the kārya state and in the unmanifest state it is adhiṣṭhāna-brahma with māyā in the kāraṇa state. But it has to be pointed out as something that is neither the cause nor the effect and that is pointed out by the amātra, the silence after the makāra. That is the pure nirguṇa-chaitanya, the adhiṣṭhāna of everything. Thus Ōṁkāra is everything.
Further, Ōm is a word symbol, which is loaded with meaning. Phonetically, 'A' is the basic sound that is produced by human being anywhere in the world, when he tries to make a sound by openig the mouth. In most languages 'A' is also the first letter of the alphabet. When a sound is produced by closing the mouth, what comes out is the sound 'M'. In between, when there is a rounding off of the mouth, the sound 'U' is produced.Since everything is the Lord, all names in all languages and in all dialects are the names of the Lord, and the names are nothing but the Lord.
Now, what can be the best name for the Lord, a name that would include everything? All objects are but names and all names are words. Words, being made of letters, are nothing but letters, and letters are sounds. Since sounds are produced by opening and closing the mouth, all sounds are phonetically between A' and 'M'. The Lord being everything, his name should include every name. The letter 'U' is inserted in between to indicate all sounds in between. No sound can be made after closing the mouth. No sound can be made before opening the mouth. Thus, Ōm that is made of the letters 'A', 'U', and 'M' includes, phonetically all sounds and therefore, all letters and all words of all languages and dialects. Therefore, it becomes a word which indicates all objects. In this way, Ōm becomes the name of Īśhvara, the Lord.
I fact, all these thousand names of the Lord are only the elaboration of Ōm and the names can again be collapsed into Ōm. It has been said that Ōm is everything. What is everything? That is indicated by the word 'Viśvam' which it is followed by in the sahasranāma.
_________
And that is why we invoke Ōm in all our greetings. Hariḥ Ōm!"
UNQUOTE
Hope you find this useful.
Pranaam
We often use "Hari Om" as a greeting. But I didnt know the precise meaning of this until I saw a Ques by Karishma Ramphul on the SP ji Group on FB asking for someone to explain its significance.
This was beautifully answered by Prashant Parikh and I have copied that and sharing it here :
QUOTE
"Karishma ji, this is a great question you ask. Grammatically hari om is incorrect, it requires a visarga and becomes hariH om... hari and om are both nouns, two nouns put together don't hold much meaning, but hariH becomes an invocation for this Om.
Om is not the cosmic vibration btw, Om is brahman... I'm giving the verbatim explanation of pujya swāmiji here:
EXPLANATION OF 'OM' from Pūjya Swāmi Dayānanda ji's (Ārsha Vidyā Gurukulam) commentary on the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma along with Śankara Bhāśya
____________________
Pūjya Swāmiji: The Viśṇu-sahasranāma begins with Ōm. It is an integral part of the sahasranāma. Ōm is a word, which is mangala-sūchaka, indicative of an auspicious beginning.
It is also abhidhāna, the name of Brahman, for both the saguṇa and nirguṇa aspect, for both the vastu and parameśvara. The Lord is one and Ōm is also a single syllable word. The word Ōm is derived from the verbal root 'ava rakṣaṇe' with the meaning of protecting. Avati rakṣati iti Ōm. Therefore, Ōm means that which protects. As Parameśvara, as Brahma along with the māyā-śakti, He sustains the world. Therefore, He is the source of protection and also the source of blessing. As paramātmā, Brahman blesses by satta-sphūrti-pradāna, by lending existece and consciousness to everything.
It is the material cause that sustains the effect. Clay is the material cause of the pot. The pot has come from clay and when it is broken, destroyed, it goes back to clay. Even while it is a pot, it is nothing but clay. The pot cannot stand apart from the clay. The weight, consistency, and color of the pot belong only to the clay. Minus the clay,the pot has no separate existence. Therefore, the pot is sustained by the clay, the material cause. The pot need not be destroyed to know that it is clay.
The clay can be further reduced into something and finally into particles. Particles are mere concepts, and they exist as objects of understanding. Any object of knowledge, be it perceptual, inferential or presumptuous; be it the pot or clay or particle, is nothing but consciousness. As the pot can be reduced to clay, so too, every object can be reduced into something else, without which it cannot exist. Anything that can be reduced to something else, is but a word that is centered on the tongue.
That into which everything can be reduced is the ultimate reality, and that alone sustains everything. As Ōm is the name of Brahman, everything comes from Ōm, is sustained by Ōm and goes back to Ōm. Therefore, it is Ōm that sustains and protects everything.
The Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad says, 'what was before, what will ever be, and what is now, all these are Ōm. That which is beyond time, is also Om'. That, which is beyond time, which sustains time, and is not bound by time, is consciousness, which is the meaning of 'now'. In 'now', there is no length of time, but just consciousness. That consciousness, which sustains time and the concept of time, but itself is free of time, that is, timeless, is the implied meaning of Ōm.
Again, Ōm is a word, and therefore, it is a pratīka or a sound symbol for Īśvara. Though it can be written, it is not a pratimā, a form symbol. How does it become a symbol for the Lord? We see that on the flag of a country, the will of the people, the constitution of the country, is deliberately superimposed, loaded. Deliberate superimposition on something else makes it a symbol for what is superimposd. Therefore, the flag symbolizes the country and respect shown to the flat is the respect shown to that country. Similarly, on the word Om, there is a deliberate superimposition of Īśhvara and therefore it becomes a word symbol. The names that we give to people are also sound symbols, standing for the person. So Ōm is a sound symbol, which is loaded with meaning.
'A' 'U' 'M', that is akāra, ukāra and makāra- are the component letters of Ōm. Akāra stands for the Lord as the entire sthūla prapañca, the physical world.Ukāra stands for the Lord as the sūkṣma prapañca, the subtle world which includes the thought world, knowledge, perception and the prāṇās, Makāra stands for the unmanifest world. The physical universe is sustained by the subtle universe, and both of them are represented by 'A' plus 'U', that is phonetically as 'O'.As 'O' resolves into 'M', the physical and subtle universe resolves into the unmanifest. Again 'O' comes from 'M', from the unmanifest, the gross and subtle universe emerges. The unmanifest becomes manifest and anything manifest will again go back into the unmanifest. It is similar to our sleep, where everything resolves and on waking, it manifests again. It is similar to the tree, which is in a manifest condition, and the seed where the whole tree is in an unmanifest condition. The waker and the dreamer are manifest ad the sleeper is unmanifest. This is a cycle, which repeats itself.
In the manifest state, it is the adhiṣṭhāna-brahma with māyā in the kārya state and in the unmanifest state it is adhiṣṭhāna-brahma with māyā in the kāraṇa state. But it has to be pointed out as something that is neither the cause nor the effect and that is pointed out by the amātra, the silence after the makāra. That is the pure nirguṇa-chaitanya, the adhiṣṭhāna of everything. Thus Ōṁkāra is everything.
Further, Ōm is a word symbol, which is loaded with meaning. Phonetically, 'A' is the basic sound that is produced by human being anywhere in the world, when he tries to make a sound by openig the mouth. In most languages 'A' is also the first letter of the alphabet. When a sound is produced by closing the mouth, what comes out is the sound 'M'. In between, when there is a rounding off of the mouth, the sound 'U' is produced.Since everything is the Lord, all names in all languages and in all dialects are the names of the Lord, and the names are nothing but the Lord.
Now, what can be the best name for the Lord, a name that would include everything? All objects are but names and all names are words. Words, being made of letters, are nothing but letters, and letters are sounds. Since sounds are produced by opening and closing the mouth, all sounds are phonetically between A' and 'M'. The Lord being everything, his name should include every name. The letter 'U' is inserted in between to indicate all sounds in between. No sound can be made after closing the mouth. No sound can be made before opening the mouth. Thus, Ōm that is made of the letters 'A', 'U', and 'M' includes, phonetically all sounds and therefore, all letters and all words of all languages and dialects. Therefore, it becomes a word which indicates all objects. In this way, Ōm becomes the name of Īśhvara, the Lord.
I fact, all these thousand names of the Lord are only the elaboration of Ōm and the names can again be collapsed into Ōm. It has been said that Ōm is everything. What is everything? That is indicated by the word 'Viśvam' which it is followed by in the sahasranāma.
_________
And that is why we invoke Ōm in all our greetings. Hariḥ Ōm!"
UNQUOTE
Hope you find this useful.
Pranaam
Prashant Parikh
Jun 14, 2014, 9:18:38 AM6/14/14
to dharmika...@googlegroups.com
Hariḥ om,
Thanks for posting this, Kamal ji :) 'hari om' has crept in as the wrong pronunciation over time. If we listen to the talks of our AVG Āchāryas, they always begin and close their lectures with an invocation such as: Hariḥ Om Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ Hariḥ Om... here, the hariḥ is pronounced as harihi (ḥ visarga takes the sound of the preceding vowel, for example the 'h' in namaḥ becomes 'ha' and is pronounced namaha... same as in purushaha. So 'hari om' is incorrect, and depending on the transliteration scheme you use, one can say:
1) harihi om (without any transliteration scheme) or
2) hariḥ om (notice the tiny dot under the 'ḥ'? This is a visarga. Here I am using the IAST scheme
Thanks for posting this, Kamal ji :) 'hari om' has crept in as the wrong pronunciation over time. If we listen to the talks of our AVG Āchāryas, they always begin and close their lectures with an invocation such as: Hariḥ Om Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ Hariḥ Om... here, the hariḥ is pronounced as harihi (ḥ visarga takes the sound of the preceding vowel, for example the 'h' in namaḥ becomes 'ha' and is pronounced namaha... same as in purushaha. So 'hari om' is incorrect, and depending on the transliteration scheme you use, one can say:
1) harihi om (without any transliteration scheme) or
2) hariḥ om (notice the tiny dot under the 'ḥ'? This is a visarga. Here I am using the IAST scheme
3) hariH Om (here I am using the ITRANS for those who don't have a keyboard layout that supports IAST)
so each of these above 3 are more valid than 'hari om'. The best one to use, and considered most professional is the IAST. ITRANS comes a close second. Most of the books we see with diacritical marks for transliterated words use the IAST format which is internationally accepted, and also preserves the pronunciations very well
I will create a separate topic discussing the IAST scheme in greater detail and sending out the software pack to install the keyboard. It takes less than 2 minutes to set it up, and maybe 5 minutes or so to get a hang of it.
Hariḥ om :)
I will create a separate topic discussing the IAST scheme in greater detail and sending out the software pack to install the keyboard. It takes less than 2 minutes to set it up, and maybe 5 minutes or so to get a hang of it.
Hariḥ om :)
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Kamal Kothari
Jun 14, 2014, 9:58:39 PM6/14/14
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Harih Om
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Thanks Prashant, I would like to try the Sanskrit typing. Pls send link.
Pranaam
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"I am the nature of Pure Consciousness. I am always the same to beings, one alone; I am the highest Brahman, which, like the sky, is all-pervading, imperishable, auspicious, uninterrupted, undivided and devoid of action. I do not belong to anything since I am free from attachment. I am the highest Brahman... ever-shining, unborn, one alone, imperishable, stainless, all-pervading, and nondual-That am I, and I am forever released."
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