9. The Final Om अन्त्योमार्थ । Dr. Rájendra Lála Mitra has in one of his works pointed out the Vedic Om, to correspond with the Hebrew “Amen,” and this will be found so true of the final Om of Brahmanical prayers, that its corresponding word Amin invariably forms the last word of every prayer in Arabic, Persian and all other Mahomedan and Semitic languages. Thus it is to be seen how intimately are both of these grand families of mankind connected with each other in the main point of their different creeds.
VI. Lexical Meanings of Om.
Adverbial Meanings. आभिधानिक निपातनार्थः । After the etymological and philological interpretations that we have been given of the word Om, it is worthwhileto attend to its meanings given in the current lexicons for the information of the majority, with whom the evidence of the history of philology is of little weight and value. Táranáth’s Sanskrit dictionary (वाचस्पत्याभिधान) presents us with following adverbial meanings of the word.
1. An Inceptive Particle. आरम्भार्थकः । The Medinikosha says he, expounds it as an inchoative particle (आरम्भार्थक शब्द) to mean the beginning of a thing (उपक्रम), and we find it accordingly used in the form of a proemial monogram at the exordium of a book or Vedic hymn, sacred rite or lecture, in the Sanhitas, Bráhmanas and Upanishads according to the passage quoted by Táránátha in his dictionary; तस्मादोमित्युदाहृत्य कृता बेदवादिनाम । यज्ञाद्याक्रिया शास्त्रोक्ताः सततं सम्प्रबर्त्तिते ॥ It answers the अथ of the Purána and the words now and then in English as in the passage of the Kathavalli; ॐ उशन् हवै बाजश्रबस इत्यादि ।
It is synonymous with beginning (आदि) in the Ch’hándogya Upanishad, whereupon the poet has well said. आसीत् महीक्षितामाद्यः प्रणवश्छन्दसा मिब । रघुवंशः । १ सर्गः ।
2. Illustrations of Ditto तदुदाहरणानि । Krishna (under the conception of the identity of his soul with that of the Divine), speaks of himself in the Bhágavadgítá that, he was the letter a of the alphabet, and the Om of words (वर्णानामकारोऽहं शब्दानाञ्चोङ्कारः). This is shown in the latest English translation of the work to be a doctrine derived from Christianity and corresponds with the passage “I am Alpha &c.” in the book of Revelations (Ch. I. V. 8). There is a similar passage in the Koran which says “He (God) is the first; Ho al awl corresponding with the Greek” Ho esten arche; and this passage and sometimes its initial Ὁ (Gr.) and our ॐ, is used by Moslems at the top and commencement of their books and other writings. Again like Alpha of the holy Scripture we find the use of Alif upon the head of all writings in Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Hebrew in daily practice. Hence it is hard to say who is the borrower, though every one will boast itself to be the lender. (Vide Weber’s paper on the Rám Tap Up. pp. 276, and 360).
3. An Initiatory Particle मङ्गलार्थ । The Kosha adds the sense of auspiciousness and prosperity (मङ्गलेशुभे) to the above, and this as we have already observed forms like the names of gods, the initiatory vocable of meritorious undertakings (आदाबोम शब्दः माङ्गलिकः). “Om” says the Ch’hándogya, “is also prosperity” (I, 8.) To this the scholiast Sankara says; “the letter Om is called prosperity, because it is possessed of the property and attribute of prosperity. The prosperous alone can pass the word Om” (Chh. up. Ch. 1, p. 8).
Its use is not confined to the sacred and antiquated language of Vedic writing and the liturgy, but is to be met with in the classic Sanskrit of ancient bards and modern poets. Thus we have in the Rámáyana of our author (रामायण ५ । ८१ । ११ । प्राज्यस्वर्विजयोङ्कारश्चक्रे). In this sense we discover a curious affinity of the Aryan Om with the Semitic Áman Amán and Aiman, as in the Persian phrase Aiman buád corresponding with ॐ or शुभं भूयात् ।
4. Gratulatory, Particle नमस्कारार्थः । The word has been rendered in our translation by the salutatory term “Hail”, from a supposed similarity of its meaning with that of namo नमस् which is used by women and Súdras in lieu of the sacred Om in their salutations to gods and superior beings, owing to the denunciation pronounced upon their utterance of the sacred syllable (स्त्रीशूद्रयोः प्रणवं नेच्छन्ति). We find its use in the same sense in Dr. Roer’s Translation of the Aitareya Upanishad, where it is rendered by “salutation to the Supreme Soul” and by “adoration” in Cowell’s version of the Maitrí Upanishad. We are however at a loss of authority to warrant our adoption of namo as a synonym of Om. We meet with instances of the use of Om and namo together to mean salutation, as, ॐन्नमः शिबाय and शिबायोँ न्नमः in the Mugdhabodha, where namo, expresses obeisance and governs शिबाय in the dative, and not Om which has no governing power.
5. Invocatory particle सम्बोधनार्थ । Om in the sense of invocation is an absolute monoptot like भोः, भगो, अघो, अहो &c., without the power of governing the following word, as ॐ नारायणा, and its double use as ॐ हरिः ॐ in the Aitareya Upanishad (1); so भो रक्ष, भगोरक्ष in the Mugdhabodha; but नमो and its synonyms स्वाहा, स्वाघा, बषट्, श्रौषट govern the dative as नमो हरये, स्वाहाग्नये, स्वघा पित्रे, &c. The invocatory Om is synonymous with the interjections O, ओ, अहो, हो and all other single vowels whether nasal or not (सानुनासिकनिरणुनासिकाः), all of which are ungoverning particles in this sense.