Verses 42–51 · Contemplation (Nididhyasana)
Verse 50 — The Method: Merging A into U into M
How to chant Om and resolve the layers in order.
The a-sound in Aum represents the visva-jiva (waker) expressing in a thousand ways, with its cosmic form as Virat — merge it into the u-sound, representing the taijasa-jiva (dreamer) with its cosmic form as Hiranyagarbha. Then merge the u-sound, the second letter, into the m-sound, the last of the three sounds that make up Aum. [Verse 50]
Verse 49 gave the map; Verse 50 gives the actual technique — how to chant Om so that the universe resolves step by step.
Chant a long Om
Chant Om long and slowly (dirgha pranava), letting the sound gradually fade: the A sound naturally flows into the U sound, and the U into the M. (A note of caution the tradition adds with a smile: chant it only as long as your breath allows — otherwise it would be liberation on the spot!)
flowchart LR
A["A (अ)<br/>Gross / Virat"] --> U["U (उ)<br/>Subtle / Hiranyagarbha"]
U --> M["M (म)<br/>Causal / Ishvara"]
M --> S[Silence<br/>Turiya]Two levels of resolution happening at once
As the sound merges, understand that both the name and the object it names are resolving:
| Name-vision (Nama Drishti) | Form-vision (Rupa Drishti) |
|---|---|
| A → U → M (word level) | Gross → subtle → causal (substance level) |
| "The word 'pot' dissolves into the word 'clay'" | "The pot-substance dissolves into clay-substance" |
So as the physical sound of Om fades, visualise the entire gross universe (and its names) resolving into the subtle, and the subtle into the causal.
Key idea. Om is a single "capsule" holding every name at all three levels; each name corresponds to a form. Chanting the fading Om is therefore a guided dissolution of the whole of name-and-form — carrying the meditator from the noise of the world toward the silence of pure being.
When the M finally ends, there is silence — and that silence is the doorway to the Self. Verse 51 completes the practice by resolving even the causal layer into pure consciousness, and reveals what that final silence truly is.