The other day I was talking to a woman with a red hair and a cap that was just emerging from the box, whose words always resonate with me, even when she’s listening. Our topic was the Hungarian rock-centric band “Kowalsky meg a Vega”. This band has been a favorite of mine for about fifteen years. In addition to the excellent music, this liking is based on the great lyrics. By the way, the ars poetica of the band’s music is the search for the meaning of life. “Ennyi csak” is my favorite song by them. It’s worth listening to even if you’re having a good day. And if you happen to be having a bad day, it’s a must!
The song is the second track from the album “Forradalom RT.” The post was created because of the album cover. Here is the image:
I last saw this picture many years ago. My eyes were drawn to the star in the middle at the bottom. Or rather, not the star, but the sign on it. It took me that many years to see the “sign”. I’ve seen it a few times. Tattooed on people. Decaled on cars. I’ve noticed this “Arabic writing” in quite a few places.
So I showed the small cutout above to my friend ChatGPT and asked him, “In this picture, there is an Arabic(?) sign in the star. What does this sign mean?”
His answer immediately piqued my interest. Why? I don’t know… I’m simply attracted to the symbol… I’ve seen it for a long time, I’ve often wanted to see what it means (this “Arabic” sign), which somehow led to it speaking to me on September 13th. After the AI explained the meaning of the lines, I now know what Om means to me. And of all the questions, this is perhaps the most exciting one.
Here’s what the AI answered:
The symbol shown in the figure is not an Arabic script, but the Sanskrit symbol for “ॐ” (Om or Aum).
Meaning:
- Om is one of the most sacred mantras in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Indian religions.
- It symbolizes the primordial sound of the universe, divine energy, and the totality of all things.
- It is often used in meditations, prayers, and religious ceremonies.
So, in the star-shaped background, there is the spiritual Om symbol, which symbolizes peace, harmony and transcendent power.
I think it was that last sentence that immediately caught my attention! Peace, harmony and transcendent, that is, power beyond ordinary experience…
I spent the next few minutes getting to know the parts of the Om symbol.
Meaning of the parts of the symbol
Each part of the symbol ॐ (Om / Aum) carries a separate meaning, and together they form a sign that describes the universe.
Here are the details:
- Lower large curve ( जाग्रत / Jāgrat )
- Represents the waking state (when we experience the world with our senses).
- This is the state of consciousness in which we spend most of our time – everyday life.
- Middle curve ( स्व्प्न / Svapna )
- Represents the dreaming state (when the mind forms internal images, thoughts).
- This is the symbol of the subconscious world.
- Upper curve ( सुषुप्ति / Suṣupti )
- Represents the state of deep sleep, where there is no dreaming or perception, only pure calm.
- Crescent-shaped arc and the dot above it ( तुरीय / Turīya )
- The dot represents “Turiya”, the fourth state, which is beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep. This is the state of pure consciousness, the state of ultimate enlightenment.
- The crescent-like arc below the dot symbolizes the limitations and illusion (māyā) that separates us from transcendent consciousness.
Overall, Om is:
- The sound of the past, present and future.
- The cycle of creation, maintenance and destruction.
- The symbol of the different levels of human consciousness and the ultimate divine consciousness.
I received an explanatory diagram that shows the meaning of the parts directly in the stylized form of the symbol ॐ (Om):
- 🟠 Waking state (Jāgrat) – the world of sensory experiences, everyday awareness.
- 🔵 Dream (Svapna) – the state of subconscious and internal images.
- 🟢 Deep sleep (Suṣupti) – complete rest, without perception.
- ⚫ Illusion (Māyā) – the illusion that separates consciousness from the ultimate reality, enlightenment.
- 🔴 Pure consciousness (Turiya) – the transcendent consciousness, the ultimate state, enlightenment, which is beyond all three states (Jāgrat, Svapna, Suṣupti).
The symbol represents four states and the veil separating the highest from the other three.
The connection between Om and Thailand
After I became acquainted with the symbol, I began to think about why Thailand was the place where I first encountered it.
I also talked a little about this connection with AI, but in the end we agreed that there is no very close connection between Om and Thailand. Om is present in Thailand, but it is not the basic motif of Thai Buddhism, but rather came through Hindu-Buddhist cultural connections, mainly in temple decorations, amulets and religious symbols.
By the way, I have already seen the symbol here, perhaps during my first week, tattooed on a girl’s forearm…
I will only mention that during my research I also heard about the Unalome symbol for the first time, but I will talk about that another time…
The connection between Om and me
It was here, in Thailand, that I first really encountered the Om symbol. Perhaps it is no coincidence that it appeared to me on this very path: in the middle of the world, in the heart of a foreign culture, where Buddhism and Hindu traditions silently intertwine. Om became a message for me here: a reminder that all states of existence are part of a single whole, and that the journey takes us not only through places but also through states of consciousness.