Dear Gurudev, did Om originate from silence, or did silence originate from Om? Which is the root, Om or nothingness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Om is the origin of everything.
If it is called the origin of everything, how can Om originate from silence? Silence is absence of sound, but Om is beyond silence. All sounds come from silence, but Om is not a sound like all other sounds. Om is the very vibration of all existence, that is why it is called the sound of one hand clapping; Anahad. It is not something that happened with the clash of two hands. It is beyond space and beyond time, and is beyond words.
Om is the primordial vibration of Creation.
If it is called the origin of everything, how can Om originate from silence? Silence is absence of sound, but Om is beyond silence. All sounds come from silence, but Om is not a sound like all other sounds. Om is the very vibration of all existence, that is why it is called the sound of one hand clapping; Anahad. It is not something that happened with the clash of two hands. It is beyond space and beyond time, and is beyond words.
Om is the primordial vibration of Creation.