Shloka 24
Mahāyoga: Detachment from ‘I/Mine’, Aṣṭāṅga Practice, Oṁkāra and Aham-Brahmāsmi Contemplation
अकारश्च तथोकारो मकारश्चाक्षरत्रयम् / एतास्तिस्त्रस्ततो मात्राः सत्त्वराजसतामसाः
akāraśca tathokāro makāraścākṣaratrayam / etāstistrastato mātrāḥ sattvarājasatāmasāḥ
‘अ’ तथा ‘उ’ और ‘म’—ये तीन अक्षरों का त्रय है। इन्हीं से तीन मात्राएँ उत्पन्न होती हैं, जो सत्त्व, रजस् और तमस् के अनुरूप हैं।
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: A-U-M as threefold akṣara; their mātrās correspond to sattva, rajas, tamas—using mantra to discern and transcend guṇas.
Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-traya viveka: recognizing prakṛti’s modes as not-self; mantra as a tool for discrimination and inner purification.
Application: During Oṃ contemplation, observe mental states: clarity (sattva), agitation (rajas), dullness (tamas); use breath, posture, and steady japa to increase sattva and witness all three as passing.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mantric-cosmological mapping (A-U-M; mātrā; guṇa)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.226.25 (half-mātrā; nirguṇa; musical note)
FAQs
This verse presents A-U-M as the foundational triad of sacred sound, from which the three mātrās are understood, mapping spiritual practice to the cosmic qualities (guṇas).
It states that the three sound-units associated with A-U-M correspond to the three guṇas, implying that mantra and vibration reflect (and can refine) the practitioner’s inner constitution.
Chant AUM with awareness: cultivate sattva through clarity and restraint, recognize rajas in restlessness, and reduce tamas by avoiding dullness—using mantra as a tool for inner balance.