Soham (Sanskrit)
Encyclopedia
Soham is the Sanskrit
for "I myself" or "It is I" or "He is I".
When it applies to a person's name, according to Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with the universe or ultimate reality. Some say that when a child is born it cries Koham-Koham which means Who am I?. That is when the universe replies back Soham. You are the same as I am.. It also stems from the Sanskrit word which means, "self pride."
When used for meditation, "Soham" acts as a natural
mantra
to control one's breathing pattern, to help achieve deep breath, and to gain concentration.
Soham is also considered a mantra
in Tantrism and Kriya Yoga
, known also as Ajapa mantra, Ajapa Gayatri, Hamsa Gayatri, Hamsa mantra, prana mantra, Shri Paraprasada mantra, paramatma-mantra, and as such used notably on its own, in the meditation
practice ajapa japa
and in the kriya
practice shabda sanchalana.
The mantra is also inverted from (the sandhi
of ) to . The combination of has also been interpreted as "I myself am the Swan", where the swan symbolizes the Atman
.
An etymology of "swan, goose" (in fact cognate with English goose) as from "I am that" is found in the 14th century commentary on the Vedas by Sayana
(14th century).
, it can also be read as "It/He is I".
Its use as a mantra emerges in mystical Sanskrit literature of the medieval period.
The mantra is sometimes claimed to originate with the Isha Upanishad
(verse 16), which ends:
In several Advaita Vedanta
Upanishads
Tantras
Stotras
Adi Shankara's
Vakya Vritti
subsequent works in the Nath
tradition foundational for Hatha yoga
and foundational for Swara yoga
the original script Shiva Svarodaya
as well as the classical yoga treatises Gheranda Samhita
and Shiva Samhita
all make mention of soham and hamsa describing its significance and when teaching uniformly teaches So on inhalation and ham on exhalation.
This traditional practice in its several forms and its background is described in numerous other books.
- although teaching the traditional So on inhalation and ham on exhalation as a letter from 1968 to Franklin Jones
reveals - later published a book teaching Ham on inhalation and sa on exhalation. This practice is described in several later books all referring to Muktananda.
The teaching of Ham on inhalation and sa on exhalation is allegedly alluded to in a text of Kaśmir Śaivism, the Vijnana Bhairava:
However, this verse 155a is not found in the Vijnana Bhairava first published in 1918 in the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies but is quoted from a commentary by the Abhinavagupta
disciple Kṣemarāja in his Shiva Sutra Vimarshini (commentary on the Shiva Sutras) in later editions of Vijnana Bhairava.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
for "I myself" or "It is I" or "He is I".
When it applies to a person's name, according to Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with the universe or ultimate reality. Some say that when a child is born it cries Koham-Koham which means Who am I?. That is when the universe replies back Soham. You are the same as I am.. It also stems from the Sanskrit word which means, "self pride."
When used for meditation, "Soham" acts as a natural
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
to control one's breathing pattern, to help achieve deep breath, and to gain concentration.
- Sooooo... is the sound of inhalation, and is remembered in the mind along with that inhalation.
- Hummmm... is the sound of exhalation, and is remembered in the mind along with that exhalation.
Soham is also considered a mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
in Tantrism and Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga finds mention in the ancient spiritual texts of Patanjali Yogasutras "Tapah svadhyayeshvara pranidhani kriyayogah" . It was later revived by Yogiraj Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri in the 19th century. Subsequently Paramhansa Yogananda in his Autobiography of a Yogi reported the same for his...
, known also as Ajapa mantra, Ajapa Gayatri, Hamsa Gayatri, Hamsa mantra, prana mantra, Shri Paraprasada mantra, paramatma-mantra, and as such used notably on its own, in the meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
practice ajapa japa
Ajapa japa
Japa means repeating or remembering a mantra , and ajapa-japa means constant awareness of the mantra, or of what it represents. The letter A in front of the word japa means without. Thus, ajapa-japa is the practice of japa without the mental effort normally needed to repeat the mantra...
and in the kriya
Kriya
Kriya most commonly refers to a "completed action", technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result. Types of kriya may vary widely between different schools of yoga. Another meaning of Kriya is the outward physical manifestations of awakened kundalini...
practice shabda sanchalana.
The mantra is also inverted from (the sandhi
Sandhi
Sandhi is a cover term for a wide variety of phonological processes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries . Examples include the fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of sounds due to neighboring sounds or due to the grammatical function of adjacent words...
of ) to . The combination of has also been interpreted as "I myself am the Swan", where the swan symbolizes the Atman
Atman
Atman means 'self' in Sanskrit and is a concept of importance in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Yoga and Jainism:* Ātman * Ātman * Atman Atman may also refer to:...
.
An etymology of "swan, goose" (in fact cognate with English goose) as from "I am that" is found in the 14th century commentary on the Vedas by Sayana
Sayana
' was an important commentator on the Vedas. He flourished under King Bukka I and his successor Harihara II, in the Vijayanagar Empire of South India...
(14th century).
Soham
is an emphatic form of , the first-person pronoun ("I"), translating to "I myself". Interpreted as a nominal sentenceNominal sentence
The term nominal sentence can refer to two different phenomena:* a sentence with a predicate consisting of the copula to be plus a predicative, like Bob is a postman.* a sentence with a predicate lacking a finite verb, like The more – the merrier...
, it can also be read as "It/He is I".
Its use as a mantra emerges in mystical Sanskrit literature of the medieval period.
The mantra is sometimes claimed to originate with the Isha Upanishad
Isha Upanishad
The Isha Upanishad is one of the shortest of the Upanishads, consisting of 17 or 18 verses in total; like other core texts of the vedanta, it is considered revealed scripture by diverse traditions within Hinduism...
(verse 16), which ends:
- "The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. I am [that] what He is (viz. the person in the sun)" (trans. Max MüllerMax MüllerFriedrich Max Müller , more regularly known as Max Müller, was a German philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion...
)
In several Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
Upanishads
- Dhyana-Bindu Upanishad
- Hamsa Upanishad
- Maha Vakya Upanishad
- Suka Rahasya Upanishad
- Surya Upanishad
- Tripuratapini Upanishad
- Yoga Chudamani Upanishad
- Yoga Sikha Upanishad
Tantras
Tantras
Tantras refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions. The rest of this article deals with Hindu...
- Gandharva Tantra
- Kali Tantra
- Kularnava Tantra
- Mahanirvana Tantra
- Niruttara Tantra
- Shri Nathanavaratnamalika
Stotras
Stotras
In Hinduism, a Stotra is a hymn of praise. These hymns praise aspects of the divine, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. Relating to word "stuti", coming from the same verb, stu , and basically both mean "praise"....
- Bhaja Gaureesam
- Gowresa Ashtakam
- Shakthi Mahimnah Stotram
- Tripurasundari Vijaya Sthava
Adi Shankara's
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
Vakya Vritti
Vakya Vritti
Vakya Vritti is a Vedantic textbook that concerns itself with the detailed and elaborate explanation of one of the Mahāvākyas "Tat Tvam Asi". It was compiled by Adi Shankaracharya and is in the form of a dialogue between a student and a great rishi - The Major Premises :The dialogue of the Vakya...
subsequent works in the Nath
Nath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...
tradition foundational for Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
- Matsyendranath'sMatsyendranathMatsyendranatha or Machindranath was one of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas. He was the guru of Gorakshanath, with whom he founded the school of Hatha yoga. He is considered as the author of the Kaulajñānanirṇaya , one of the earliest texts on Hatha Yoga in Sanskrit...
Yogavishaya - Gorakshanath'sGorakshanathGorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati - Gorakshanath'sGorakshanathGorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
Yoga Bija - Gorakshanath'sGorakshanathGorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
Goraksha Shataka - Jñāndev'sDnyaneshwarDnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
Lakhota - Jñāndev'sDnyaneshwarDnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
Yogapar Abhangamala
and foundational for Swara yoga
Swara yoga
"Swara Yoga" is the title of a 1983 book by Swami Satyananda Saraswati concerned with the aspects of Yoga concerned with breathing, or Pranayama.According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati,-References:...
the original script Shiva Svarodaya
as well as the classical yoga treatises Gheranda Samhita
Gherand Samhita
Gheranda Samhita meaning “Gheranda's collection” is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga . It is a late 17th century text and is considered to be the most encyclopedic of the three classic texts on hatha yoga.Gheranda Samhita is a manual of yoga taught by Gheranda to Chanda Kapali...
and Shiva Samhita
Shiva Samhita
Shiva Samhita is a Sanskrit text on yoga, written by an unknown author. The text is addressed by the Hindu god Shiva to his consort Parvati . It is one of three major surviving classical treatises on hatha yoga, the other two being Gheranda Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika...
all make mention of soham and hamsa describing its significance and when teaching uniformly teaches So on inhalation and ham on exhalation.
This traditional practice in its several forms and its background is described in numerous other books.
Hamsa
Swami MuktanandaMuktananda
Swami Muktananda is the monastic name of an Indian Hindu guru and disciple of Bhagavan Nityananda. Swami Muktananda was the founder of Siddha Yoga...
- although teaching the traditional So on inhalation and ham on exhalation as a letter from 1968 to Franklin Jones
Adi Da
Adi Da Samraj , born Franklin Albert Jones in Queens, New York, was a spiritual teacher, writer and artist, and the founder of a new religious movement known as Adidam...
reveals - later published a book teaching Ham on inhalation and sa on exhalation. This practice is described in several later books all referring to Muktananda.
The teaching of Ham on inhalation and sa on exhalation is allegedly alluded to in a text of Kaśmir Śaivism, the Vijnana Bhairava:
However, this verse 155a is not found in the Vijnana Bhairava first published in 1918 in the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies but is quoted from a commentary by the Abhinavagupta
Abhinavagupta
Abhinavagupta was one of India's greatest philosophers, mystics and aestheticians. He was also considered an important musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logician - a polymathic personality who exercised strong influences on Indian culture.He was born in the Valley of Kashmir in...
disciple Kṣemarāja in his Shiva Sutra Vimarshini (commentary on the Shiva Sutras) in later editions of Vijnana Bhairava.