Soham (Sanskrit)

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So 'ham (so 'ham सो ऽहम्) is the Sanskrit for "I myself" or "It is I". It is used as a mantra.

Hindu saints and gurus^[who?] state that one can attain moksha, or mukti (release) or liberation from the cycle of life and death by concentrating on the breath and mentally saying the word "so" when inhaling and the word "ham" (pronounced hum) on exhaling. By doing so, all evil is destroyed and one is believed to reach the position of ultimate power, equivalent to gurus and gods of Hinduism.

[edit] Etymology

so 'ham is the sandhi form of saḥ + aham, the nominatives of the 3rd and 1st person singular pronouns. saḥ can be prefixed to other pronouns for emphasis, as in so 'ham "I myself; I, that very person" or satvam "Thou thyself; Thou, that very person", but in a literal reading, the phrase means "That - I" or "He - I", in mystical interpretations suggesting the identification or dissolution of the Ego with the "Other".

[edit] Significance

When the "I" merges with the "That", the ego of the "I" identity merges with the Other, who is Ishvara of the Vedas, Brahman of the Upanishads, Bhagavan of the Puranas.

"Sa" in Sanskrit is the combination of the "lifeless" (or, static) consonant S with the dynamic vowel A – that is, with the meaning of Prana or vital force. Also Sa is Vishnu and Shiva according to the Vedic Nirukta. The Sandhi means Yoga (union) or self realization.

The meaning of the phrase might be expressed as follows: "I" am obviously not this body because the physical constituents of the body are changing every moment. Ultimately, the body dies. Atman the soul or self never dies – it is "That". "That" is Absolute Reality. It is the witness of all, it is what the mind does through the body. This self is always on the path of progression, which according to Shaivistic thought is Chaitanya or consciousness. The Shiva Sutra speaks of ‘Chaitanyam – Atma’. Consequently, Aham, myself, is Sah, that Self. This is called spiritual awareness.