Soham ( Sanskrit ) - wikipedia Soham ( Sanskrit ) This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. Soham ( सो ऽहम् so ' ham ) is a Hindu mantra, meaning `` I am He / That '' in Sanskrit. In Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with the universe or ultimate reality. The mantra is also inverted from so ' ham ( the sandhi of saḥ + aham ) to ham + sa. The combination of so ' haṃ haṃsaḥ has also been interpreted as `` I myself am the Swan '', where the swan symbolizes the Atman. Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Hamsa 4 Yoga 5 See also 6 References 6.1 Bibliography Etymology An etymology of haṃsa `` swan, goose '' as from ahaṃ sa `` I am that '' is found in the 14th century commentary on the Vedas by Sayana ( 14th century ). The term so'ham is related to sa, and the phrase translates to `` I that very person '', according to Monier - Williams. Interpreted as a nominal sentence, it can also be read as `` I am he '' or `` It / He is I ''. The term is found in Vedic literature, and is a phrase that identifies `` oneself with the universe or ultimate reality ''. History This phrase is found in Principal Upanishads such as the Isha Upanishad ( verse 16 ), which ends : (... ) तेजो यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥ १६ ॥ tejo yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo ' sāv ( asau puruṣaḥ ) so'ham asmi `` The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. I am what He is '' ( trans. Max Müller ) Soham, or `` I am He '', is very common in ancient and medieval literature. Some examples include : Upanishads Sannyasa Upanishads such as Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, Nirvana Upanishad, Ashrama Upanishad, Maitreya Upanishad and Satyayaniya Upanishad. Yoga Upanishads such as Dhyanabindu Upanishad and Yogashikha Upanishad Hamsa Upanishad Tantras Gandharva Tantra Kali Tantra Kularnava Tantra Mahanirvana Tantra Niruttara Tantra Stotras Bhaja Gaureesam Gowresa Ashtakam Shakthi Mahimnah Stotram Tripurasundari Vijaya Sthava Adi Shankara 's Vakya Vritti subsequent works in the Nath tradition foundational for Hatha yoga. Matsyendranath 's Yogavishaya Gorakshanath 's Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati Gorakshanath 's Yoga Bija Gorakshanath 's Goraksha Shataka Jñāndev 's Lakhota Jñāndev 's Yogapar Abhangamala 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. Hamsa Swami Muktananda - 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 : Air is exhaled with the sound SA and inhaled with the sound HAM. Then reciting of the mantra HAMSA is continuous -- Vijnana Bhairava, 155a 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. Yoga When used for meditation, `` Sohum '' acts as a natural mantra 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 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. See also Tattvam Asi Aham Brahmasmi I Am that I Am Dualism ( Indian philosophy ) Nondualism Monism References Jump up ^ In English language literature also printed as So'ham, So Ham, So - aham, Sohum, So Hum, Saham, Sa'ham, Sau - ha, Sah - karena / Sahkara = the sound of Sa ^ Jump up to : Olivelle 1992, pp. 80 - 81, 210 with footnotes. ^ Jump up to : Mariasusai Dhavamony ( 1999 ), Hindu Spirituality, GB Press, ISBN 978 - 8876528187, page 129 Jump up ^ Alper, Harvey P. ( 1991 ). Understanding Mantras. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 104. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0746 - 4. Jump up ^ Monier - Williams, s.v. `` haṃsa ''. Jump up ^ Monier Monier Williams Dictionary, Sa s.v. `` 6. '' : `` it is often for emphasis connected with another pron. as with aham, tvam, eṣa, ayam&c. ( e.g. so'ham, satvam, ' I ( or thou ) that very person ' '' Jump up ^ The Upanishads, Part 1 1879, p. 313. Müller gives the footnote : `` Asau purushah should probably be omitted '', taking these words as an explanatory gloss that was accidentally incorporated in the text. ^ Jump up to : Olivelle 1992, pp. 80 - 81. Jump up ^ Olivelle 1992, pp. 210, 216. Jump up ^ Olivelle 1992, pp. 227, 229. ^ Jump up to : Olivelle 1992, pp. 156. Jump up ^ Olivelle 1992, pp. 160 - 161, 165 - 166. Jump up ^ Parmeshwaranand Swami ( 2000 ). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Upanisads. Sarup & Sons. p. 140. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7625 - 148 - 8. The jiva comes out with the letter Ha and gets in again with the letter Sa ^ Jump up to : Woodroffe, John George ( 1974 ). The Serpent Power - The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga ( 7 ed. ). Courier Dover Publications. p. 76. ISBN 978 - 0 - 486 - 23058 - 0. Jump up ^ Singh, Nagendra Kr ( 1997 ). Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. p. 213. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7488 - 168 - 7. Jump up ^ `` Yoga Sikha Upanishad ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. 6.53 The prana goes out with sound `` ham '' and goes in with the word `` sa '', and all beings naturally chant the mantra `` Hamsa, Hamsa '' ( while exhaling and inhaling ). Jump up ^ Renfrew Brooks, Douglas ( 2000 ). Meditation revolution : a history and theology of the Siddha Yoga lineage. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 510. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1648 - 0. Jump up ^ Parmeshwaranand Swami ( 2000 ). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Upanisads. Sarup & Sons. p. 231. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7625 - 148 - 8. We are said to exhale with Ha and to inhale with Sa Jump up ^ `` Gandharva Tantra ( abstract ) ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. ^ Jump up to : Woodroffe, John George ( 2007 ). Shakti and Shakta. NuVision Publications, LLC. p. 343. ISBN 978 - 1 - 59547 - 920 - 4. Jump up ^ Avalon, Arthur ( 2008 ). Hymn to Kali. BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 27. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4346 - 9196 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Kularnava Tantra ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Ham - Sah is the pathway breath takes in living creatures. This mantra exists in the form of exhalation and inhalation Jump up ^ `` Kularnava Tantra ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ Chawdhri, L.R. ( 2007 ). Secrets of Yantra, Mantra and Tantra. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 93. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84557 - 022 - 4. `` Ha '' is the outgoing breath and `` sa '' is the ingoing breath. Jump up ^ Olson, Carl ( 2007 ). Hindu primary sources : a sectarian reader. Rutgers University Press. p. 506. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8135 - 4070 - 2. Jump up ^ Avalon, Arthur ( 2004 ). Mahanirvana Tantra Of The Great Liberation. Kessinger Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4191 - 3207 - 0. All beings say the ajapa Gayatri, which is the expulsion of the breath by Hangkara, and its inspiration by Shakara Jump up ^ Dayal, P ( 1991 ). Raja Rao : A Study of His Novels. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 53. ISBN 81 - 7156 - 160 - 8. The Mahanirvana Tantra unequivocally specifies an identity between jiva and Brahman (... ) The idea of `` So'ham '' ( I am He or I am one with the Supreme ) is explicitly emphasized in this Tantric text. Jump up ^ Mahanirvana Tantra is claimed to be a juridical fabrication in : Duncan, John ( 1978 ). Essays in classical and modern Hindu law. BRILL. p. 197 ff. ISBN 978 - 90 - 04 - 04808 - 9. Jump up ^ `` Bhaja Gaureesam ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Gowresa Ashtakam ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Shakthi Mahimnah Stotram ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Tripurasundari Vijaya Sthava ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. ^ Jump up to : Srinivasan, N.K. ( 2007 ). Safe and Simple Steps to Fruitful Meditation. Pustak Mahal. pp. 48 -- 49. ISBN 978 - 81 - 223 - 0891 - 4. Jump up ^ `` Adi Shankara 's Vakya Vritti ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ Feuerstein, Georg ( 2002 ). The Yoga Tradition : Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 537. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1923 - 8. ( The psyche ) exits ( the body ) with the sound ha and reenters with the sound sa. Jump up ^ Siddha Guru Gorakhnath. Brahmamitra Awasthi, ed. Yoga Bija. Delhi, India : Swami Keshwananda Yoga Institute. p. 112. Jump up ^ Olson, Carl ( 2007 ). Hindu primary sources : a sectarian reader. Rutgers University Press. p. 439. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8135 - 4070 - 2. Jump up ^ Kiehnle, Catharina ( 1997 ). Songs on yoga : texts and teachings of the Mahārāṣṭrian Nāths. Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 155 -- 56. ISBN 978 - 3 - 515 - 06922 - 9. Jump up ^ Kiehnle, Catharina ( 1997 ). Songs on yoga : texts and teachings of the Mahārāṣṭrian Nāths. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 185. ISBN 978 - 3 - 515 - 06922 - 9. Jump up ^ Kiehnle, Catharina ( 1997 ). Songs on yoga : texts and teachings of the Mahārāṣṭrian Nāths. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 301. ISBN 978 - 3 - 515 - 06922 - 9. Jump up ^ Nair, Sreenath ( 2007 ). Restoration of Breath : Consciousness and Performance. Rodopi. p. 100 ff. ISBN 978 - 90 - 420 - 2306 - 2. Jump up ^ Vennemann, Michael. Fürchte Dich nicht, Petrus Romanus - Teil 2. pp. 522 -- 23. ISBN 978 - 3 - 00 - 025348 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Shiva Svarodaya ( 51 ) ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. The Shiva Svarodaya scripture 's verse 51 says, `` The process of exhalation is said to contain the letter ham, and the inhalation contains the letter sa. '' Jump up ^ Mallinson, James ( 2004 ). Gheranda samhita : the original Sanskrit and an English translation. YogaVidya.com. p. 127. ISBN 978 - 0 - 9716466 - 3 - 6. Jump up ^ Ma Yoga Shakti ( 1995 ). Gheranda samhita. La scienza dello yoga. Edizioni Studio Tesi. p. 181. ISBN 978 - 88 - 272 - 1099 - 4. Jump up ^ Yogi Pranavananda ( 2000 ). Tony Rodriguez, ed. Pure Yoga. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 113 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1508 - 7. With the sound ' Sah ' the breath goes in ; with the sound ' Ham ' the breath comes out Jump up ^ `` Gheranda Samhita 5 : 84 ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Gheranda Samhita 5 : 84 indicates, `` Breath of every person, in entering, makes the sound of ' sa ', and in coming out ( bahiryati ), that of ' ham. ' '' Jump up ^ Singh, Panchanan ( 2004 ). The Forceful Yoga : Being the Translation of Haṭhayoga - pradīpikā, Gheraṇḍa - saṃhitā, and Śiva - saṃhitā. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 275. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 2055 - 5. Jump up ^ Satyananda Saraswati ( 1989 ). Yoga and Kriya : A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of ( 2 ed. ). Munger, Bihar, India : Bihar School of Yoga. p. 497 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 85787 - 08 - 4. Jump up ^ Devanand, G.K. Teaching of Yoga. Himalayan Institute Press. p. 116. ISBN 978 - 81 - 313 - 0172 - 2. Soham is a universal mantra vibration, with Sooo... being remembered with inhalation and Hummm... being remembered with exhalation. Jump up ^ Mumford, John ( 1999 ). Death : beginning or end ? : methods for immortality. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 97 ff. ISBN 978 - 1 - 56718 - 476 - 1. Jump up ^ Stutley, Margaret and James ( 1977 ). A dictionary of Hinduism : its mythology, folklore, and development 1500 B.C. - A.D. 1500. London : Routledge. p. 372. ISBN 0 - 7100 - 8398 - X. The Hamsa symbolizes knowledge and the life - force or cosmic breath ( prana ), ' ham ' being its exhalation, and ' sa ', its inhalation which is regarded as the return of the individual life - force to brahman, its cosmic source. Jump up ^ Tigunait, Pandit Rajmani ( 2000 ). Power of Mantra and the Mystery of Initiation. Himalayan Institute Press. p. 68 ff. ISBN 978 - 0 - 89389 - 176 - 3. (... ) you will hear the sound sooo in the inhalation and hammmmm in the exhalation. Jump up ^ Woodroffe, John ( 1910 ). Shakti and Shakta. Forgotten Books. p. 318. ISBN 978 - 1 - 60620 - 145 - 9. Jump up ^ Xavier, G. Francis ( 2004 ). Yoga for Health & Personality. Pustak Mahal. pp. 98 -- 99. ISBN 978 - 81 - 223 - 0892 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Letter from Swami Muktananda to Franklin Jones, April 23, 1968 ''. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Harmonize the repetition of mantra with the breathing as follows : With `` So '' take it in and with `` ham '' bring it out. (... ) When one 's mind is fixed on `` So '' with the incoming breath and on `` ham '' with the outgoing breath it is mantra - japa. (... ) Your beauty, your energy, your duty, your religion, your Guru and guide ; your study, worship and prayer -- all lie in engaging yourself to the remembrance and repetition of `` So'ham '', `` So'ham ''. This is my instruction, this is my precept. This is to be followed or practiced, and reflected upon devoutly. Jump up ^ Swami Muktananda ( 1992 ). I Am that : The Science of Hamsa from the Vijnana Bhairava. SYDA Foundation. p. 27 ff. ISBN 978 - 0 - 914602 - 27 - 9. Sit quietly, and watch the going out and coming in of the breath... Bhairava says that as the breath comes in, it makes the sound ham, and as the breath goes out, it makes the sound sa. This is known as ajapa - japa, the unrepeated mantra repetition. One who simply watches the breath, being aware that it is coming in and going out with the sounds ham and sa, is doing ajapa - japa, and this is the true way of practicing mantra. Jump up ^ Renfrew Brooks, Douglas ( 2000 ). Meditation revolution : a history and theology of the Siddha Yoga lineage. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 509 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1648 - 0. Jump up ^ Swami Shankarananda ( 2003 ). Happy for No Good Reason : Learn to Meditate, Become Stronger, Calmer and Happier. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 114 -- 15. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 2006 - 7. Jump up ^ Kedar, Acharya ( 2003 ). The Sutras on the 5-Fold Act of Divine Consciousness. iUniverse. p. 150. ISBN 978 - 0 - 595 - 29389 - 6. Jump up ^ Kedar, Acharya ( 2003 ). Vibration of Divine Consciousness : The Spiritual Autobiography of Acarya Kedar. iUniverse. p. 230. ISBN 978 - 0 - 595 - 27410 - 9. Jump up ^ Sopory, S.K. ( 2004 ). Glimpses of Kashmir. APH Publishing. p. 103 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7648 - 547 - 0. Jump up ^ `` Vijnana Bhairava ''. Archived from the original on 2006 - 08 - 21. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. ^ Jump up to : `` Muktabodha on - line library Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies ''. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ Alper, Harvey P. ( 1991 ). Understanding Mantras. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 282. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0746 - 4. Jump up ^ Singh, Jaideva ( 1991 ). The Yoga of delight, wonder, and astonishment : a translation of the Vijñāna - bhairava. SUNY Press. p. 143 ff. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7914 - 1073 - 8. reprinted and published as : Singh, Jaideva ( 2002 ). Vijnanabhairava or Divine Consciousness : A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 173. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0820 - 1. Jump up ^ Satyananda Saraswati ( 1989 ). Yoga and Kriya : A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of ( 2 ed. ). Munger, Bihar, India : Bihar School of Yoga. p. 497 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 85787 - 08 - 4. Listen carefully to your breath ; you will hear the sound So with inhalation and Ham with exhalation. Jump up ^ Satyananda Saraswati ( 1989 ). Yoga and Kriya : A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of ( 2 ed. ). Munger, Bihar, India : Bihar School of Yoga. p. 668 ff. ISBN 978 - 81 - 85787 - 08 - 4. Bibliography Olivelle, Patrick ( 1992 ). The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978 - 0195070453. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soham_(Sanskrit)&oldid=830892791 '' Categories : Meditation Yoga Hindu mantras Hidden categories : Articles containing Sanskrit - language text All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from January 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Polski Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 17 March 2018, at 14 : 43 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the meaning of the name soham
Answer: "I am He/That"