Explain the meaning of Om and why it is important to the novel.

Om is a concept, and it signifies the unity and perfection in our universe. It is Nirvana to some; Utopia to others.......

and you are very welcome!

Om is an universally chanted mantra which has its origination in the Hindu spiritual texts. We can hear it being said in almost every Hindu ritual. But what we fail to understand is why it is chanted and how it should be chanted.

The sheer beauty of the Om mantra is the link it has with the universe. Interestingly, when Om is chanted, the frequency at which it vibrates is 432 Hz. It is exactly the same as the vibrational frequency of all the elements present in nature. What this basically signifies is that we are spiritually and physically in harmony with the world we live in.

Another thing that we have to keep in mind is that in order to create the correct vibrational frequency, the mantra has to be enunciated in the right manner to reap the benefits. OM is pronounced as AUM and it mainly consist of 4 syllables. A,U,M and silent syllable.

The first syllable A is pronounced as a prolonged 'Awe', U is pronounced as a sustained 'Oo' and M is recited as a prolonged 'Mmm'. Finally, the silent syllable is nothing but a deep silence that extends to infinity. During the chant, different parts of our vocal box is activated creating a different part of the throat to vibrate. Overall, the syllables of AUM is said to embody the divine energy which we commonly refer to as Shakti.