According to Osho, Om is not a meaningful word but a bridge from words to the wordless; Krishna can be held in this frontier sound beyond meaning. The essence isn't chanting Om, but realizing the anahata - the cosmic silence that arises when all thoughts cease. In that meaning-less resonance, one attains Krishna; Om points, the inner experience recognizes.
Om isn't a magic word; it's a clue to stop thinking and feel the quiet inner hum where Krishna is known.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
And the second question is: Krishna says that if, in the form of Om, you see me, know me, live me, recognize me, then in the final moment you will attain me. So is this the word Om or not?
No one in the compound will keep their eyes open. Fold both hands, take a resolve! With the Lord as witness, I resolve that I will put my whole energy into the meditation. With the Lord as witness, I resolve that I will put my whole energy into the meditation. With the Lord as witness, I resolve that I will put my whole energy into the meditation. Keep the memory of your resolve; the Lord surely keeps the memory of your resolve. Now for ten minutes, while sitting, take intense breaths. In this, energy will rise very strongly—more strongly than even when standing... Energy will rise; give the shock of breath... electricity will start running inside the body... electricity will begin to be produced within the body... breathe strongly... if the body begins to tremble, let it tremble; if it starts swaying, let it sway; if it starts shaking, let…
If you move from Om outward into the world, A U M unfold, and from them the entire expanse of sound. If you go behind Om, all sound dissolves; eventually you too dissolve—only Om remains. This means Om is not a sound produced by man; it is the sound of existence itself. As you have heard the sound of silence—at night when there is no noise, silence has its own hum—so when all ego and thought fall silent and deep quiet descends, the inner hush carries a sound: that sound is called Om. Entering Om, Krishna says, is entering me. Among all letters, I am the one-lettered Om. Among thousands of sacrifices, I am the sacrifice of japa. Let us understand japa. Yajna means any structured method by which we build a bridge between ourselves and existence—any plan that reconnects us.
Questioner: you explained to us this saying of jesus: "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" there is another saying of jesus: "blessed are the pure in heart, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." can you say something about it?
Yes, there is another saying of Jesus: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But there is a small difference between the two sayings: "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth," and "Blessed are the pure for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In fact, humility is the beginning and purity is the end, the attainment. To be humble is to be on the first leg of the journey to purity. The humble has yet to be on the first leg of the journey to purity. The humble has yet to be pure; he is on his way to it. One cannot be pure without being humble, because there is no greater impurity than ego. One who is full of ego can never be pure, but one who drops his ego, who is humble, who is surrendered, is on the path…
Om is the fundamental sound of Sanskrit. In Om, all the sounds of Sanskrit are included. Om is made of A, U, and M—the joining of three sounds: A, U, M. These are the three primal vowels; the rest of language is born from them. All words are then constructed of these. Om is the root; A, U, M are its three branches; and from these three branches the whole web of sound and the birth of all words happens. The Jews would call Om the Logos; Christians would call it the Word. This sutra concerns this Om. Understand this sutra well. For those who would enter within can very easily do so with the support of this sound—because it is resonating within. Every moment this sound is echoing inside. This sound is your very life-breath. If this sound disappears within, you disappear.
Osho, just a small question. If truth is non-dual, then what is the point of calling apara and para different? And are apara and para interchangeable?
In the Vigyan Bhairava, Shiva tells Parvati: “Ask no more. The more will hinder. Let me tell you in little. In this Om—A-U-M—forget A, forget M; what remains in the middle—U—dive into that. Then I will be attained.” This is technique. If you can dive into U… If you utter U with force, you will feel the navel contract within. The more forcefully you intone U, the more pressure on the navel. And the navel is the root source of life-energy. One who can tap it rightly—Om is the hammer, the device to strike there. If one strikes rightly, the life-energy begins to rise; kundalini awakens; the journey upward begins. I have heard: In a small town a huge factory installed a new machine. For a month it ran well; then suddenly it stopped. No fault was found. The factory engineers tried and failed. A specialist was called from the…