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Dividing OM, Shaping Mantra Systems

EurAsia Academy Keynote Lecture by Finnian Gerety

The division of the sacred syllable "om" into the three sounds, a, u, and m is one of the most enduring ideas in mantra culture. Originating in Vedic thought, dividing OM offers a fertile framework for the development of mantra systems in premodern India. This talk shows how successive phases of religious thought adapted this idea to suit their own mantras and contexts, from Vedic recitation to Brahmanical dharma, from Purāṇic devotion to Yogic silence, from Śaiva resonance to Jaina karma. The division of the sacred syllable at once shapes and reflects the traditions which claim it: OM is the bedrock of mantra systems and their essential, most dynamic expression.

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The four partner institutions collaborate in offering training to students and early career scholars in Austria and internationally. For this purpose, the Austrian Consortium for the Study of EurAsia (ACE) was initiated.

Through courses, summer schools, workshops, and training sessions, both in person and online, we aim to equip new generations with the following skills: 

  • Competence in reading original language sources as a basis for cultural literacy
  • Global methodology and outlook
  • Competence in the use of digital methods
  • A set of transferable skills