I chanced upon this great piece of knowledge sometime ago, sharing with you all how the word OM got originated---
When Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana for the purpose of killing Thataki, half way in their journey they heard a big noise. Rama and Lakshmana asked Viswamitra how in a forest where there were not many people, such a big noise could come. Viswamitra told them that in the Himalayas there is a particular mountain called the Kailasha and on that mountain there is a lake by name manasa sarovara. The river sarovara flows out of the Manasasarowar. An ancient king who belonged to the dynasty of Rama was responsible for bringing this river down to the plains and his name was Bhagiratha. Viswamitra stated that Bhagiratha brought down the river Ganges. As the river Sarayu was joining the river Ganges nearby the noise was so loud. Viswamitra had implied a good inner spiritual meaning for his statement. He regarded the word Kailasha as symbolic of the pure mind. Our mind has been compared to the lake manasasarovara.
The outflow of several ideas from the pure and clean mind had been compared with the outflow of the river Sarayu from the lake Manasasarovara. He imagined that these ideas are springing as if they had pure white foam in them. When these sacred ideas are emanating from Manasasarovara in the form of Sarayu and when they are touched by the rays of sun, they produce a Sound the primordial sound OM. This sacred sound Om, or the pranava is emanating from the heart of every individual. Viswamitra explained that this is the origin of the noise. You can hear this sound of pranava only in a place which is pure.
The nectar in the story of Rama is as the 'Sarayu river' that moves silently by the city of Ayodhya, where Rama was born and where he ruled. The Sarayu has its source in the Himalayan Manasa-Sarovar, as this Story is born in the Manasa-Sarovar (the Lake of the Mind)! The Rama stream bears the sweetness of Karuna; the stream of Lakshmana (his brother and devoted companion) has the sweetness of Devotion (Bhakthi); as the Sarayu river joins the Ganga (Ganges) and the waters commingle, so too, the streams of tender compassion and devotion (the stories of Rama and Lakshmana) commingle in the Ramayana. Karuna and Prema make up, between them, the composite picture of the glory of Rama; that picture fulfils the heart's dearest yearning for every Indian; to attain it is the aim of every spiritual striving.
On the right bank of the river Ghaghra or Saryu, as it is called within sacred precincts, stands the holy city of Ayodhya, believed to be the birth place of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries it was the capital of the decendants of the Surya Vansh of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as Kosaldesha. The Atharvaveda describes it as "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself". The illustrious ruling dynasty of this region were the lkshvakus of the Surya Vash. Accoridng to tradition lkshvaku was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established himself at Ayodhya. The earth is said to have derived its name 'Prithvi' from Prithu, the 6th king of the line. A few generations later came Masndhatri, in whose line the 31st king was Harishchandra, known idely for him live for truith. Raja Sagar of the same clan performed the ashvamedha yajna and his great grandson bhagirath is reputed to have brought ganga on earth by virtue of his penances. later in the time came the great raghu after whome the family came to be called as raghu vansh . His grandson was Raja Dasharatha the illustrious father of lord rama with whome the glory of the dynasty reached its zenith. According to pauranic belief in the 93rd generation from Ikshvaku the 30th from lord rama was vrihadbala the last famous king of the ikshvaku dynasty of ayodhya who was killed during the Mahabharata war. The kingdom of kosala again rose to prominence in the time of the Buddha, i.e. 6th century B.C.
The outflow of several ideas from the pure and clean mind had been compared with the outflow of the river Sarayu from the lake Manasasarovara. He imagined that these ideas are springing as if they had pure white foam in them. When these sacred ideas are emanating from Manasasarovara in the form of Sarayu and when they are touched by the rays of sun, they produce a Sound the primordial sound OM. This sacred sound Om, or the pranava is emanating from the heart of every individual. Viswamitra explained that this is the origin of the noise. You can hear this sound of pranava only in a place which is pure.
The nectar in the story of Rama is as the 'Sarayu river' that moves silently by the city of Ayodhya, where Rama was born and where he ruled. The Sarayu has its source in the Himalayan Manasa-Sarovar, as this Story is born in the Manasa-Sarovar (the Lake of the Mind)! The Rama stream bears the sweetness of Karuna; the stream of Lakshmana (his brother and devoted companion) has the sweetness of Devotion (Bhakthi); as the Sarayu river joins the Ganga (Ganges) and the waters commingle, so too, the streams of tender compassion and devotion (the stories of Rama and Lakshmana) commingle in the Ramayana. Karuna and Prema make up, between them, the composite picture of the glory of Rama; that picture fulfils the heart's dearest yearning for every Indian; to attain it is the aim of every spiritual striving.
On the right bank of the river Ghaghra or Saryu, as it is called within sacred precincts, stands the holy city of Ayodhya, believed to be the birth place of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries it was the capital of the decendants of the Surya Vansh of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as Kosaldesha. The Atharvaveda describes it as "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself". The illustrious ruling dynasty of this region were the lkshvakus of the Surya Vash. Accoridng to tradition lkshvaku was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established himself at Ayodhya. The earth is said to have derived its name 'Prithvi' from Prithu, the 6th king of the line. A few generations later came Masndhatri, in whose line the 31st king was Harishchandra, known idely for him live for truith. Raja Sagar of the same clan performed the ashvamedha yajna and his great grandson bhagirath is reputed to have brought ganga on earth by virtue of his penances. later in the time came the great raghu after whome the family came to be called as raghu vansh . His grandson was Raja Dasharatha the illustrious father of lord rama with whome the glory of the dynasty reached its zenith. According to pauranic belief in the 93rd generation from Ikshvaku the 30th from lord rama was vrihadbala the last famous king of the ikshvaku dynasty of ayodhya who was killed during the Mahabharata war. The kingdom of kosala again rose to prominence in the time of the Buddha, i.e. 6th century B.C.
