Soham (Sanskrit)


Soham or Sohum is a Hindu mantra, literally meaning "That I" in Sanskrit, implying "I am that".
In Vedic philosophy it means identifying oneself with Brahman.
The mantra is also inverted from ' to '. The combination of has also been interpreted as "I am Swan", where the swan symbolizes the Atman.

Etymology

The term is related to, and the phrase translates to "That I", according to Monier-Williams. Interpreted as a nominal sentence, it can also be read as "I am the absolute" or "Great truth". The term is found in Vedic literature, and is a phrase that identifies "One with the universe or the ultimate one reality".

History

This phrase is found in Principal Upanishads such as the Isha Upanishad, which ends:
Soham, or "I am That", is very common in ancient and medieval literature. Some examples include:
Upanishads
TantrasGandharva TantraKali TantraKularnava TantraMahanirvana TantraNiruttara Tantra
StotrasBhaja GaureesamGowresa AshtakamShakthi Mahimnah StotramTripurasundari Vijaya Sthava
Adi Shankara's Vakya Vritti subsequent works in the Nath tradition foundational for Hatha yoga.
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:
However, this verse 155b 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 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.