Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 6.175
The Holy Name Is the Principal Vibration
“The subsidiary vibration tat tvam asi [“you are the same”] is meant for the understanding of the living entity, but the principal vibration is oṁkāra. Not caring for oṁkāra, Śaṅkarācārya has stressed the vibration tat tvam asi.”
What the purport teaches
- Oṁkāra, also called praṇava, is the principal Vedic vibration and the transcendental sound incarnation of the Lord’s holy name. Tat tvam asi is subordinate.
- Tat tvam asi warns the conditioned living entity not to mistake the body for the self. Śaṅkarācārya minimized oṁkāra by treating this subordinate vibration as primary.
- Chanting oṁkāra or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the occupation of liberated souls. The purport describes such chanting as free from material desire and contamination.
Try this today
Set aside one minute to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without asking for material gain.
Ask yourself
What material desires distract me from giving the holy name my attention?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.