Om <--> Amen

Dan Lusthaus dlusthau at MAILER.FSU.EDU
Tue Nov 17 05:45:53 UTC 1998


>        I was looking for information of any linguistic/historical
>connections between the Sanskrit Om and the Christian Amen. Does Amen
>derive from some similar word in Judaism ?

Amen in Hebrew means "I believe" (first person singular). Similar term in
Arabic. One of the traditional explanations of Om (actually A-U-M) is that
it is a quick summary of the linguistic-sonic principles encoded in the
Sanskrit alphabet, starting at the back of the throat (A) and moving the
sound forward until the lips seal it off (M). In other words, it's an
abbreviation of the Sanskrit alphabet, which as Sabda, spanda, bIjA, etc.,
is all inclusive and the creative principle in action. Om therefore means
'everything', not 'I believe.'


Dan Lusthaus
Florida State University





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