The name designating him is the mystical syllable oṁ.

Bryant Commentary:

Patañjali states here that Īśvara is represented by the mystical syllable oṁ referred to here by its synonym, praṇavaḥ. Oṁ has been understood as a sonal incarnation of Brahman (which is the most common term used for the Absolute Truth in the Upaniṣads) since the late Vedic period.177 The Taittirīya Upaniṣad, for example, states: “Brahman is oṁ, this whole world is oṁ” (I.8.1), as does the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.16), the Praśna Upaniṣad (V.2–5), and the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, which concerns itself entirely with the relation of manifest reality with this syllable. The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad describes oṁ as the bow, the self as the arrow, and Brahman as the target that must be struck, paralleling Patañjali’s statement in the next sūtra. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad states that through the practice (abhyāsa) of meditating on oṁ, one “can see God” (I.14).178 A scholastic such as Patañjali would most certainly have been well schooled in the Upaniṣads (especially given his own mandate of the prerequisite of study for success in yoga, II.1 and 44), which, as an orthodox thinker, he would have accepted as śruti, divine revelation. Even though he never refers to Brahman in the sūtras, here again we must allow for the possibility that, along with texts such as the Gītā,179 the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, the epic, and the theologies of the Purāṇas—indeed, along with all the Īśvara theologies of his time, to my knowledge—he is consciously equating the Upaniṣadic Brahman with this personal Īśvara, by means of this common denominator of oṁ.

Vyāsa raises the question, which touches upon various Indian theories of language, of whether the relationship between the person Īśvara and the designation (vācaka) oṁ is conventional—a socially agreed upon usage—or inherent and eternal. The relationship of word and meaning (signifier and object signified) has an extensive history in Indian intellectual thought. Briefly, from conventional perspectives, “elephant” refers to a particular type of creature, but “camel” (or any other term, such as “abracadabra”) would do just as well provided it becomes a designation for this creature agreed upon by the speakers of the language. Different languages use different terms for the same object. The term “elephant” is thus conventional; it does not have an eternal or absolutely binding relationship with its referent. The same obviously holds true for personal names given to people, as Vijñānabhikṣu notes: The name Devadatta is given adventitiously to a son by his father—he could just as well have called him Viṣṇupriya.

An inherent relationship, on the other hand, is eternal and not dependent on social usage. Vyāsa gives the example of the relationship between a lamp and light; wherever there is a lamp there must always and necessarily be light. Such is the relationship between Īśvara and oṁ; it is not a culturally agreed upon designation. Īśvara was known by the syllable oṁ in previous creations, and will be for all eternity; it is an eternal designation not assigned by human convention or socially agreed upon usage (we will further explore the yoga understanding of language in general in III.17).

How can this be? wonders Vācaspati Miśra. After all, oṁ is just a sound and merges back into prakṛti along with all other sounds and all material objects at the dissolution of the universe, and its powers must thereby disappear. At a new creation, how can this particular phoneme regain its power from the previous creation? It remanifests with all its previous power, he continues, just like life-forms that disappear into the earth during the dry season burst back into the same life-forms after the rains. This particular and specific phoneme is eternally invested by Īśvara with his power. One can conclude, then, that not being subject to Time, Īśvara is not subject to cyclical creation and therefore can invest his potency eternally into the sacred syllable oṁ.

The Sacred Word Designating Him Is Pranava Or The Mystic Syllable OM.

Isvara is represented by a sound, om.

The sound denoting that Self is the eternal vibration Aum, which manifests the grace of the divine presence. 

His designator is ‘Om’.

Taimini Commentary:

Having given in the previous three Sutras some necessary information about Isvara the author points out in the next three Sutras a definite method of establishing direct contact with Him. Before dealing with these three Sutras it is necessary to give very briefly some idea with regard to the theory of Mantra-Yoga, for without at least a general idea of this branch of Yoga it is not possible to understand adequately the significance of these Sutras.

Mantra-Yoga is that branch of Yoga which seeks to bring about changes in matter and consciousness by the agency of ‘Sound’ the word Sound being used not in its modern scientific sense but in a special sense as we shall see just now. According to the doctrine upon which Mantra-Yoga is based the primary manifestation of the Ultimate Reality takes place through the agency of a peculiar and subtle vibration which is called Sabda and which means Sound or Word. The world is not only created but  maintained by this Sabda which differentiates into innumerable forms of vibration which underlie the phenomenal world.

It is necessary first to understand how all the phenomena of Nature can be ultimately based on vibration or peculiar expressions of Energy. First, let us take the material side of these phenomena. Physical matter has been found by Science to consist of atoms and molecules which in their turn are the result of different combinations of still smaller particles like electrons etc. Science has not been able as yet to get a clear picture with regard to the ultimate constitution of physical matter but it has been shown definitely and conclusively that matter and energy are inter-convertible. The Theory of Relativity has shown that mass and energy are not two different entities but are one and the same, the relation between the two being given by the well-known equation of Einstein,

E=C2.(m’-m)

Not only is matter an expression of Energy but the perception of material phenomena depends upon vibrations of various kinds. Vibrations of different kinds striking the organs of sensation produce the five kinds of sensations and the familiar world of light, sound etc. is thus based on vibration. Modern psychology has not been able to investigate or understand the nature of mental phenomena but the study of these phenomena by Occult methods has shown definitely that their perception is dependent on vibrations in mediums subtler than the physical. There are some phenomena known to modern psychologists such as thought-transference which lend support to this view.

It will be seen, therefore, that there is nothing inherently absurd in the doctrine that the foundation of the whole manifested world existing on many planes and consisting of innumerable phenomena is a tremendously complex and vast aggregate of vibrations of various kinds and degrees. These vibrations or expressions of energy not only constitute the material of the manifested world (using the word material in its widest sense) but by their actions and interactions produce all the phenomena of the different planes. This conclusion, though startling, is nothing as compared with the still more myserious doctrine of Occult Science according to which all these infinitely complex vibrations of innumerable variety are the expressions of a Single Vibration and this Single Vibration is produced by the Will of the Mighty Being who is the Presiding Deity of the particular manifested world whether this world be a Solar system, Universe or the Cosmos. This tremendous, primary, and integrated vibration from which are derived all the vibrations in manifestation is called Sabda-Brahman, i.e. the  Ultimate Reality in its aspect of ‘Sound’, the word ‘Sound’ being used in the most comprehensive and rather mysterious sense as pointed out before. This doctrine put in simple and general terms means that the Ultimate Reality carrying within Itself the Samskaras of previous manifestations differentiates on manifestation into two primary and complementary expressions—one a composite Integrated Vibration called SabdaBrahman and the other an underlying integrated Consciousness called BrahmaCaitanya (i.e. the Reality in its aspect of Consciousness). These two expressions are complementary and mutually dependent since they are the dual expressions of the One Reality and appear or disappear simultaneously.

From this primary relationship of vibration and consciousness existing on the highest level of manifestation flows the relation of these two on all the planes of manifestation down to the physical. So that we find that wherever there is manifestation of consciousness there is vibration associated with it whether we are able to trace it or not. Not only are vibration and consciousness so intimately and indissolubly connected but there is a specific relationship existing between each kind of vibration and the particular aspect of consciousness which it can give expression to, so that each kind of vibration is matched, as it were, by a corresponding state of consciousness. This relation may be understood to a certain extent by considering its expression at the lowest level, namely, sensuous perception. Each particular vibration of light with a definite wavelength produces its corresponding colour perception in consciousness. Each particular vibration of sound produces perception of the corresponding note in consciousness. Although Science has not yet been able to investigate the hidden mechanism of other kinds of sensations it will probably be found when such investigations have been made successfuly that each sensation of taste, smell and touch is matched by a corresponding vibration of some kind. What is true on the lowest level is true on all levels of manifestation and therefore there is nothing inherently unreasonable in supposing that consciousness can be influenced or reached by means of vibration or to put it in other words, particular states of consciousness can be brought about by initiating particular kinds of vibrations. Not only can consciousness be affected by vibration, but consciousness by initiating particular vibrations can also influence matter and bring about changes in matter.

The broad and general principles pointed out above form the basis of MantraSastra, the science of using Mantras for bringing about certain tangible results, and also of Mantra-Yoga, the science of unification or unfoldment of consciousness by the help of Mantras. The essential idea underlying both is that by producing a particular kind of vibration through a vehicle it is possible to draw down a particular kind of force through the vehicle or to produce a particular state of consciousness in the vehicle. Such vibrations can be produced by means of Mantras each of which represents a particular combination of sounds for bringing about certain specific results.

Since a Mantra is a composite thing, a particular combination of sounds arranged in a particular way, it is interesting to enquire what are the basic sounds which are utilized in these combinations. Without going into the details of this question it may be simply stated that the letters of the Samskrta alphabet are the elements from which all Mantras of Samskrta origin are derived. Each letter is supposed to be the vehicle of a basic eternal power (that is why it is called Aksara) and when introduced into a Mantra contributes its specific influence to the total effect which is the objective of the Mantra, much in the same way as the different chemical elements contribute their specific properties to the compounds which are derived from them. There are 52 letters of the Samskrta alphabet and therefore there are 52 basic elemental powers which are available for producing all kinds of effects through the agency of Mantras in their different permutations and combinations. It does not mean, of course, that the Samskrta alphabet has some favoured place in the scheme of Nature and the sounds produced by its letters alone can be utilized in constructing Mantras. All that is meant is that the effects of sounds produced by letters in the Samskrta alphabet have been investigated and evaluated and can thus be used in the construction of Mantras. With this brief introduction let us now consider the important Sutra under discussion.

In I-26 it was pointed out that Isvara is the true Teacher of all and the source of the Inner Light by the help of which the Yogi treads the path of Liberation. How is that Inner Light to be revealed, to be uncovered so that he may have an unerring and everpresent guide within himself? This Light appears when the mind becomes sufficiently purified by the practice of Yoga as is indicated in II-28. But there are certain initial difficulties which must be overcome before the practice of Yoga can begin in right earnest. These difficulties are related to the general condition of the mind which in the case of the large majority of aspirants is not at all favourable for the practice of Yoga. It is subject to constant and sometimes violent distractions which make it impossible for the aspirant to adopt a life of discipline and to dive within the recesses of his consciousness. How are these distractions to be overcome and the mind steadied suffi ciently so that it may become possible for the aspirant to be firmly established on the path of Yoga? The next and the subsequent Sutras deal with this important problem.

The first and most effective means which Patanjali prescribed for overcoming this distracted condition of the mind is the Japa of Pranava and meditation on its meaning. He calls Pranava as the Vacaka of Isvara. What is a Vacaka? The literal meaning of Vacaka is name or designator but in Mantra-Yoga it has a specialized meaning and is used for a name which is essentially of the nature of a Mantra and has the power when used in a prescribed manner of revealing the consciousness and releasing the power of a Devata or Divine Being. Being a sound combination which is used to designate a particular Entity it is like a name. But an ordinary name is chosen arbitrarily to indicate somebody and it has no natural or mystic relationship with the person. A Vacaka, on the other hand, is a name which has a mystic relationship with the Vacya (the Entity designated) and has inherent in it the power of revealing the consciousness and releasing the power of the individual for whom it stands. Such a Vacaka is Om. It is considered to be the most mystical, sacred and powerful Mantra by the Hindus because it is the Vacaka of Isvara, the Greatest Power and the Supreme Consciousness as far as our Solar system is concerned.

It may seem preposterous to the ordinary man not familiar with the inner side of life that a mere syllable of three letters can carry hidden within it the potential power which is attributed to it by all Yogis, and references to which are found scattered throughout the sacred scriptures of the Hindus. But facts are facts and they are not at all affected by the ignorance and prejudices of people who disbelieve in them. Who could have believed fifty years ago that a mere neutron moving among a number of uranium atoms could produce an explosion powerful enough to blow up a whole city? Anyone who understands the theory of Mantra-Yoga and the relation of vibration with consciousness should be able to see that there is nothing inherently impossible in the idea of a mystic syllable possessing such a power. Besides, we should remember that the facts of the inner life with which Yoga deals are based upon experience no less than the facts of Science, though it may not be possible or desirable to demonstrate them.

The word expressive of Īśvara is the mystic sound OM. [OM is God’s name as well as form.].

Satchidananda Commentary:

Because it is difficult to understand anything without a name, Patañjali wants to give the supreme Puruṣa a name. Even if Īśvara doesn’t have a particular form, there should be a name. But “Īśvara” is a limited name; “God” is also limited because the very vibrations of the letters are limited. So Patañjali wants a name that can give an unlimited idea and vibration and which can include all vibrations, all sounds and syllables, because God is like that— infinite. So Patañjali says Īśvara’s name is “Mmmm.” We can’t easily say “Mmmm, ” so it is written as OM. OM is called praṇava, which simply means “humming.”

But you need not hum to feel God’s presence. If you hum, it is as if you were trying to create God or bring God into you. There’s no need to create God, but just to feel God in you. If you close your eyes and ears, sit quietly, allow the mind to be completely silent and then listen within, you will hear God humming. God talks to us always, but we talk so loud we fail to hear.

Here also, we have to understand why we should give a name to something. In Sanskrit there is a term “padārtha.” Colloquially, it means “thing, ” but literally it means the “pada” and “artha”: the thing and its meaning. The name and form of a thing are inseparable. When you want to express a thought, you have to put it into words. Without words you can’t convey what you are thinking. So every thought or substance should have a name to express it. That is why we have a name for everything in this world. But in the normal sense, a name may mean something but it can’t convey the exact nature of that thing. For example, when I say “apple, ” we all know what an apple is so we are able to visualize the substance behind that name. But if you have never seen or heard of an apple, the word cannot convey anything. You cannot create a picture from the word itself. You may even wonder who this “apple” is! It has only become the name of that fruit through usage.

But God’s designation should not be like that. There are hundreds and thousands of names for God but none of them conveys the exact idea of God. They may give a picture of one aspect of God, but not the fullness. God is, was and always will be —without beginning or end, infinite and omnipresent. For such a great One, there should be a name that conveys those same ideas. And not only that, but by repeating it, the very name should manifest God in you. The name “chair” can remind you of a chair, but you can’t sit on it. “Sugar” can remind you of something sweet, but you can’t taste it. But God’s name should not only denote the fullness of God and itself represent God, it should also bring God to you. And such a name cannot be anything but OM.

Please do not think that I am a Hindu and the Hindu scriptures say this so that is why I am saying it. I don’t belong to any particular religion. All the scriptures indicate this. The Bible says, “In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. ” And the Hindu Vedas say, “The name of Brahman is OM, and OM is Brahman.” Why do they say this OM is so rich, so deep, and capable of representing the omnipresent, endless and beginningless God?

Let us see why it is so. The name OM can be split into three letters: A, U, and M. That is why it is often written AUM. The entire Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad expounds the meaning of OM. There it divides OM into four stages: A, U, M and anahata, or the one that is beyond verbal pronunciation. A is the beginning of all sounds. Every language begins with the letter A or “ah.” A is pronounced by simply opening the mouth and making a sound. That sound is produced in the throat where the tongue is rooted. So audible sound begins with A. Then as the sound comes forward between the tongue and the palate up to the lips U or “oo” is produced. Then closing the lips produces the M. So the creation is A, the preservation is U and the culmination is M. So A-U-M includes the entire process of sound, and all other sounds are contained in it. Thus, OM is the origin, or seed, from which all other sounds and words come. So, in actuality, OM is dormant in all other words.

After the verbal sound ends there is still a vibration. That is the unspoken, or anahata, sound which is always in you, even before saying the A and after finishing M. There is always a sound vibration in you that can never be destroyed. You can always listen to that sound if you remain quiet. For that reason it is also called ajapa, or unrepeated. Japa means repetition, but the ajapa is that which need not be repeated; it is always going on within. It is heard only when all the other sounds cease. Even thinking creates a sound, because thought itself is a form of speaking. By thinking you distort the original sound which transcends the beginning, continuation and end of the OM sound. To listen to that sound you have to keep your mind quiet, stop the thinking process and dive within. Then you will be able to listen to that hum.

That hum is called praṇava because it is connected with prāṇa. Prāṇa is the basic vibration which always exists whether it is manifesting or not. It is never-ending. It is something like when we think, speak and act during our waking state, whereas in the sleeping condition the mind seems to keep quiet. But actually, even in the sleeping state, movement is still there. Vibration is still there in the mind in an unmanifested condition. Scientifically, we can say that when manifested objects are reduced to their unmanifested condition, they go back to the atomic vibration. Nobody can stop that atomic vibration. We say that animate objects move while inanimate ones do not, because it appears that way to our eyes. We can’t see any motion in a stone, but that does not mean it is motionless. We need not go to the scriptures. The scientists themselves have proven that.

Similarly, even without your repeating it, the basic sound is always vibrating in you. It is the seed from which all other sounds manifest. That is why OM represents God in the fullest sense. It has the power to create everything. If you make an apple out of clay, paint it beautifully and put it on a table with a real apple, an ordinary person cannot see the difference between the clay apple and the real one. They look alike and have the same name. But if you plant them both, your clay apple will not create an apple tree, but the real one will. The true apple has that creative capacity within itself because the seed is there.

Likewise, other words are just like the clay apple, while the seed word OM has the creative capacity to manifest the entire world. The entire world evolves from that and goes back into that again. That is why God’s name should be OM. No other name can be more adequate to represent God.

We should also understand that OM was not invented by anybody. Some people didn’t come together, hold nominations, take a vote, and the majority decided, “All right, let God have the name OM.” No. God manifested as OM. Any seeker who really wants to see God face to face will ultimately see God as OM. That is why it transcends all geographical, political or theological limitations. It doesn’t belong to one country or one religion; it belongs to the entire universe.

It is a variation of this OM that we see as the “Amen” or “Ameen, ” which the Christians, Muslims and Jews say. That doesn’t mean someone changed it. Truth is always the same. Wherever you sit for meditation, you will ultimately end in experiencing OM or the hum. But when you want to express what you experienced, you may use different words according to your capacity or the language you know.

For example, if some children hear somebody fire a gun and come running to their mama, one may cry, “Mama, Mama, I heard a big sound ‘Doomm.’” Another child will say, “No, Mama; it went ‘Dooop.’” “Oh, Mama, I heard a big ‘bang.’” The third child will say, “Is it ‘doomm, ’ or ‘dooop’ or ‘bang’?” These are all different versions of the same sound as heard by the different children. Likewise, if you sit and meditate and go deep into the cosmic sound, you may say, “Oh, I heard it as ‘Amen.’” Another will say, “I heard ‘Ameen.’” A third will say “ OM;” a fourth “Mmmm.” That is why the Upaniṣads say, “Ekam sat, viprahā bahudha vadanti.” “Truth is one; seers express it in many ways.”

So, here we have learned the greatness of that basic seed word OM. No other name can be more suitable than this for the Supreme. And now, having expressed its greatness, Patañjali continues by saying:

His manifesting word is Om.

SV Commentary:

Every idea that you have in the mind has a counterpart in a word; the word and the thought are inseparable. The external part of the thought is what we call word, and the internal part is what we call thought. No man can, by analysis, separate thought from word. The idea that language was created by men—certain men sitting together and deciding on words, has been proved to be wrong. So long as things have existed there have been words and language. What is the connection between an idea and a word? Although we see that there must always be a word with a thought, it is not necessary that the same thought requires the same word. The thought may be the same in twenty different countries, yet the language is different. We must have a word to express each thought, but these words need not necessarily have the same sound. Sounds will vary in different nations. Our commentator says “Although the relation between thought and word is perfectly natural, yet it does not mean a rigid connection between one sound and one idea.” These sounds vary, yet the relation between the sounds and the thoughts is a natural one. The connection between thoughts and sounds is good only if there be a real connection between the thing signified and the symbol, and until then that symbol will never come into general use. Symbol is the manifestor of the thing signified, and if the thing signified has already existence, and if, by experience, we know that the symbol has expressed that thing many times, then we are sure that there is the real relation between them. Even if the things are not present, there will be thousands who will know them by their symbols. There must be a natural connection between the symbol and the thing signified; then, when that symbol is pronounced, it recalled the thing signified. The commentator says the manifesting word of God is Om. Why does he emphasise this? There are hundreds of words for God. One thought is connected with a thousand words; the idea, God, is connected with hundreds of words, and each one stands as a symbol for God. Very good. But there must be a generalisation among all these words, some substratum, some common ground of all these symbols, and that symbol which is the common symbol will be the best, and will really be the symbol of all. In making a sound we use the larynx, and the palate as a sounding board. Is there any material sound of which all other sounds must be manifestations, one which is the most natural sound? Om (Aum) is such a sound, the basis of all sounds. The first letter, A, is the root sound, the key, pronounced without touching any part of the tongue or palate; M represents the last sound in the series, being produced by the closed lip, and the U rolls from the very root to the end of the sounding board of the mouth. Thus, Om represents the whole phenomena of sound producing. As such, it must be the natural symbol, the matrix of all the variant sounds. It denotes the whole range and possibility of all the words that can be made. Apart from these speculations we see that around this word Om are centred all the different religious ideas in India; all the various religious ideas of the Vedas have gathered themselves round this word Om. What has that to do with America and England, or any other country? Simply that the word has been retained at every stage of religious growth in India, and it has been manipulated to mean all the various ideas about God. Monists, Dualists, Mono-Dualists, Separatists, and even Atheists, took up this Om. Om has become the one symbol for the religious aspiration of the vast majority of human beings. Take, for instance, the English word God. It conveys only a limited function, and if you go beyond it, you have to add adjectives, to make it Personal, or Impersonal, or Absolute God. So with the words for God in every other language; their signification is very small. This word Om, however, has around it all the various significances. As such it should be accepted by everyone. 

The sacred word connotes Him. He is denominated by the sacred word, the Pranava (A U M). Is the relation of the sign and the thing signified between these conventional, or inherent as between flame and light ? His relation with the sign is inherent and thus ever present. Further, the convention of God shows only an object which ^exists (that which is inherent). As the relation already existing between father afid son, is only expressed by convention, this is the father, this the son. In other creations too the same convention is adopted on account of the dependence upon the connotative powers of the sign and the thing signified.

~ Rāma Prasāda translation.