My new born son was 11 days old, when my father first met him. My father had come to join us in naming my child. Immediately upon his arrival he woke up the sleeping baby and taking him in his arms, he started to whisper a mantra in his ears.

The mantra was "Om Tat Sat".

Curious as I was then, I asked him why he was whispering that mantra in the ears of a 11 days old baby.

My father answered, "It is the gift of his grandfather.  I want this mantra to vibrate in the total being of the baby and become his weapon to conquer and also his shield to defend".

Om Tat Sat.

These words are dynamically potent and symbolize the core principle of Hinduism.

Om, is perhaps the only word that phonetically and logically signifies the primordial sound. It is said that all the Vedas dissolve into the Gayatri and the Gayatri itself dissolves into Om. It is perhaps for this reason that almost all Vedic Shlokas (verses) begin with the word Om.

What exactly does this mantra mean?

Literally translated, Om Tat Sat, means: "Om as the vital force (Pranavayu) is the key element (Tat) in all existence (Sat)".

It implies that God is breath of life force itself. And that this Life Force is all pervading in the entire Creation.

Now this awareness becomes very helpful and propels us to view and perceive things with a dynamic perspective. When we see another person with this awareness in the backdrop, we recognize instantly the same divinity that assumingly we find in our own self. The sense of superficial superiority or inferiority is taken over by a sense of love, trust, respect, compassion and universal brotherhood. 

In today's context when social life itself has become competitive and complex the understanding and awareness of this mantra becomes very handy. It helps us in self acceptance as we are and also in accepting the others as they are. For all apparent differences are caused by Time, Space and Causation.

The aim and goal of all religious study should be to help us in leading our lives in harmony and coherence. 

Read also:  Panchatatva