When the swami opens his eyes there’s an audible hiss. The swami claps lightly. The recorded chanting of mantras that has continued until this moment stops instantly. Four young men—the swami’s disciples—emerge from an inner room. Three are brown, the fourth a white Caucasian. They are dressed in dhotis and sleeveless tie-up jackets. The arms of the white man bear huge tattoos. On the right arm is the image of Shiva and on the left, Parvati. The four disciples now hang a large painting high on a stand behind the swami. At the centre of the painting is a red circle. Around it are concentric rings of black, like sound waves. The swami closes his eyes again and chants a mantra in a low voice, enunciating the Sanskrit in rich, traditional cadences. When the shloka ends, he opens his eyes and explains its meaning:

That word which all the Vedas declare

That word which all the ages speak of

That word for which the desirous adopt celibacy

That word I will tell you in brief is . . .

The four disciples chant ‘aum’ in unison.

As their chanting fades, the swami says, ‘I will explain the sound symbols that form this sacred word which is not so much word as sound. The first symbol “a” stands for the waking state, for the self as universe and for Lord Vishnu. The second symbol “u” stands for the dream state, illumination and Lord Shiva. The third symbol “m” stands for the state of deep, dreamless sleep, the intellect and Lord Brahma. The ultimate reward of chanting “aum” is knowledge of Brahma which is creation itself. To tread the path to the ultimate reward while managing our worldly duties is extremely difficult, indeed impossible. However, it is possible to acquire some self-knowledge through the chanting of “aum”. Let me explain how “aum” is to be chanted.

‘You must close your eyes when you chant “aum”. But it is not enough to close your eyes if your mind wanders. If you do not concentrate, you cannot enter your innermost self even with eyes closed. I would advise you to fix your eyes on the bindu behind me to help you concentrate. The bindu is one of Lord Shiva’s powers. The bindu is the knowledge eye of yogis. We are about to enter ourselves using the concentration we acquire by focusing on it.