Sanskrit: etymology of ॐ ?

[Michael Zwingli]

Hi there.

I am sure that this question may have been posited before, but I cannot find any information on it. Does ॐ, the "sacred syllable" of the Upanishads have any etymological meaning going back to the PIE roots? I have read that it connotes the concept of "beginning" or "a beginning", but I can find nothing in Pokorny's list of etyma which would lend support to this. If there are any out there who can provide information on this topic, I shall be quite appreciative. I will also post this query in the Etymology/linguistics forum, for good measure.

Thanks much,
Mike

 

[marrish]

You can find much information here:

Sanskrit: ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः

 

[Michael Zwingli]

Thank you, marrish. I will investigate that link.