"Thus the pupil is led on step by step to what is the highest object of
the Upanishads--namely, the recognition of the self in man as identical
of the highest soul.
"The lessons which are to lead up to that highest conception of the
universe, both subjective and objective, are, no doubt, mixed up with
much that is superstitious and absurd. Still the main object is never
lost sight of. Thus, when we come to the eighth chapter, the
discussion, though it begins with Om ends with the question of the
origin of the world, and the final answer--namely, that Om means Akasa,
ether, and that ether is the origin of all things."
Dr. Lake considers electricity as the akas, or the fifth element of the
Hindus.
I shall now give my own opinion on the mystic syllable Om.
Breath consists of an inspiration termed puraka, an interval termed
kumbhaka, and an expiration called rechaka. When the respiration is
carried on by the right nostril, it is called the pingala; when it is
carried on by the two nostrils, it is named the susumna; and when it is
carried on by the left nostril, it is called ida.
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