Bijakshara

(“seed syllable”) In the esoteric ritual
tradition known as tantra, a bijakshara
is a particular set of syllabic utterances
that is believed to have an intimate connection with a deity—either as a way of
gaining access to the god’s power or as
the subtlest form of the deity itself.
These syllables are usually meaningless
sounds (for example, aum, hrim, klim),
although at times they may contain
actual words. Bijaksharas are important
not for their meaning but for the power
inherent in the sounds themselves. The
transmission of such seed syllables and
the entitlement (adhikara) to use them
is an important feature of tantric initiation (diksha). For further information
see Swami Agehananda Bharati, The
Tantric Tradition, 1977; and Douglas
116
Bijak
Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of the Three
Cities, 1990.