Om ity ekaksharam brahma vyaharan mam anusmaran, yah prayati tyajan deham sa yati paramam gatim
The one-syllable Om is Brahman. One who departs the body while chanting Om and remembering Me attains the supreme destination. Om is the sonic form of Brahman — the primordial sound that contains all of creation. Departing while vibrating Om while holding God in mind leads to the highest goal.
- •Om is the sacred syllable that embodies Brahman in sound
- •Chanting Om at death while remembering God grants the supreme destination
- •The combination of sacred sound and divine remembrance is supremely liberating
Pitaham asya jagato mata dhata pitamahah, vedyam pavitram omkar riksama yajur eva ca
I am the father, mother, sustainer and grandfather of this universe, the object of knowledge, the purifier, the syllable Om, and the Rig, Sama and Yajur Vedas. The Lord reveals Himself as the cosmic parent and the very foundation of all scriptural knowledge.
- •God is the cosmic parent — father, mother, and grandfather of creation
- •The sacred syllable Om is a direct expression of the Divine
- •All Vedic wisdom ultimately points to and originates from the Lord
Maharshiphinam bhrigur aham giram asmy ekam aksharam, yajnanam japa-yajno 'smi sthavaranam himalayah
Among the great sages I am Bhrigu; among vibrations I am the transcendental Om; among sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names (japa); and among immovable things I am the Himalayas. The sacred syllable Om is the supreme vibration, and japa — silent repetition of divine names — is the highest form of sacrifice.
- •Om is the most sacred vibration and the direct expression of the Supreme
- •Japa (repetition of sacred names) is the highest form of sacrifice in this age
- •The Himalayas represent the stability, grandeur, and elevation of divine presence
tasmad om ity udahritya yajna-dana-tapah-kriyah, pravartante vidhanoktah satatam brahma-vadinam
Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity as prescribed by scripture are always begun with the utterance of 'Om' by those who study the Brahman.
- •Om is the sacred syllable that sanctifies all spiritual acts
- •Scriptural acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity begin with Om
- •Invoking Om aligns individual action with the eternal Brahman