हिन्दी
Om is the closest word to Brahman. Recite this Om as if you are worshipping Brahman. (That is, treat this Om as the symbol of Brahman and concentrate on the idea of their oneness). How you recite this Om is being explained.
The earth is the essence of all things, living or non-living; water is the essence of the earth; plants are the essence of water; human beings are the essence of plants; speech is the essence of human beings; the Ṛig Veda is the essence of speech; the Sāma Veda is the essence of the Ṛig Veda; and the udhītha is the essence of the Sāma Veda.
This udgītha (Om) is the best of all essences. It is the best of all that exists. It is the eighth, and it has the highest status.
Which are the Ṛks? Which are the Sāmas? Which are the udgīthas? This is the question.
(In answer to the foregoing question) Speech is the same as Ṛk; prāṇa (life) is the same as Sāma; and Om is nothing but udgītha (Brahman) itself. They are pairs - speech and life, Ṛk and Sāma.
This dual combination of speech and prana merge into each other and become one in this syllable Om. It is like a male and a female meeting and satisfying each other’s desires.
He who worships Om as the udgītha (Brahman), knowing it as the one who receives everything, himself (finally) receives everything he desires.
That akṣaram (Om) stands for assent. A person says Om whenever he wants to say yes. This Om is the key to progress. He who worships Om as the udgītha (Brahman), knowing it thus (as the fulfiller of all desires), has all his desires fulfilled.
With Om one begins the threefold Vedic ritual, and with Om one starts reciting the Vedas. With Om one starts singing the Vedic hymns, and again with Om one sings the udgān (from the Vedas, in praise of Om, or Brahman). All this is a tribute to Om. Again, all this is possible by virtue of the essence derived from Om (in the form of wheat and other food).
He who knows about Om and he who does not know about it both work with strength they derive from Om. But knowledge and ignorance produce different results. Anything done with knowledge (about Om), with faith in the teachers and in the scriptures, and according to the principles of the Upaniṣads (or of yoga) is more fruitful. This certainly is the right tribute to Om.
