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 gods and goddesses were afraid of death, so they took refuge in the rites and rituals of the three Vedas. They covered themselves, as it were, with mantras. Because they covered themselves with mantras, the mantras came to be known as chandas.
Just as a person can see a fish swimming in shallow water (i.e., the fish is exposed to the risk of being caught), in the same way, Death could see the gods and goddesses when they depended on Vedic rituals (i.e., they were in easy reach of Death). Realizing this, the gods and goddesses switched over to the recitation of Om.
When people recite the Ṛk, they start with Om, reciting it with great enthusiasm. They do the same when they recite the Sāma and Yajus. This Om is akṣara and also svara. It is a symbol of immortality and fearlessness. When the gods and goddesses took refuge in it, they attained immortality and fearlessness.
Even now anyone who knows this Om and worships it thus can attain the fearlessness and immortality of Om, which is akṣara, or svara. By becoming one with Om, a person can attain immortality, just as the gods and goddesses did.
