ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् | यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् || १३ ||
om ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim
om—the syllable Om; iti—thus; eka-akṣaram—the one syllable; brahma—Brahman; vyāharan—uttering; mām—Me; anusmaran—remembering; yaḥ—whoever; prayāti—departs; tyajan—leaving; deham—the body; saḥ—he; yāti—attains; paramām—the supreme; gatim—destination.
“Uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me, whoever thus departs from the body attains the supreme destination.”
Om is the sound-symbol of Brahman—the most direct sonic pointer to the Absolute. It encompasses all possible sounds and, in its silence after utterance, points to the silence that underlies all existence. Chanting Om while remembering the formless Brahman is a non-dual act: the symbol and the symbolised converging.
Incorporate Om chanting into your daily practice. Begin and end meditation with three slow, resonant repetitions of Om. Let the sound arise from deep in the abdomen, travel through the chest, and dissolve into silence. In that silence, rest for a moment before opening your eyes. This is a daily encounter with what this verse is describing.