Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 8: The Imperishable Absolute

Bhagavad Gita 8.13

omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran | yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||

uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering me: one who departs in this way, leaving the body, reaches the highest goal.

Modern context

Om is described as a single syllable that is itself Brahman. It is the most sacred sound in the Indian traditions, said at the beginning and end of prayers. Its value as a practice is partly its simplicity. A single sound, repeated, gives the wandering mind one point to rest on. Joined with remembrance of the divine, it gathers the whole person into one focus. Anyone, at any level, can begin with it.