Om

Sacred syllable, praṇava. In the Yoga Sūtras (1.27-29), OM is the designator (vācaka) of Īśvara; its repeated contemplation leads to samādhi. The Upaniṣads identify it with Brahman itself: all that exists is OM (Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad). The Bhagavad Gītā (7.8, 8.13) declares that Kṛṣṇa is the syllable OM in the Vedas. Its three components (a-u-m) correspond to the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, with the ensuing silence as turīya. See samadhi.