Then Śaibya Satyakāma asked him: If someone among humans meditates on the syllable Oṅkāra until the moment of death, which world, verily, does he conquer thereby? To him he replied:

The fifth praśna begins. Śaibya Satyakāma asks about the result of meditating on Oṅkāra (Om) until death (prāyaṇa-anta). This is a specific practice of yoga: the japa (repetition) and dhyāna (meditation) of the Om mantra.

Oṅkāra is the sacred syllable par excellence, composed of three letters (mātrās): A, U, M. It represents the complete Brahman — the three states of consciousness (waking, dreaming, deep sleep) and the fourth transcendent state.

The question is practical: “which loka (world, state of existence) is obtained?” The Upaniṣads recognize different destinies according to the practice performed. One who meditates on Om is not the same as one who only performs rituals.

The teacher Pippalāda will now explain the different results according to the quality of meditation on Om.