Om
A Sanskrit word of peculiar sanctity in the Hindu religion. It is pronounced at the beginning and end of every lesson in the Veda, and is also the introductory word of the Puranas. It is said in the Katha-Upanishad:
Whoever knows this syllable obtains whatever he wishes." Various accounts are given of its origin; one that it is the term of assent used by the gods, and probably an old contracted form of the Sanskrit word evam meaning "thus." The laws of the Manu say that the word was formed by Brahma himself, who extracted the letters a u m from the Vedas, one from each; and they thus explain its mysterious power and sanctity. Om is also the name given by the Hindus to the spiritual sun, as opposed to "Sooruj " the natural sun.