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A word of solemn affirmation and respectful assent, sometimes translated
by "yes, verily, so be it" (and in this sense compared with
Amen); it is placed at the commencement of most Hindu works,
and as a sacred exclamation may be uttered [but not so as
to be heard by ears profane] at the beginning and end of a reading
of the Vedas or previously to any prayer; it is also regarded
as a particle of auspicious salutation [Hail!]; {om} appears
first in the Upanishads as a mystic monosyllable, and is there
set forth as the object of profound religious meditation, the
highest spiritual efficacy being attributed not only to the
whole word but also to the three sounds {a}, {u}, {m}, of
which it consists; in later times {om} is the mystic name for
the Hindu triad, and represents the union of the three gods.