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Thou art the Pranava and other sacred Mantras that instil life into dead matter.

Undergoing the discomforts of a residence in the abode of his preceptor, the Brahmana should study the Vedas or at least the Pranava.

Thou art Pranava; thou art the firmament bespangled with myriads of stars.

This does not prove that Pranava is really a mischievous bad word, but that, with incompetent men, it is fraught with danger.

A common designation of the word Om—for instance, in the last-named passages of the Bhagavadgita is the word Pranava, which comes from a so-called radical nu, "praise," with the prefix pra amongst other meanings implying emphasis, and, therefore, literally means "eulogium, emphatic praise."