Kaṭha Upaniṣad 103

103

ity evaṃ pṛṣṭavate mṛtyur uvāca pṛṣṭaṃ vastu viśeṣaṇāntaraṃ ca vivakṣan -- sarve vedā yat padaṃ padanīyaṃ gamanīyam avibhāgenāvirodhenāmananti pratipādayanti, tapāṃsi sarvāṇi ca yad vadanti yat prāptyarthānīty arthaḥ / yad icchanto brahmacaryaṃ gurukulavāsalakṣaṇam anyad vā brahmaprāptyarthaṃ caranti, tat te tubhyaṃ padaṃ yaj jñātum icchasi saṅgraheṇa saṅkṣepato bravīmi, om ity etat / tad etat padaṃ yad bubhutsitaṃ tvayā / yad etad om ity oṃ śabdavācyam oṃ śabdapratīkaṃ ca ///1,2.15 //

Shankara’s Commentary:
Com.—To him, who had thus questioned, Death explained the thing asked for and also something else, i.e., the worship of ‘Om.’ What praiseworthy goal all Vedas without break, i.e., with one voice, declare, to which goal all acts of iapas are intended to lead, and desirous of which men live in the residence of their preceptor, or practise other kinds of Brahmacharya to attain the Brahman, that goal which you wish to learn, I shall tell you briefly. It is this — ‘Om’. The goal which you wish to learn is the goal which is denoted by the word ‘Om,’ and of which the word ‘Om’ is a substitute (Pratika).