Chapter XVII · Śloka 24
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
तस्माद् ओमित्युदाहृत्य यज्ञदानतपःक्रियाः |
प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम् ||
प्रवर्तन्ते विधानोक्ताः सततं ब्रह्मवादिनाम् ||
tasmād om ity udāhṛtya yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyāḥ |
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ satataṃ brahma-vādinām ||
pravartante vidhānoktāḥ satataṃ brahma-vādinām ||
Therefore, uttering 'Om,' the acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity enjoined by scripture are always commenced by those who study and expound the Absolute.
Om is the threshold. All sacred action is rightly begun with this utterance, not as magic formula but as a reorientation of intention: to begin with Om is to dedicate the act to the Absolute before any other purpose takes hold.