Reality is existence and existence is nothing but pure knowledge. To recognize something you need to know the form. E.g. a mike. When I say mike, you know what I am talking about. So there is prior knowledge already about this mike. It is impossible for someone to recognize anything without a form.

In what form the Brahman exists? It exists in the form of pure consciousness or pure knowledge. We recognize consciousness. When you see the jagat or the mike is (the is’ness is called existence). All the gross objects of perception should be reduced to thoughts. Any object is first a thought then a form. Being aware is the swarupam. Illumining is the swarupam of the light.

Does the light do anything to illumine? No.
Does the sun that projects rays, do anything to give light. No.

Likewise, the consciousness does not do anything, but in the light of consciousness all objects come to light. Consciousness by itself cannot illumine anything without the thoughts, the senses. Can you see an opaque object in darkness? No. But in light, you the opaque object is illumined and you recognize the object.
Omkaraha – Om here means is the pranava and is not actually a separate word. People who understand Veda they
Let’s understand the meaning of the word Om. It is a Mono syllabic word and contains 3 letters. Any sound comes only between guttural and lips. The word padam, shabdhaha is that comes out which helps you to connect with a given object. That by which that means something is arrived is called padam. Here all the objects are external and existent only when they are known. All the objects are Nama rupani (rupam has a name). All these are in the form of thought initially and then come out as a sound. A thought alone gets expressed as shabdhaha. Even people who blabber and don’t know what they are talking even that is coming from their subconscious mind through thoughts.

For that thought to emerge as a word, the throat is the part through which sound has to come. Vowels are called uyir ezhuthukal in Tamil. Just like a word or sentence contains vowels, so is a body that contains pranaha. The pranaha can be equated to vowels. So the Body minus prana becomes useless. Likewise 5 letters called vowels give existence to the other 21 letters to give existence. A consonant has to go with the vowel to get expressed.
Therefore all the words represent rupas of different objects.

AUM= vowels and consonants
All the vowels and consonants = Word
All the words = Objects
Objects = jagat

Therefore AUM = Jagat(which is ishwara with nama rupa).

Jagat is pure existence plus Nama rupas. As an example, can the ocean exist without H2o? Ocean is Nama rupa + h2o. Likewise jagat is Nama rupa + consciousness. This is equal to the whole lord.

Therefore Omkaraha is the sound symbol of the Ishwara. Om can be taken for meditation or contemplation. Mediating is focusing on an object where you think Om is a sound and you are different from the sound. So you have a meditator, meditated and the bhedha is there. Contemplation on Omkaraha is seeing the meaning mentally and constantly dwelling. This is called contemplation. Omkaraha upasanam can be taken for saguna upasanam or nirguna upasanam. Saguna upasanam will give you an output called experience which is time bound.

Omkara japaha becomes saguna dhyanam. Om becomes alambanam i.e. support. For the attention of the mind not to wandering, the alambanam helps to calm the mind. E.g. a child using a walker when trying to stand, it becomes a support for the child. Likewise the mind also needs support so that mind does not wander all over. Thinking of Omkara is holding on to Omkara. That is called dhyanam in Veda.

If you just simply meditate on Om as saguna upasana it will help you to calm the mind. Every sound stands for one manifestation. E.g. Akaraha stands for – subtle manifestation, ukaraha stands for – gross manifestation – makarah – stands for the unmanifest universe. Because it has only 3 sounds that’s why it should take only 3 units (maatras) of time e.g. Aum and not AUUMMM. Some people have the habit of dragging the OM as OOOOMMMM which is not correct. Each letter should take 1 maatra of time and not more nor less.

Akaraha stands for waking state, ukaraha – stands for dream state and makarah stands for deep sleep state
After every makarah state ends, you will have to invoke ukaraha. This is because when something is unmanifest, then it has to again manifest again.

When there is unmanifest what happens to all the Nama rupas? All get resolved into the unmanifest. Makarah is followed by silence before beginning the Akaraha. That silence itself stands for consciousness. Consciousness does not do any action, speak or noise. Therefore action less, silence is nothing but consciousness. Like the illumining light does not do any action, noise, silence is inseparable nature of light. The sun gives light by projecting its rays and illumines all the objects in this jagat, but to illumine the sun does not do anything. It is the nature of sun.

Therefore silence = consciousness. Consciousness does not speak but no speech is not possible without consciousness. e.g H2o is not the roaring waves, but the roaring wave is H2o. Another example would be that gold is not necklace or ring, but every necklace or ring is gold. Gold is satyam and necklace, ring are nama rupas that help us identify an object. Another example to understand is pot and space. If you close a pot what is there inside? Space. But is the pot outside of the overall space or is it within the space? Space is all pervading like consicousness.

Dwelling on the meaning of the word OM becomes contemplation and you become one with yourself. There is no meditator, meditated nor there is experience.