On Omkaaram.. the Pranavam

ब्रह्मणे त्वा महस ॐ इत्यात्मानं युन्ञ्जीत
( brahmaNe twaa mahasa AUM ityaatmaanaM yun~njiita )


"The self should be made one with the great Paramatma with the syllable OM," is the exhortation from Taittariya Shruti and is lending evidence to the concept that the basic function of OM is to bring about the unification of Jivatma and Paramatma.

There is a rule that any mantra will have its effect only if it is chanted in conjunction with Pranavam.
In the text Braahmanasarvaswam, it is said,

प्रणवाद्याः स्मृता मन्त्राः चतुर्वर्ग्ग फलप्रदाःतस्माच्च निःस्सृतास्सर्वे प्रलीयन्ते च तत्र वै
(ब्राह्मणसर्वस्वात्)
(praNavaadyaaH smR^itaa mantraaH chaturvargga phalapradaaH
tasmaachcha niHssR^itaassarve praliiyante cha tatra vai BraahmaNasarvaswaat)

Meaning "All mantras are meditated upon prefixing Om, and then alone they can give the four results or purushaarthaas, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
In fact all such mantras originate from Pranavam and submerge in it ultimately,"

ॐ कारश्च शब्दश्च द्वावेतौ ब्रह्मणः पुराकण्डं भित्वाविनिर्यातौ तस्मान्माङ्गळिकवुभौ।
माङ्गळ्यं पावनं धर्म्म्यं सर्वकामप्रसाधनंॐ कारः परमं ब्रह्मः सर्वमन्त्रेषु नायकः।

AUM kaarashcha shabdashcha dwaavetau brahmaNaH puraa
kaNDaM bhitwaaviniryaatau tasmaanmaa~NgaLikavuabhau.
maa~NgaLyaM paavanaM dharmmyaM sarvakaamaprasaadhanaM
AUM kaaraH paramaM brahmaH sarvamantreSu naayakaH.

"The flow and the roar of Omkaram came out of the throat of Brahma virtually shattering it. (The throat)
It is capable of providing us with all Maangalyam.. meaning all the exalted aims and objects of life,
and so the flow and the sound of Omkaram are both called harbingers of Mangalam.
Provider of Mangalam, purifier of the self, the quintessence of virtues or Dharma, and the provider of all just and rightful desires,
Omkaram is called the forerunner or leader of all the manthras. "

यथा पर्ण्णं पलाशस्य शङ्कुनैकेन धार्यतेतथा जगदिदम् सर्वं ॐ कारेणैव धार्यते।
याज्ञवल्क्यात्
yathaa parNNaM palaashasya sha~Nkunaikena dhaaryate
tathaa jagadidam sarvaM AUM kaareNaiva dhaaryate.
yaaj~navalkyaat

Yaajnavalkya praised Omkara like this.
" Just as the three leaves in a palasa stalk is held together by a single source ( palasa leaves occure in groups of three) the three worlds bhu, bhuva and suvaH are also held together only by pranavam.