Bhagavad Gita 10.33 अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च

Bhagavad Gita 10.33 — word by word

Explanation

Among letters I am the letter A, Krishna says; among compounds I am the dvandva. I alone am inexhaustible time, and I am the sustainer whose faces turn in every direction. The verse moves from the sounds and grammar of language to time and the one who sustains the world.

In Sanskrit, a is the first letter and, according to the grammarians, the basic sound present in every consonant; the Aitareya Aranyaka calls it the whole of speech. A dvandva is a compound in which the members are joined as equals, like rāma-kṛṣṇau, Rama and Krishna; commentators say it is chosen because no part dominates the others. Time here is akṣaya, unending, which commentators contrast with the measured time of verse 30. Dhātā, the sustainer or ordainer, is viśvato-mukha, facing all ways, who sees and supports all beings at once.

भावार्थ

अक्षरों में मैं अकार हूँ, समासों में द्वन्द्व समास हूँ, मैं ही अक्षय काल हूँ और सब ओर मुख वाला, सबका धारण-पोषण करने वाला विधाता मैं हूँ। द्वन्द्व समास में दोनों पद बराबर महत्त्व रखते हैं।

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