Sanskrit
अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च । अहमेवाक्षयः कालो धाताऽहं विश्वतोमुखः ॥ ३३ ॥
akṣarāṇām akāro'smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca aham evākṣayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṃ viśvatomukhaḥ
Translation
Of letters the letter A I am, and the duality of a compound; I also everlasting Time; I the Supporter, whose face turns everywhere.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The letter A among letters, chosen deliberately — traditionally the first sound and the seed-syllable underlying all speech, echoing Om’s status as “the one syllable” back in verse 25. Paired oddly with dvandva, a specific Sanskrit grammatical compound-type, showing the list is willing to reach into technical grammar for an example. Akāro ‘smi — “I am the letter A” — the sound every consonant carries by default, the seed of speech. Akṣayaḥ kālaḥ, “imperishable Time,” is the third naming of the death-time figure, one verse before it turns explicit.
Study deeper
Word by word
- akṣarāṇām akāro'smiअक्षराणां अकारोऽस्मि
- among letters I am the letter A (akṣarāṇām + a-kāraḥ + asmi)
- dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya caद्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च
- among compounds, the dvandva (dvandvaḥ + sāmāsikasya + ca)
- aham evākṣayaḥ kāloअहं एवाक्षयः कालो
- I alone am imperishable Time (aham + eva + akṣayaḥ + kālaḥ)
- dhātāhaṃ viśvatomukhaḥधाताहं विश्वतोमुखः
- I am the sustainer, facing everywhere (dhātā + aham + viśvataḥ-mukhaḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Dvandva is chosen here for its precise grammatical sense, a particular type of Sanskrit compound — but the same word is the ordinary term for conflict, opposition, pairs of opposites, even single combat (dvandva-yuddha). A verse otherwise absorbed in grammar and phonetics reaches for a word that, read outside its technical sense, describes exactly the confrontation Arjuna is paused inside of.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Notice when a term you use for a narrow, technical purpose carries a different, more resonant meaning in your actual situation — the vocabulary you reach for out of habit sometimes says more about what you're facing than you intended.
Professional
- Jargon adopted for a narrow technical purpose sometimes carries an ironic double meaning that names the real conflict at hand — pay attention when a term your team uses casually turns out to describe the actual tension you're avoiding naming directly.
Family & Social
- A word used casually in a family conversation can carry a deeper resonance than intended — if a phrase keeps surfacing, it may be worth asking what it's actually pointing to underneath the casual use.
Ask yourself
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