Chapter 10 · Shloka 33— The Yoga of Divine Glories

अहमेवाक्षय: कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुख: || 33|| akṣharāṇām a-kāro ’smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya cha aham evākṣhayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṁ viśhvato-mukhaḥ

akṣharāṇām

— amongst all letters

a-kāraḥ

— the beginning letter “A”

asmi

— I am

dvandvaḥ

— the dual

sāmāsikasya

— amongst grammatical compounds

cha

— and

aham

— I

eva

— only

akṣhayaḥ

— endless

kālaḥ

— time

dhātā

— amongst the creators

aham

— I

viśhwataḥ-mukhaḥ

— Brahma

"Aksaranam a-karo 'smi dvandvah samasikasya ca, aham evaksayah kalo dhataham visvato-mukhah." — Among letters I am the letter A; among compounds I am the dvandva (the copulative compound); I alone am inexhaustible Time; I am the sustainer facing in all directions. Krishna continues. 'Aksaranam a-karah asmi' — among letters (aksaras), I am the letter A (a-kara), the first sound, the root from which all other sounds and speech arise (every consonant requires the vowel 'a' to be voiced). 'Dvandvah samasikasya ca' — among grammatical compounds (samasa), I am the dvandva (the copulative compound, which joins words as equals, e.g. 'Rama-and-Krishna'). 'Aham eva aksayah kalah' — I alone am inexhaustible (aksaya), endless Time (kala) — again identifying with Time (cf. 10.30, 11.32). 'Dhata aham visvato-mukhah' — I am the sustainer (dhata), facing in all directions (visvato-mukha), supporting and dispensing the fruits of all everywhere. Shankaracharya notes the identification with the letter A as especially evocative: A is the primordial sound, the first and root of all speech. In the Indian grammatical and spiritual tradition, A is considered the source-sound from which all language unfolds — and indeed, Krishna later says (in some traditions) that the letter A pervades all sounds. To be the letter A is to be the foundational element underlying all expression and meaning. The insight is subtle and beautiful: the Divine is identified with the most foundational, root element of things — the first sound from which all speech unfolds, the very Time that contains all events, the sustainer present in all directions. The teaching points to recognizing the Divine not just in the grand and impressive but in the most basic, foundational, root realities — the simplest element from which complexity unfolds. There is something profound in this: the deepest reality is often found not in the elaborate and the impressive but in the simplest, most fundamental ground from which everything else arises. Look for the sacred in the foundations, the roots, the first and simplest elements — for there the whole rests.

Notice a subtle shift here: Krishna identifies with the letter A — the first sound, the root from which all speech unfolds (every spoken sound needs that foundational vowel). This points to recognizing the Divine not just in the grand and impressive, but in the most foundational, root elements — the simplest ground from which all complexity unfolds. There's something profound in this for how we look for what's deepest. We tend to chase the elaborate, the complex, the impressive — assuming the deepest reality must be found in grand things. But the Gita points the other way too: the most fundamental reality is often found in the simplest, most basic ground from which everything else arises. The first letter, before all words. The bare awareness, before all thoughts. The simple breath, before all activity. The quiet foundation, before all the noise built on top. There's a kind of wisdom in returning to the roots, the foundations, the simplest elements — because that's where the whole thing actually rests. So don't only look 'up' toward the grand and complex for what's deepest; look 'down' toward the foundational and simple. The sacred is in the roots as much as the heights. The simplest ground holds everything.

Notice a subtle shift here: Krishna identifies with the letter A — the first sound, the root from which all speech unfolds (every spoken sound needs that foundational vowel). This points to recognizing the Divine not just in the grand and impressive, but in the most foundational, root elements — the simplest ground from which all complexity unfolds. There's something genuinely profound here for how we look for what's deepest. We tend to chase the elaborate, the complex, the impressive — assuming the deepest reality has to be found in grand things. But the Gita points the other way too: the most fundamental reality is often found in the simplest, most basic ground that everything else arises from. The first letter, before all words. Bare awareness, before all thoughts. The simple breath, before all activity. The quiet foundation, before all the noise built on top of it. There's real wisdom in returning to the roots, the foundations, the simplest elements — because that's where the whole thing actually rests. So don't only look 'up' toward the grand and complex for what's deepest; look 'down' toward the foundational and simple. The sacred is in the roots as much as the heights. The simplest ground holds up everything.

Krishna shares a cool example: among all the letters, He's the letter 'A' — the very first sound, the one that all other sounds and words are built from! (Try saying any letter — you often need that 'ah' sound underneath!) This teaches us something neat: God isn't only found in big, fancy, impressive things — God is also in the simplest, most basic foundations that everything is built on! Like how a whole tall building rests on a simple foundation, or how all words start from simple letters. So when looking for what's wonderful and deep, don't only look at the big, flashy things — look at the simple foundations too! The quiet, simple things — your breath, the ground beneath you, the first letter of the alphabet — are where everything else is built from. The most wonderful things are sometimes found in the simplest, most basic places!