Aksharanam Akaro'smi

In Sanskrit, the letter A is the first sound. No other letter can be spoken without it. It is the bedrock of language itself. Krishna says: among all letters, I am that A — the fundamental sound from which all speech emerges. The dvandva compound — like Rama-Lakshmana — where both elements stand as equals. Among grammatical forms, it is the most natural and balanced.

Akshayah kalah — imperishable Time. Time does not decay. It does not end. Rivers dry, mountains erode, but Time continues. And vishvatomukhah — with faces in every direction. The divine does not face one way. Wherever anyone looks, they are looking toward the divine. That is what all-directional means.

The significance of the letter A is also found in the Mandukya Upanishad, where Om's three syllables are analyzed and A is associated with the waking state. Here in the Gita, it is named as the foremost of all letters.

In 11.32, Krishna will describe Himself as kala — Time that destroys worlds. Here in 10.33, the same Time is called akshaya — imperishable. These are two aspects of the same reality.