Gita 10.33
Vibhuti Yoga
अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च । अहमेवाक्षयः कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुखः ॥३३॥
akṣarāṇām akāro 'smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca | aham evākṣayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṁ viśvato-mukhaḥ ||33||
In essence: In language, in time, in creation itself - God is the foundation upon which everything else is built, the eternal presence from which nothing is hidden.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Why would God identify with something as mundane as a letter of the alphabet? Isn't this trivializing the Divine?"
Guru: "What do you use to think with?"
Sadhak: "My mind... thoughts... which are often in language."
Guru: "And what is language made of?"
Sadhak: "Words, which are made of sounds, which come from letters..."
Guru: "So your very capacity to think, communicate, learn scripture, speak prayers - all rest on these 'mundane' letters. And among them, 'A' is foundational - the open mouth, the basic sound that all others modify. Far from trivializing, Krishna is showing that the Divine pervades even what you consider mundane. There is no 'secular' realm separate from the sacred. Every act of speech participates in divine manifestation. Every thought shaped by language is moving through a divine medium."
Sadhak: "The phrase 'inexhaustible Time' is confusing. Doesn't time run out? We say time is limited..."
Guru: "For whom does time run out?"
Sadhak: "For individuals - we have limited lifespans."
Guru: "But does Time itself end when an individual dies? Or do you mean that the individual's allotment of time ends?"
Sadhak: "The individual's time ends, but Time itself continues..."
Guru: "This is what Krishna means by akṣaya kāla - the eternal Time that never exhausts, within which all finite times appear and disappear. Individual creatures have beginnings and endings IN time, but Time itself - as divine principle - is inexhaustible. Krishna is not the minutes you're running out of; He is the eternal NOW within which all minutes arise. Identifying with that Time rather than your time-bound body is part of liberation."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Akāra meditation: Begin the day with 3-5 minutes of chanting 'A' (as in 'father') - the open, foundational sound. Feel how this sound requires the most basic opening of the mouth, how all other sounds modify it. As you chant, contemplate: 'This foundational sound is divine. Language itself - which structures my thinking and connects me to others - is sacred.' Let this sanctify all speech and thought for the day ahead.
Dvandva awareness: Notice the pairs of opposites you encounter today - pleasant/unpleasant experiences, success/failure, praise/criticism. Instead of grasping one and rejecting the other, practice holding both as the Divine's dvandva. Ask: 'Can I remain equally present to both sides of this polarity, as God holds all opposites simultaneously?' This doesn't mean passive indifference but engaged equanimity.
Viśvato-mukha contemplation: Before sleep, imagine the Divine presence facing you from all directions - above, below, and every side. Nothing of your day was hidden; all was witnessed with compassion. Let this awareness clear any residue of shame or fear of judgment. The same presence that saw your mistakes also saw your sincere efforts. Rest in being fully known by One who faces everywhere, yet loves completely.