अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च । अहमेवाक्षयः कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुखः ॥
akṣarāṇāmakāro'smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikyasya ca | ahamevākṣayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṃ viśvatomukhaḥ ||
Translation
Among letters, I am the letter 'A'. Among compound words, I am the dvandva. I am indeed the inexhaustible time. I am the Supporter, facing all directions.
Interpretation
Among letters and sounds, the Divine is 'A' (akara) — the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, the first sound, the foundation of all language and speech. Among compound words (samasa), the Divine is the dvandva (the copulative compound, the most symmetric, representing the unity of two). The Divine is akshaya-kala — inexhaustible time, time that never runs out. And the Divine is dhata vishvatomukha — the sustainer facing all directions, the one who supports all existence from every angle simultaneously.