A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Even letters and time carry Krishna's presence.”
Among letters I am the letter A. Among compounds I am the dual compound. I am endless time itself, and I am the all-facing sustainer.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyamong letters · the letter A · I am · dual compound · among compounds · and · I · indeed · time · I am
Krishna says he is present in the first letter, in a basic kind of compound word, in endless time, and in the all-facing power that sustains the world.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 33 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
A child learning to read starts with the first letter of the alphabet, and a grandmother watches the years pass. Krishna claims both the letter A and endless time, so both the small start and the long count belong to him.
Did you like this verse?
The letter A, the dvandva compound and endless time: Krishna finds himself in grammar as well as the cosmos.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is present in the first letter, in a basic kind of compound word, in endless time, and in the all-facing power that sustains the world.
Context & commentary
With Arjuna frozen and the war still waiting, Krishna keeps unfolding how he appears in everything. After naming rivers, winds, and forms of knowledge, he points to language, time, and the power that holds the world together.
What it looks like today
A child learning to read starts with the first letter of the alphabet, and a grandmother watches the years pass. Krishna claims both the letter A and endless time, so both the small start and the long count belong to him.
“The ordinary and the immense are not separate. What seems small still carries the divine presence.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)