Devanagari
अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्व: सामासिकस्य च ।
अहमेवाक्षय: कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुख: ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
akṣarāṇām a-kāro ’smi
dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca
aham evākṣayaḥ kālo
dhātāhaṁ viśvato-mukhaḥ
Synonyms
akṣarāṇām
—
of letters
;
a-kāraḥ
—
the first letter
;
asmi
—
I am
;
dvandvaḥ
—
the dual
;
sāmāsikasya
—
of compounds
;
ca
—
and
;
aham
—
I am
;
eva
—
certainly
;
akṣayaḥ
—
eternal
;
kālaḥ
—
time
;
dhātā
—
the creator
;
aham
—
I am
;
viśvataḥ-mukhaḥ
—
Brahmā.
Translation
Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahmā.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
33. I am the letter “a” among all letters. Among compounds, I am the dvandva. Among destroyers, I am Śiva and among creators, I am Brahmā, with four faces.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
33. I am the letter “a” among all letters. Among compounds, I am the dvandva. Among destroyers, I am the fire of universal destruction, and among creators, I am Brahma.
Purport
A-kāra, the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, is the beginning of the Vedic literature. Without a-kāra, nothing can be sounded; therefore it is the beginning of sound. In Sanskrit there are also many compound words, of which the dual word, like rāma-kṛṣṇa, is called dvandva. In this compound, the words rāma and kṛṣṇa have the same form, and therefore the compound is called dual.
Among all kinds of killers, time is the ultimate because time kills everything. Time is the representative of Kṛṣṇa because in due course of time there will be a great fire and everything will be annihilated.
Among the living entities who are creators, Brahmā, who has four heads, is the chief. Therefore he is a representative of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The dvandva compound is superior among compounds since its elements are equal. [Note: In the avyayībhāva compound the first element is more important: adhyātma, in the soul. In the tat-puruṣa compound the second element is more important: guṇātita, surpassing the guṇas. In the bahu-vrīhi compound both elements are unimportant, depending on reference to a third element: mahā-bahuḥ, one who has strong arms.] Among destroyers I am indestructible time. This refers to Mahākāla, Rudra, famous as the destroyer. Among the creators I am Brahmā (dhātā), with four faces (viśvato mukhaḥ).
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
Among the letters, I am “a.” The śruti says a-kāro vai sarvā vāk: the letter “a” is all letters. (Aitareya Āraṇyaka1.3.6) Among all types of compound words, I am the dvandva, because both elements have equal importance. In the other types of compounds avyayībhāva, tatpuruṣa, and bahuvrīhi one element is given more importance. Among the destroyers, I am the indestructible Kāla. This is the fire emanating from the mouth of Saṅkarṣana at the time of universal destruction. Among creators I am four-headed Brahmā (dhātā).
Surrender Unto Me
In sanskrit no word can be pronounced without the vowel A. Similarly nothing can exist without Krsna.
This 'compound word', according to Srila Jiva Goswami, in his grammar, is called the 'Rama‑Krsna' compound. It is when both parts are important. In other compounds, sometimes the first part is important but the second isn't or vice‑versa, or neither are important.