SB 10.85.9 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

दिशां त्वमवकाशोऽसि दिश: खं स्फोट आश्रय: । नादो वर्णस्त्वम् ॐकार आकृतीनां पृथक्कृति: ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

diśāṁ tvam avakāśo ’si diśaḥ khaṁ sphoṭa āśrayaḥ nādo varṇas tvam oṁkāra ākṛtīnāṁ pṛthak-kṛtiḥ

Synonyms

diśām — of the directions ; tvam — You ; avakāśaḥ — the power to accommodate ; asi — are ; diśaḥ — the directions ; kham — the ether ; sphoṭaḥ — elemental sound ; āśrayaḥ — having (ether) as its basis ; nādaḥ — sound in its form of unmanifest vibration ; varṇaḥ — the primeval syllable ; tvam — You ; oṁkāraḥ — om ; ākṛtīnām — of particular forms ; pṛthak — kṛtiḥ — the cause of differentiation (namely, manifest language) .

Translation

You are the directions and their accommodating capacity, the all-pervading ether and the elemental sound residing within it. You are the primeval, unmanifested form of sound; the first syllable, om; and audible speech, by which sound, as words, acquires particular references.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

You are the directions and their accommodating capacity, the all-pervading ether and the elemental sound residing within it. You are the primeval, unmanifested form of sound; the first syllable, oṁ; and audible speech, by which sound, as words, acquires particular references. KB 10.85.9 “The vast expanse of outer space rests in You. The vibration of the sky (its thunder), the supreme sound (oṁkāra) and the arrangement of different words to distinguish one thing from another are all symbolic representations of You.

Purport

In accordance with the general process of creation, speech always becomes audible in stages, which proceed from subtle inner impulse to outward expression. These stages are mentioned in the mantras of the Ṛg Veda (1.164.45): catvāri vāk-parimitā padāni tāni vidur brāhmaṇā ye manīṣiṇaḥ guhāyāṁ trīṇi nihitāni neṅgayanti turīyaṁ vāco manuṣyā vadanti “Discriminating brāhmaṇas know of four progressive stages of language. Three of these remain hidden within the heart as imperceptible vibrations, while the fourth stage is what people ordinarily understand as speech.”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

"You are the directions and the space created by the conditioning of ether. You are ether (kham) and its product sound (sphota) the sabda tanmatra , the subtlest manifestation of word called para. The pasyanti (nada) and madhyama stages of sound (omkara) are you. You are the meaningful words (krtih) denoting objects (akrtinam), the vyaikhari stage of sound." The sruti says, "The wise brahmanas know four stages of sound. Three forms of sound remain hidden in the heart and cannot be detected. The fourth, words, are spoken by man."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

You are the shelter of everything and thus you are the directions, ether etc.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Āśrayaḥ indicates the śakti of ākāśa. The different types of sound—non-different from the condition of sound, are described.