Akshara

Akshara

"indestructible", from अ, a – “not” and क्षर्, kṣar – “fragile”, “perishable”

The epithet is found in the hymns (sahasranamas) of many Deities.

In Sanskrit linguistics, a unit is distinguished in the flow of speech, consisting of a vowel and a group of consonants preceding it (a vowel can also be without a consonant).

“Through the first akshara अ of Sanskrit, the entire alphabet is revealed.

In "Tantraloka" it is considered as a symbol of Anuttara (above which there is nothing), aksharas are correlated with the tattvas of Shaivism, therefore the Sanskrit grammar (vyakarana) is regarded as a symbol of the genesis of the universe.

अ-akshara can also be considered as the sound of anahata, because this throat sound occurs almost without contact. Then, phonetically, all aksharas, starting from अ, come from one of another, that is, contractions and contacts at different points of the oral cavity “are increasing”. Thus, all aksharas of Sanskrit are manifestations of anahata. Also, anahata is present in every consonant, since they all contain it at the end. Abhinavagupta, Maheshvarananda, and other Gurus consider the entire alphabet to be, in fact, an “outflow of anahata”, namely, visarga (manifestation of creation).

In the context of the basic meaning of the term – indestructible, eternal – all aksharas of the Sanskrit alphabet represent eternity, Shiva.”

Guru Yogi Matsyendranath Maharaj