diÅ›Äá¹ tvam avakÄÅ›o 'si
diÅ›aḥ khaá¹ sphoá¹a ÄÅ›rayaḥ
nÄdo varṇas tvam oá¹-kÄra
Äká¹›tÄ«nÄá¹ pá¹›thak-ká¹›tiḥ
diÅ›Äm - of the directions; tvam - You; avakÄÅ›aḥ - the power to accommodate; asi - are; diÅ›aḥ - the directions; kham - the ether; sphoá¹aḥ - elemental sound; ÄÅ›rayaḥ - having (ether) as its basis; nÄdaḥ - sound in its form of unmanifest vibration; varṇaḥ - the primeval syllable; tvam - You; oá¹-kÄraḥ - oá¹; Äká¹›tÄ«nÄm - of particular forms; pá¹›thak-ká¹›tiḥ - the cause of differentiation (namely, manifest language).
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.
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):
catvÄri vÄk-parimitÄ padÄni
tÄni vidur brÄhmaá¹‡Ä ye manÄ«á¹£iṇaḥ
guhÄyÄá¹ trīṇi nihitÄni neá¹…gayanti
turÄ«yaá¹ vÄco manuá¹£yÄ vadanti
“Discriminating brÄhmaṇas 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.â€
