Akshara

What does Akshara mean?

Akshara brings together two Sanskrit senses: ‘imperishable’ and ‘letter’ or ‘syllable’. The underlying adjective akṣara means lasting or unchanging, while its noun uses include a sound, syllable or letter. Wiktionary records the feminine form akṣarā with the senses ‘word’ and ‘speech’. These meanings explain the name's connections with both language and endurance. They are related dictionary uses of the word, rather than a single phrase that translates all of its associations at once.

Source: Wiktionary, अक्षरा. How we use sources.

Spelling and pronunciation

अक्षरा is approximately ak-sha-raa, in three syllables with a long ending. Aksara is another Roman rendering. The ksh combines k with a sh made with the tongue curled back, though regional pronunciations vary. The first two vowels are short; the final aa distinguishes the feminine form.

Also spelled Aksara.

Akshara in tradition and story

The Bhagavad Gita contrasts akṣara, the imperishable, with kṣara, the perishable. The Upanishads also use the word for om and ultimate reality. Within Swaminarayan Hinduism, the Akshar Purushottam tradition takes part of its name from this same term.