Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 34

Chapter 10 – Vibhuti Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् ।
कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ॥

Transliteration

mṛtyuḥ sarvaharaścāhamudbhavaśca bhaviṣyatām .
kīrtiḥ śrīrvākca nārīṇāṃ smṛtirmedhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā ॥

Meaning

I am all-devouring Death, and the origin of all that is yet to be. Among feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and forgiveness.

Word meanings

मृत्युः – death
सर्वहरः – all-seizing
च – and
अहम् – I
उद्भवः – origin, rise
च – and
भविष्यताम् – of those yet to be
कीर्तिः – fame
श्रीः – prosperity, beauty
वाक् – speech
च – and
नारीणाम् – among feminine (qualities)
स्मृतिः – memory
मेधा – retentive intelligence
धृतिः – steadfastness
क्षमा – forgiveness

Anvaya (word order)

अहं सर्वहरः मृत्युः च, भविष्यताम् उद्भवः च (अस्मि); नारीणां (च) कीर्तिः, श्रीः, वाक्, स्मृतिः, मेधा, धृतिः, क्षमा (अहम् अस्मि) ।

Explanation

Mrityuh sarva-harash chaham, ‘I am all-seizing Death’. Death takes away wealth, position, relationships and the body itself; none escapes it. Shankara says death is ‘all-seizing’ in two ways: it takes away all possessions and it takes away life. To see the Lord as death means that death too belongs to His order and is not an enemy. For the devotee death is not a terror but a doorway home.

Udbhavash cha bhavishyatam, ‘and I am the origin of all that is to be’. Death and birth are two sides of one cycle. The same power that takes away on one side gives new life, new prosperity and new possibilities on the other. Ramanuja adds that the Lord is also the cause of future welfare and advancement.

Then Krishna names seven feminine qualities. In Sanskrit these words are feminine in gender, and tradition also regards them as goddesses (some sources describe them as consorts of Dharma). Kirti is fame earned by righteous deeds. Shri is beauty, grace and prosperity, the nature of Lakshmi. Vak is sweet, truthful, refined speech, the nature of Sarasvati. Smriti is the power to remember what was experienced long ago. Medha is the intelligence that retains learning. Dhriti is steadfastness, the strength to keep body and mind steady in difficulty. Kshama is forgiveness, keeping the mind unruffled in joy, sorrow and insult.

Shankara remarks that one who possesses even a trace of any one of these is honoured in the world; how much more one who has them all. The verse shows that the Lord’s glory lies not only in outer splendour but in these subtle inner qualities.

Context

Verse 33 named glories in the letter A, the dvandva, imperishable time and the sustainer. This verse names death, the source of what is to come, and seven feminine qualities. In the next verse Krishna names the Brihat Sama among chants, Gayatri among metres, Margashirsha among months and spring among seasons.

Life lesson

Do not see death as an enemy; it too is part of the Lord’s order, opening the door to new beginnings. Cultivate the seven qualities of fame, grace, sweet speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and forgiveness as glimpses of God in your own life.

Key terms

Sarvahara mrityu: all-seizing death
Udbhava: origin, future flourishing
Shri: grace and prosperity, the nature of Lakshmi
Medha: intelligence that retains knowledge
Dhriti: steadfastness, fortitude