Verse 10.34
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् | कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ||३४||
Transliteration (IAST)
mrtyuh sarva-haras caham udbhavas ca bhavisyatam | kirtih srir vak ca narinam smrtir medha dhrtih ksama ||34||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
I am all-devouring death, and I am the origin of things yet to be. Among feminine qualities I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and patience.
Commentary
Death as the great equalizer is Krishna's manifestation - nothing escapes it. Yet He is also the source of all future creation, showing His sovereignty over both destruction and generation. The seven feminine qualities listed are personified as goddesses in Vedic tradition. Shankaracharya explains that these qualities are called feminine (stri) because in Sanskrit grammar these words are of feminine gender, and they represent the finest expressions of divine shakti.