Bhagavad-gītā 10.34
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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mṛtyuḥ
—
death
From mṛ — 'to die.' The all-consuming. Kṛṣṇa identifies with the great equalizer, the force from which no being is exempt. To make peace with mṛtyu is to make peace with Him.
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sarva - haraḥ
—
all-devouring
Compound: sarva (all) + haraḥ (one who takes). Modifies mṛtyu. Reinforces death's totality — it takes everything, leaving nothing behind. Kṛṣṇa absorbs this fact rather than denying it.
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udbhavaḥ
—
generation
From ud-bhū — 'to arise upward.' The generative principle of all that is to be (bhaviṣyatām). Paired with mṛtyu in the same verse: Kṛṣṇa is both the gate out and the gate in. Beginning and end are one Person.
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kīrtiḥ
—
fame
From kīrt — 'to praise, call out.' The legitimate kind of fame, earned through right action. First of the seven feminine virtues named. Kṛṣṇa lays claim to honored reputation as His own form.
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smṛtiḥ
—
memory
From smṛ — 'to remember.' The capacity to hold what has been received. Crucial for spiritual life — devotional remembrance (smaraṇa) is one of the nine limbs of bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is the very faculty by which devotees remember Him.
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kṣamā
—
patience, forgiveness
Already named in 4-5. Recurring placement here — among feminine excellences — emphasizes its centrality. The forgiving heart is not weakness but Kṛṣṇa's own gift.
As soon as a man is born, he dies at every moment. Thus death is devouring every living entity at every moment, but the last stroke is called death itself. That death is Kṛṣṇa. As for future development, all living entities undergo six basic changes. They are born, they grow, they remain for some time, they reproduce, they dwindle, and finally they vanish. Of these changes, the first is deliverance from the womb, and that is Kṛṣṇa. The first generation is the beginning of all future activities. The seven opulences listed – fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience – are considered feminine. If a person possesses all of them or some of them he becomes glorious. If a man is famous as a righteous man, that makes him glorious. Sanskrit is a perfect language and is therefore very glorious. If after studying one can remember a subject matter, he is gifted with a good memory, or smṛti. And the ability not only to read many books on different subject matters but to understand them and apply them when necessary is intelligence ( medhā ), another opulence. The ability to overcome unsteadiness is called firmness or steadfastness ( dhṛti ). And when one is fully qualified yet is humble and gentle, and when one is able to keep his balance both in sorrow and in the ecstasy of joy, he has the opulence called patience ( kṣamā ).
Among all types of deaths which are happening at every moment, I am death which takes away all memory. It is said mṛtyur atyanta-vismṛtiḥ: death is extreme forgetfulness. (SB 11.22.39) Among the transformations which will take place for the living entities in the future, I am birth, the first transformation. Among women, I am fame, beauty, and refined speech (vāk), these three and also the four: memory, intelligence, fortitude and tolerance. Ca indicates the other wives of Dharma such as Mūrti [Note: Dharma married thirteen daughters of Dakṣa. Śraddhā, Maitrī, Dayā, Sānti, Tuṣṭi, Puṣṭi, Kriyā, Unnati, Buddhi, Medhā, Titikṣā, Hrī and Mūrti are mentioned in SB 4.1.49. Mahābhārata gives a different list which includes Kīrti, Śrī, and Dhṛti. Vāk does not seem to be one of Dharma’s wives.].
Among the deaths happening at all times, I am that death which takes away all memory. Among the transformations of the living entities which will take place, I am the first transformation, birth (udbhavaḥ). Among women, the seven listed here starting with Kīrti are My vibhūtis. They are deities. Just by possessing a reflection of their qualities, men become praiseworthy. Kīrti means fame because of good qualities like religiosity. Śrī means wealth in the areas of dharma, artha and kāma; or effulgence of the body. Vāk means cultured language which can express anything. Smṛti is the power of remembering things which have been experienced. Medhā is the power of understanding the meaning of many scriptures. Dhṛti is the power to extinguish agitation when it appears. Kṣamā is the power to remain with unchanging heart on receiving either joy or sorrow.
This means 'of all feminine qualities'. It doesn't have nothing to do with women particulary, but in sanskrit there are many qualities that are feminine. And among all those qualities, these seven are considered representing Krsna. Srila Prabhupada states in his Purport: "The seven opulences listed ‑ fame, fortune, etc, etc... are considered feminine. If a person possesses all of them or some of them, he becomes glorious."
Death is described here as sarva-haraù, all-devouring, because it takes everything away, including
our memories.
Many qualities in the Sanskrit language are considered feminine, and among them, these seven rep-
resent Kṛṣṇa. Men may also possess these qualities. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport: “The
seven opulences listed—fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and pa-
tience—are considered feminine. If a person possesses all of them or some of them he becomes
glorious.”
10.34 मृत्युः death? सर्वहरः alldevouring? च and? अहम् I? उद्भवः the prosperity? च and? भविष्यताम् of those who are to be prosperous? कीर्तिः frame? श्रीः prosperity? वाक् speech? च and? नारीणाम् of the feminine? स्मृतिः the memory? मेधा intelligence? धृतिः firmness? क्षमा forgiveness.Commentary I am also the allsnatching death that destroys everything. Death is of two kinds? viz.? he who seizes wealth and he who seizes life. Of them he who seizes life is the allseizer and,hence he is called Sarvaharah. I am he.Or? there is another interpretation. I am the Supreme Lord Who is the allseizer? because I destroy everything at the time of the cosmic dissolution.I am the origin of all the beings to be born in the future. I am the prosperity and the means of achieving it of those who are fit to attain it.Beauty is Sri. Lustre is Sri. I am fame? the best of the feminine alities. People who have attained slight fame think that they have achieved great success in life and that they have become very big or great men. I am speech which adorns the throne of justice. I am memory which recalls objects and pleasures of the past.The power of the mind which enables one to hold the teachings of the scriptures is Medha. Firmness or Dhriti is the power to keep the body and the senses steady even amidst various kinds of sufferings. The power to keep oneself unattached even while doing actions is Dhriti. It also means courage. Kshama also means endurance.Fame? prosperity? memory? intelligence and firmness are the daughters of Daksha. They had been given in marriage to Dhrama and so they are all called Dharmapatnis.
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- Recognize feminine virtues as Kṛṣṇa's specific opulence.
- Honor the seven feminine qualities listed; cultivate them.
- Don't separate the feminine from the divine.
- Which of these seven qualities is least developed in my circle?
- How can I honor it?
Death that swallows everything; the generative spark of all that is yet to come; the seven inner riches that adorn a woman — fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadiness, patience. Kṛṣṇa balances the verse: the destroyer of all and the seed of all to be, with feminine virtues between them. The two ends of existence and the graces that brighten its middle.
After the Kurukṣetra war, when Kṛṣṇa was about to leave for Dvārakā, Queen Kuntī prayed: 'Let calamities come, again and again, that we may always see You.' Her speech is among the most-quoted in the Bhāgavatam — fine speech (vāk), steady memory of Him (smṛti), patience through every reversal (kṣamā).
The seven feminine qualities Kṛṣṇa names in this verse — kīrti, śrī, vāk, smṛti, medhā, dhṛti, kṣamā — are visible in Kuntī's life as a single demonstration. She did not possess them as private virtues; she was their channel, and Kṛṣṇa identifies them here as His own.
My note
Source: vedabase.io