मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् ।
कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ॥
कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
सबका हरण करनेवाली मृत्यु और उत्पन्न होनेवालोंका उभ्दव मैं हूँ तथा स्त्रीजातिमें कीर्ति, श्री, वाक्, स्मृति, मेधा, धृति और क्षमा मैं हूँ ॥
English
I am death that takes everything, and the source of all future beings. Among women, I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and forgiveness.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is both the force that ends all lives and the source of all that is yet to come. He also shines as noble qualities in women: fame, beauty, speech, memory, intelligence, steadiness, and forgiveness.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Krishna keeps revealing where he can be seen in the world. After naming letters, time, and beginnings, he now points Arjuna to death, birth, and human excellence itself. The teaching widens from cosmic power to the qualities that make life dignified.
Why this verse still matters
At a hospital bedside, a family watches both an ending and a beginning at once. This verse helps you see that loss, birth, and every admirable human quality can all be held within one larger presence.
The takeaway
Nothing precious is outside the divine presence, not even the qualities you admire in people.
Word-by-word translation
मृत्युः (death) / सर्वहरः (all-taking) / च (and) / अहम् (I am) / उद्भवः (origin) / च (and) / भविष्यताम् (of those yet to come) । कीर्तिः (fame) / श्रीः (splendour, fortune) / वाक् (speech) / च (and) / नारीणाम् (among women) / स्मृतिः (memory) / मेधा (intelligence) / धृतिः (steadfastness) / क्षमा (forgiveness)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10: Vibhuti Yoga — The Yoga of Divine Glories, which contains 42 verses.
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)