THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 10, VERSE 34, VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 10

VIBHUTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS:

VERSE NUMBER 34

Text in Transliteration:

mrtyuh: sarvaharas chaa ‘ham udbhavas cha bhavishyataam

keertih: sreer vaak cha naareenaam smrrtir medhaa dhrrtih: kshamaa

Sanskrit words and phrases and their meaning:

Mrrtyuh: = death; sarvaharah: = all-devouring; cha = and; aham = I; udbhavah = the prosperity; cha = and; bhavishyataam = of those who are to be prosperous; keertih: = fame; sreeh: = prosperity; vaak = speech; naareenaam = of the feminine; smrrtih: = the memory; medhaa = intelligence; dhrrtih: = firmness; kshamaa = forgiveness.

Text in English:

And I am the all-devouring Death. I am the prosperity of those who are to be prosperous; and of female qualities, I am Fame, Fortune, Speech, Memory, Intelligence, Constancy and Forbearance.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Life and death are the obverse and reverse of existence. To the born, death is certain. The Lord is as much the force of destruction as He is of creation.

As the rain-bearing clouds are attracted to the verdure of forests, the grace of the Lord in the form of prosperity comes to those who have made themselves worthy of it.

Fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, constancy and forbearance are termed female qualities because of their grace and tenderness. Wherever these excellences are found in exuberance, there the presence of the divine is prominent.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

It is the Cosmic Mother that reveals Brahman. Without the Vidya maya or revealing power of the Mother, who can comprehend Brahman? Without knowing the Sakti, Iswara cannot be known.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

I am also the all-snatching 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 all-seizer: and hence he is called Sarvaharah: I am he.

Or, there is another interpretation. I am the Supreme Lord Who is the all-seizer, 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 qualities. 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 Dharma and so they are all called Dharmapatnis.