Endings and virtues both reveal Krishna.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् |कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ||१०-३४||
mṛtyuḥ sarvaharaścāhamudbhavaśca bhaviṣyatām . kīrtiḥ śrīrvākca nārīṇāṃ smṛtirmedhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā ||10-34||
Use this verse for mortality and virtue reflection.
Meaning
I am all-devouring death and the origin of future beings; among feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, fortitude, and patience.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is both ending and beginning, and also refined virtues.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse faces mortality without fear and honors qualities that sustain culture and wisdom: speech, memory, intelligence, patience, and forgiveness.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna holds together the two faces of existence: He is mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraḥ, all-devouring Death that takes everything away, and equally He is udbhava, the rising and prosperity of all that is yet to come. Destruction and birth are not opposing forces but the single breathing of the Divine.
To know this is to lose the terror of death and the grasping for gain — for both are held in one hand.
He then names seven luminous qualities, traditionally feminine and personified as goddesses: fame (kīrti), prosperity (śrī), speech (vāk), memory (smṛti), intelligence (medhā), steadfastness (dhṛti), and forgiveness (kṣamā). These are not mere abstractions but living powers to be cultivated. Wherever such graces shine in a human life, there shines a glory of the Lord — and the seeker is invited to nurture them as sacred.
In daily life
Let mortality inspire wise and patient living.
Knowing life is limited can make a person speak more kindly and forgive sooner.
Try this today
Practice one virtue: patience, memory, speech, or forgiveness.
I meet change with wisdom and patience.Reflect
Which virtue do I need most now?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘उद्भवः च’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on renewal, in other chapters
- Verse 4.2Even the highest wisdom fades when it stops being practiced and transmitted with sincerity; truth must be renewed in every age.
- Verse 9.7Creation moves in vast cycles of dissolution and renewal — what looks like an ending is a return to source, never true loss.
- Verse 11.42 · ArjunaThe Divine walks with us through ordinary life; recognizing this awakens both humility and gratitude.
- Verse 12.13True devotion shows itself as freedom from ego and warmth toward every living being.
Swipe left for 10.35 · Sacred rhythm renews the heart.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 10.34
Who says Bhagavad Gita 10.34, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 10.34, in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga (Vibhuti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 10.34 mean?
I am all-devouring death and the origin of future beings; among feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, fortitude, and patience. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 10.34 for daily life?
Let mortality inspire wise and patient living. Knowing life is limited can make a person speak more kindly and forgive sooner.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 10.34 mean?
मृत्युः सर्वहरः च अहम् — I am all-devouring Death; उद्भवः च — and the origin / prosperity; भविष्यताम् — of things yet to be; कीर्तिः — fame; श्रीः — prosperity / beauty.
Where does verse 10.34 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 34 of 42 in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga. The next verse is 10.35.