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Ch.10.34: I am the all ending death; and I am the origin
of what happens in future. In women, I am fame, beauty,
speech, memory intelligence, fortitude and patience.
Commentary: As far as the earthly life is concerned, death is the
end of everything that a being acquires from Nature, which
includes both the mind and the body. Therefore, death is
rightly described here as all devouring and all ending (sarva
hara). Death shares the functions of destruction and renewal
with Brahman. As the Destroyer, Brahman is the ultimate
cause of death and destruction in the mortal worlds. His
destruction has the twin purpose of ending and beginning
the cyclical nature of existence to continue the course
of creation as ordained. He destroys what is undesirable
and renews what is obligatory to uphold the order and regularity
of the universe. In our case, He ends what we desperately
try to hold on to as ours. He does it by opening our eyes
to the inherent nature of our existence and the possibilities
that exist beyond it. When we continue to cling to things
and wallow in darkness and desires, death comes as an interruption
to end our striving and craving. Imagine how oppressive
life would be if there is no death for us. The life of Bhishma
is a great example to know how prolonging life beyond ordinary
limits can really become a source of mental torture. We
are in a way blessed because our lives are limited and we
do not have to suffer upon earth for too long. In death,
we find a temporary respite and a great opportunity to start
all over again and do things differently so that we may
have a better future. In this regard also, Brahman has a
role to play. He not only puts an end to things and beings,
He also sows the seeds of things that are yet to come. Thus,
through the process of destruction, renewal and regeneration,
He makes sure that existence in various dimensions of His
creation continues in an orderly manner.
In His unmanifested aspect, Brahman is devoid of qualities
(nirguna); but in His manifested aspect as Isvara, He reflects
many divine qualities in His sattvic nature, some of which
are reflected in us also. They manifest in us to the extent
we purify ourselves.
We cannot realize the Self that resides within us, unless
we develop some divine qualities and practice them. Lord
Krishna here mentions some of the most sublime and divine
qualities found in women, which are inherited by them from
the Universal Mother. They are the footprints of Brahman
in the Nature of things. They manifest in women to the extent
they advance spiritually and fill their hearts and minds
with divine thoughts. Kirti means both name and fame. Not
all famous people earn a name for themselves because they
sacrifice their virtue and morality to climb the ladder
of success. Srih means beauty, auspiciousness, wealth and
prosperity. These are the qualities of Goddess Lakshmi.
The ability to speak well (vak) comes with knowledge, virtue,
education, upbringing and refinement. The other qualities
mentioned here are directly related to the quality of sattva.
They manifest when sattva is predominant in a person.
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