मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् | कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा || ३४ ||
mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham udbhavaś ca bhaviṣyatām kīrtiḥ śrīr vāk ca nārīṇāṁ smṛtir medhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā
mṛtyuḥ—death; sarva-haraḥ—all-devouring; ca—also; aham—I am; udbhavaḥ—origin; ca—and; bhaviṣyatām—of future manifestations; kīrtiḥ—fame; śrīḥ—beauty; vāk—speech; ca—and; nārīṇām—of feminine qualities; smṛtiḥ—memory; medhā—intelligence; dhṛtiḥ—firmness; kṣamā—patience.
“I am all-devouring death, and I am also the origin of all that is yet to be. Among feminine qualities I am fame, beauty, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and patience.”
Death is not excluded from the divine economy. As the all-devouring reality (mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraḥ), it is the great equalizer and the final teacher. The qualities attributed to the feminine — speech, memory, steadfastness, patience — are the very qualities that sustain civilization and spiritual life. They are given divine status here, challenging any diminishment of the feminine principle.
Patience (kṣamā), steadfastness (dhṛtiḥ), and memory (smṛti) are listed as divine manifestations. These are not passive virtues; they are the bedrock of any sustained achievement, spiritual or worldly. Cultivate them consciously — especially in moments when speed and instant results seem to be the only value.