10.29 Among those who govern, Death Krishna speaks
अनन्तश्चास्मि नागानां वरुणो यादसामहम्
पितृ़णामर्यमा चास्मि यमः संयमतामहम्
anantaśh chāsmi nāgānāṁ varuṇo yādasām aham
pitṝīṇām aryamā chāsmi yamaḥ sanyamatām aham
Among the great snakes I am Ananta; among water-dwellers, Varuna; among the ancestors, Aryama; and among those who govern, Death.
Explanation
Among those who govern, Death.
Ananta among great snakes, Varuna among water-dwellers, Aryama among ancestors — and yamaḥ among those who rule.
Death is named as a governor, which is what Yama is: not a horror but an office. Chapter 11 will show Arjuna what that looks like without the euphemism.
Word by word
- anantaḥ
- Anant
- cha
- and
- asmi
- I am
- nāgānām
- amongst snakes
- varuṇaḥ
- the celestial god of the ocean
- yādasām
- amongst aquatics
- aham
- I
- pitṝīṇām
- amongst the departed ancestors
- aryamā
- Aryama
- cha
- and
- asmi
- am
- yamaḥ
- the celestial god of death
- sanyamatām
- amongst dispensers of law
- aham
- I
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