Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 29 (BG 10.29) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 10.29 Among the serpents, I am Shesha, the infinite serpent with countless hoods. In the Vedic understanding, Shesha is the cosmic serpent upon whom Lord Vishnu rests in divine sleep, sustaining all creation. Among all serpents, Shesha is supreme and divine, for he alone is the foundation upon which both Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Sustainer rest and perform their cosmic functions. Among the celestial guardians of the elements, I am Varuna, the lord of waters. In the Vedic age, the natural forces of the visible world were revered as divine beings worthy of worship and devotion. It was only much later that we began the mythological tradition of humanizing the deities, and subsequently we became entangled in the mud of religious discord and sectarian prejudice. The ignorant followers of the Messiah of Jerusalem, the cowherd of Vrindavan, and the Prophet of Mecca began to quarrel among themselves. Varuna is described as half-fish and half-human, similar to the merman of ancient lore. He is the sovereign of the ocean and the presiding deity of water. Among the ancestors, I am Aryaman. In Hindu dharma, death too is but one experience of life. The subtle body eternally departs from its present dwelling, the gross physical form, and continues with its own distinct existence, which is called the ancestor or spirit. These ancestors dwell together in a particular realm called the realm of ancestors. We have already seen the Vedic principle regarding the twelve Adityas, who preside over the twelve months. Among them, the Aditya named Aryaman is said to be the ruler of the realm of ancestors. Among those who regulate and govern, I am Yama, the lord of death. In India, we revere even the terrible, the sorrowful, and the tragic, for we understand that the Divine is the foundation of all things—both auspicious and inauspicious, both joyful and sorrowful. We are not satisfied with any compromise that denies the Divine's connection to all that exists, even to what we find disagreeable. Whether death appears welcome or unwelcome to us, the principle of death is the regulator and governor of our life. Death, at every moment, prepares the progressive field for creative development. For youth to express itself, childhood must end. To enter college, one must leave secondary school. Progress in itself is but a partial picture of life and a one-sided view of life's complete movement. Before every development, destruction must occur. Thus, destruction's contribution to creative progress is called the creative art of death. No new creation can come into being without the destruction of the present state of a material thing. Only by understanding this law of the material world do we arrive at this rational conclusion: the observed principle is that no two things can occupy the same place at the same time. When a painter creates a flower on canvas, he not only uses various colors, but his creative art continuously destroys the previous state of the canvas's surface. Thus, when life is viewed in its totality, it becomes clear that the deity of death holds equal importance as the deity of creation. If death did not work with equal wisdom and pace alongside creation, the world would be flooded with an endless and uncontrolled abundance of things. In such a state, life itself would become impossible merely due to the infinite number and quantity of objects. If death did not exist, the countless ancestors of our forefathers would still be dwelling in our two-room houses. When even a small increase in population disturbs nature's balance and the world's political peace, what would be the state of the world if the lord of death did not function as the Creator does? Surely, among all regulators, Yama is foremost, and this example given is most fitting and unique. The Blessed Lord continues: