Infinite serpent, lord of order

anantaścāsmi nāgānāṃ varuṇo yādasāmahampitṝṇāmaryamā cāsmi yamaḥ saṃyamatāmaham

Among the Nagas I am Ananta. Among beings of the waters, Varuna. Among ancestors, Aryaman. Among those who keep order, Yama.

What it means

Krishna goes on. Ananta, the endless serpent on whom Vishnu rests, a symbol of infinity. Varuna, lord of the waters and of cosmic order. Aryaman, chief of the ancestors. And Yama, lord of death and justice, who restrains and keeps order. Even death, rightly understood, belongs to the sacred order.

The story

Arjuna fears death all around him. Krishna includes Yama in his list, not as a monster but as a keeper of order. Death too is held within the divine.

In your life

Think of someone who faced a loved one's death with deep peace, trusting it as part of life's order. Light a candle for someone you've lost this week. Remember them with love.