Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 10, Verse 36
द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम्।
जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम्।।
जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम्।।
dyūtaṁ cchalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham
jayo ’smi vyavasāyo ’smi sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham
also searched as "dyutam cchalayatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham"
Translation
Of the fraudulent, I am gambling; I am the brilliance of the brilliant; I am victory, I am effort; I am the magnanimity of the magnanimous.
Vāṇi's rendering
Of the cunning I am gambling; of the brilliant, brilliance. I am victory, resolve, and the goodness of the good.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| द्यूतम्dyūtaṁ | gambling, the throw of the dice |
| छलयताम्cchalayatām | of those who cheat, of the cunning |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| तेजःtejas | brilliance, blazing energy |
| तेजस्विनाम्tejasvinām | of the brilliant, of those who blaze |
| अहम्aham | I |
| जयःjayo | victory (jayaḥ, joined by sandhi to the next word) |
| अस्मि’smi | I am (asmi, its initial a absorbed in sandhi) |
| व्यवसायःvyavasāyo | resolve, the settled will to act (vyavasāyaḥ) |
| अस्मि’smi | I am (asmi, initial a absorbed in sandhi) |
| सत्त्वम्sattvaṁ | goodness, purity of being |
| सत्त्ववताम्sattvavatām | of the good, of those in whom goodness is strong |
| अहम्aham | I |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Verse 36 mean?
Krishna names himself the power inside every kind of excellence — the gambler's dice, the blaze of the brilliant, victory, resolve, the goodness of the good. Wherever something has real force, that force is his. The verse leaves no capacity, however ordinary or however crooked, standing on its own.
What does the line dyutam cchalayatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham teach?
It teaches that even the cunning man's skill is borrowed. Krishna does not divide the world into a part that is his and a part that runs on its own steam. Dyūtam, the dice-throw, is as much his energy as tejas, the blaze of the brilliant. Nothing operates outside him.
Does Krishna approve of gambling and cheating in this verse?
No. He is not blessing the act; he is claiming the power in it. A cheat's quickness is still quickness, and quickness comes from Krishna. The deed still ripens as deeds do. What the verse removes is the idea that anyone anywhere is clever by their own manufacture.
How do I live this verse when I am proud of my own ability?
Keep the ability and drop the ownership. Your resolve, your wins, your steadiness under pressure — sattvam sattvavatām — are all Krishna's energy passing through a particular shape. Use them fully, work hard, win if you win. Just stop signing your name at the bottom of the source.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Gambling sits in this list, and it is not an accident. Krishna has been naming the peak of every kind, and then he names the dice-throw of the cheat. Whatever has force in it, he says, has that force from me: the sharp mind of the swindler no less than the resolve of the honest. This is not a blessing on cheating. It is the removal of any place to stand outside him. The cunning man's cleverness is borrowed too. So is your competence, your win, your steadiness. Nothing you are good at is yours alone. Hold your talent the way you hold a loan.