Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 10, Verse 38
दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम्।
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम्।।
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम्।।
daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītir asmi jigīṣatām
maunaṁ caivāsmi guhyānāṁ jñānaṁ jñānavatām aham
also searched as "dando damayatam asmi nitir asmi jigishatam"
Translation
Of those who punish, I am the principle of punishment. Of those who seek victory, I am policy. Of secrets, I am also silence. And of the wise, I am wisdom.
Vāṇi's rendering
Of rulers I am the rod of justice; of the ambitious, statecraft; of secrets, silence; of the wise, their wisdom.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दण्डःdaṇḍaḥ | the rod, the sceptre; the force of punishment (sandhi: daṇḍo before d-) |
| दमयताम्damayatām | of those who restrain or punish; of rulers who keep order |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| नीतिःnītiḥ | statecraft, sound policy (sandhi: nītir before a-) |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| जिगीषताम्jigīṣatām | of those who seek victory; of the ambitious |
| मौनम्maunam | silence, the unspoken |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed, verily (sandhi: caivāsmi = ca + eva + asmi) |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| गुह्यानाम्guhyānām | of secret things, of what is hidden |
| ज्ञानम्jñānam | knowledge, knowing |
| ज्ञानवताम्jñānavatām | of those who possess knowledge; of the wise |
| अहम्aham | I |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Verse 38 mean?
Krishna names himself in four instruments: the rod that enforces order, the nīti that wins contests, the silence that guards what is hidden, and the knowing of those who know. He is not the wielder but the working — the rightness inside the act of ruling, striving, withholding, understanding.
What does 'dando damayatam asmi nitir asmi jigishatam' mean?
Of those who restrain, I am the rod; of those who reach for victory, I am the strategy. Daṇḍa is not cruelty here — it is the weight that holds a society upright. Krishna claims the corrective force itself, leaving the ruler answerable for how he uses it.
Why does Krishna say he is silence among secrets?
Because maunam is not absence. Among all hidden things, the deepest is the one never spoken, and Krishna places it beside the sceptre as an equal glory. What you choose not to say carries force. Guard it well; restraint of speech is listed among the highest powers in this chapter.
Does this verse justify punishment and worldly ambition?
It refuses to pretend they are outside Krishna. Order needs enforcement, and contests need skill. But he claims the principle, never the appetite — the justice in the rod, not the pleasure of striking. Ask, before you act, which of the two is actually moving your hand.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna does not claim the ruler. He claims the rod — the justice in it, not the arm that swings it. Not the ambitious man, but the intelligence of his statecraft. Notice what comes next: of secrets, silence. Power in this verse ends in a closed mouth. What you keep unsaid is his too, and it stands in this list as plainly as the sceptre. So the question is never whether you hold power, but what is moving through it. Look at the rod in your own hand — the sharp word, the withheld one. Whose is it?