Chapter 10, Verse 36
द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् | जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम् ||१०-३६||
dyūtaṃ chalayatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham . jayo.asmi vyavasāyo.asmi sattvaṃ sattvavatāmaham ||10-36||
Meaning
10.36 I am the gambling of the fraudulent; I am the splendour of the splendid; I am victory; I am determination (of those who are determined); I am the goodness of the good.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
This verse rewards close attention. Krishna says He is even the gambling of the fraudulent — but the deeper meaning is subtle. It is not that He endorses deceit; rather, whatever power or skill operates anywhere, even in deceptive cleverness, ultimately draws its energy from Him alone. Nothing acts by a power independent of the Divine. This humbles the ego's claim to be the doer.
But notice where the verse rests: in jaya (victory), vyavasāya (firm determination), and sattva (the purity of the good). These are the qualities Krishna wants the seeker to cultivate. The teaching is to recognize that all energy is His, yet to consciously align oneself with the luminous expressions — resolve, integrity, goodness — rather than the shadowed ones. Power is borrowed; the choice of how to use it is ours.
💡 Key Takeaway
All power flows from the Divine, so consciously align your borrowed strength with resolve, integrity, and goodness.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः | यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ||१०-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ . yatte.ahaṃ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ||10-1||
10.1 The Blessed Lord said Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to my supreme word which I will declare to thee who who art beloved, for thy welfare.
न मे विदुः सुरगणाः प्रभवं न महर्षयः | अहमादिर्हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः ||१०-२||
na me viduḥ suragaṇāḥ prabhavaṃ na maharṣayaḥ . ahamādirhi devānāṃ maharṣīṇāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ||10-2||
10.2 Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for in every way I am the source of all the gods and the great sages.
बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः | सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ||१०-४||
buddhirjñānamasammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṃ damaḥ śamaḥ . sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavo.abhāvo bhayaṃ cābhayameva ca ||10-4||
10.4 Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, existence or birth, non-existence or death, fear and also fearlessness.