Power needs sattvic direction.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् |जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम् ||१०-३६||
dyūtaṃ chalayatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham . jayo.asmi vyavasāyo.asmi sattvaṃ sattvavatāmaham ||10-36||
Use this verse for ethical strategy reflection.
Meaning
Among deceivers I am gambling; I am the radiance of the radiant, victory, determination, and the strength of the strong.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna’s presence includes brilliance, victory, determination, and inner strength.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse is nuanced: even among dangerous powers, Krishna is the underlying potency, but dharma decides how power is used. Focus on determination and sattva.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Use determination for dharma, not manipulation.
A negotiator can be sharp without becoming deceitful.
Try this today
Check one goal for honesty and sattva.
My determination serves truth.Reflect
Is my strategy dharmic or manipulative?
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Quick check
What does ‘व्यवसायः अस्मि’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on determination, in other chapters
- Verse 6.23Yoga is the cutting of every bond with sorrow — pursue it with firm resolve and a heart that never loses heart.
- Verse 3.43Conquer desire not by ego-driven struggle but by anchoring in your highest Self — formidable as it is, it yields to that deeper strength.
- Verse 17.26Truth and goodness share one source — every genuinely worthy and auspicious act reflects the reality of the Divine.
- Verse 18.78 · SanjayaWhere devoted human effort joins with divine guidance, prosperity, victory, and lasting virtue are assured.
Swipe left for 10.37 · Every role can express divine excellence.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 10.36
Who says Bhagavad Gita 10.36, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 10.36, in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga (Vibhuti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 10.36 mean?
Among deceivers I am gambling; I am the radiance of the radiant, victory, determination, and the strength of the strong. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 10.36 for daily life?
Use determination for dharma, not manipulation. A negotiator can be sharp without becoming deceitful.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 10.36 mean?
द्यूतम् — gambling / the game of dice; छलयताम् अस्मि — among the fraudulent / deceivers I am; तेजः — splendour / brilliance; तेजस्विनाम् अहम् — among the splendid I am; जयः अस्मि — I am victory.
Where does verse 10.36 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 36 of 42 in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga. The next verse is 10.37.