Sanskrit

द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ।

जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम् ॥

10.36

Transliteration

dyūtaṃ chalayatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham |

jayo'smi vyavasāyo'smi sattvaṃ sattvavatāmaham ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

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.

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Word by word

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

This verse holds a surprise. Among the deceitful, Krishna is gambling, the game of dice. For Arjuna the example is painful, since it was a rigged dice game that cost the Pandavas their kingdom and led to this very war. The point is not approval of deceit but the claim that even the most powerful forms of cunning depend on a power that is finally divine. The verse then turns to brilliance, victory, firm resolve and the goodness (sattva) of the good. Light and shadow are again placed side by side, as at the start of the chapter.

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08