Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, Shloka 36

Vibhuti Yoga

Devanagari script

द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् । जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम् ॥ १०.३६ ॥

Transliteration

dyūtaṃ chalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham | jayo 'smi vyavasāyo 'smi sattvaṃ sattvavatām aham || 10.36 ||

Translation

Among those who deceive I am gambling; among the radiant I am radiance. I am victory; I am steadfast resolve; I am goodness among the good.

Gita Press Meaning

Among deceivers I am gambling; among the brilliant I am brilliance. I am victory; I am resolve/effort; I am goodness among the good.

Critical Edition Meaning

Among those who employ trickery I am dyūta (gambling); among the radiant I am radiance; I am triumph; I am determined endeavor; among the possessed-of-sattva I am sattva (clarity/virtue).

Comparative Note

The verse is often discussed ethically: it does not recommend gambling, but treats even socially problematic phenomena as within the scope of divine power. sattva here can mean ‘goodness/clarity’ (guṇa) rather than mere ‘existence.’

Word by Word

• द्यूतम्: gambling; the game of dice
• Root: द्यूत

• छलयताम्: of those who deceive/cheat
• Root: छलयत् (छलयति)

• अस्मि: I am
• Root: अस्

• तेजः: splendour; brilliance; radiance
• Root: तेजस्

• तेजस्विनाम्: of the brilliant/energetic (persons)
• Root: तेजस्विन्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Root: अहम्

• जयः: victory
• Root: जय

• अस्मि: I am
• Root: अस्

• व्यवसायः: determination; resolute effort; firm resolve
• Root: व्यवसाय

• अस्मि: I am
• Root: अस्

• सत्त्वम्: goodness; purity; sattva (the quality)
• Root: सत्त्व

• सत्त्ववताम्: of the virtuous/pure-minded; of those endowed with sattva
• Root: सत्त्ववत्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Root: अहम्

Speakers

• Krishna
• Arjuna

Primary Concepts

• Vibhuti
• Gunas (sattva)
• Agency (vyavasāya)
• Moral ambiguity

Key Themes

• Pervasiveness of the divine
• Ethics and discernment
• Power and responsibility

FAQs

Psychological significance?

The verse highlights how attraction to risk and uncertainty can capture attention (dyūta), while also affirming constructive traits—resolve and clarity—as higher expressions to cultivate.

Metaphysical meaning?

Divinity is presented as the underlying potency even in ambivalent human activities, while simultaneously being the luminosity and clarity that orient one toward truth.

Contextual relevance?

Gambling is a prominent motif in the Mahābhārata narrative background; mentioning it here resonates with the epic’s moral lessons without endorsing the practice.

Modern Application?

It can be read as advice to recognize the pull of addictive or compulsive patterns and to redirect energy toward disciplined effort, ethical success, and mental clarity.