Bg 10.36
dyūtaṁ chalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham
jayo ’smi vyavasāyo ’smi sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham
Bg 10.37
vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo ’smi pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ
munīnām apy ahaṁ vyāsaḥ kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ
Translation
36. I am the gambling of the fraudulent; I am the splendour of the splendid; I am victory; I am the industry (in those who are determined) ; I am the goodness in the good.
37. Among the VRISHNIS I am 'VAASUDEVA' ; among the PANDAVAS, (I am) 'DHANANJAYA' ; also among the MUNIS I am 'VYASA' ; and among the poets I am 'USHANA, ' the great Seer.
Commentary
OF ALL THE DECEPTIVE GAMES I AM THE DICE-PLAY --- The Geeta contains the discourses given to Arjuna, (the royal warrior, a Prince of that time) by Krishna, in a great missionary spirit, to help the Prince to re-discover the vitality of his own religion --- Hinduism. The attempt of the Geeta is, therefore, to re-orient the Hindus about Hinduism. A missionary cannot bring about this re-orientation successfully, unless the spirit of our scriptures is explained to the common folk in their own language. To Arjuna, the example given here is the most striking. For, his entire life had been a series of tragedies which he had to suffer because of his elder brother's irresistible weakness to play the dice. No other example would have delivered the goods to Arjuna as efficiently as this one.
To modern students, this may not strike as very effective since dice is not a game very popular with us just now. But the substitutes are very easily recognised.
SPLENDOUR IN THE SPLENDID AM I --- At the same time, a seeker, who is ready to make use of this portion for meditation as it should be, will easily understand that the Shastra has said almost nothing. The splendour in a splendid object has not the qualities of the object from which the shine comes out. The splendour, in itself, has no qualities even --- it is merely AN EXPERIENCE. To facilitate that "experience," the mind borrows the light to illumine the magnitude and the glory of the object, but the splendour itself has nothing to do with the ingredients or constituents that together give rise to the experience of the splendour in our bosom. In short, as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once said, "Truth, no doubt, is Light, but it is 'light' without its properties."
I AM VICTORY; I AM EFFORT, I AM THE GOODNESS IN THE GOOD --- As explained above, here also it is these qualities, nay, the "experiences" lived in the presence of these qualities, that gives us an occasion to live the Self. These qualities connote a certain mental condition created by the very special type of its thought-vibrations. When these are sustained for a long period, the bosom becomes quiet and still. The reflected glory of Awareness becomes, in such a bosom, almost as glorious as the Reality and, therefore, as we said earlier, here too, by employing a transferred-epithet, THE VERY QUALITIES ARE DECLARED AS THE SELF.
We should not forget that these FIFTY-FOUR items of analogy, given in this chapter to indicate "THE ONE IN THE MANY" are all meant to be as many items of contemplation, to be meditated upon by all sincere seekers. This is not an OBJECTIVE narration and, as such, no true student of the Geeta can ever expect his education to be complete unless he understands the true meaning of these stanzas in his SUBJECTIVE experience.
STILL IF YOU NEED ELABORATION, ARJUNA, YOU MAY HAVE SOME MORE. LISTEN:
OF THE VRISHNIS, I AM VAASUDEVA --- Among the Yadavas, the ancestor Yadu had a son Vrishni. All the descendants of Vrishni together constitute the tribe called the 'Vrishnis.' In this tribe was born Vasudeva as the great-great-grandson of Vrishni. Vasudeva married Devaki, the sister of the Mathura-tyrant, Kamsa, and to her was born Krishna. As the son of Vasudeva, the Lord is called "Vaasudeva."
OF THE PANDAVAS, I AM DHANANJAYA --- Just as Krishna was the mighty one that had given pride and glory to both the Yadavakula and the Vrishni-clan, because of which they have a glorious existence in the memory of man, so too among the Pandavas, He again was the soul-giving factor, but for whom, the five brothers would perhaps have achieved nothing. The term Dhananjaya literally means "the winner of wealth." Generally, this term is considered as a title of Arjuna, and therefore, this portion is usually translated as "I AM ARJUNA, AMONG THE PANDAVAS."
OF ALL THE SAINTS I AM VYASA --- This is not an unfair passage of self-advertisement thrown in by Vyasa himself, the author of the Geeta. Vyasa was a pen-name which came to symbolise the new style of literature that was discovered and introduced into the realm of philosophical and religious writings of that age. The style was revolutionary, for, till then, philosophical literature was in mantra-form --- "thoughts packed into small language-capsules." With the Puranas, a new style was initiated and developed, where elaboration was the motive and repeated over-emphasis of the fundamentals was the general technique. This was innovated by Krishna Dwaipayana under a suggestive pen-name, Vyasa, explaining in itself his own literary art of elaboration.
Thus "OF ALL THE MUNIS, I AM VYASA" should suggest that of all the men of reflection, the Lord is He, who is behind the stupendous work that stands today under the title 'Puranas.'
OF THE SEERS, I AM USHANA --- Nowhere do we find any mention of this seer in the available popular books. But Anandagiri somehow identifies Ushana with Shukra, though he too does not explain how he identifies these two together. The planet Venus, also called Shukra, was the son of Bhrigu, and the preceptor of the Daityas. Shukra is called Kavi in the Rig Veda.
In the Upanishads, Kavi means a seer of the Vedic mantras. Men of inspiration, declaring their experiences, without ego-centric awareness, were called Kavis; later on the term deteriorated to mean writers of poetry, who too, at the sight of the spectacular Universe got themselves lifted from themselves and seemed to enter into a realm of their own brilliant notions, from the caves of which they sang their harmonious rhythm of poetic cadence. Here, however, it is used in the original meaning as a seer.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
dyūtaṁ chalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham
jayo ’smi vyavasāyo ’smi sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham
Bg 10.37
vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo ’smi pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ
munīnām apy ahaṁ vyāsaḥ kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ
Translation
36. I am the gambling of the fraudulent; I am the splendour of the splendid; I am victory; I am the industry (in those who are determined) ; I am the goodness in the good.
37. Among the VRISHNIS I am 'VAASUDEVA' ; among the PANDAVAS, (I am) 'DHANANJAYA' ; also among the MUNIS I am 'VYASA' ; and among the poets I am 'USHANA, ' the great Seer.
Commentary
OF ALL THE DECEPTIVE GAMES I AM THE DICE-PLAY --- The Geeta contains the discourses given to Arjuna, (the royal warrior, a Prince of that time) by Krishna, in a great missionary spirit, to help the Prince to re-discover the vitality of his own religion --- Hinduism. The attempt of the Geeta is, therefore, to re-orient the Hindus about Hinduism. A missionary cannot bring about this re-orientation successfully, unless the spirit of our scriptures is explained to the common folk in their own language. To Arjuna, the example given here is the most striking. For, his entire life had been a series of tragedies which he had to suffer because of his elder brother's irresistible weakness to play the dice. No other example would have delivered the goods to Arjuna as efficiently as this one.
To modern students, this may not strike as very effective since dice is not a game very popular with us just now. But the substitutes are very easily recognised.
SPLENDOUR IN THE SPLENDID AM I --- At the same time, a seeker, who is ready to make use of this portion for meditation as it should be, will easily understand that the Shastra has said almost nothing. The splendour in a splendid object has not the qualities of the object from which the shine comes out. The splendour, in itself, has no qualities even --- it is merely AN EXPERIENCE. To facilitate that "experience," the mind borrows the light to illumine the magnitude and the glory of the object, but the splendour itself has nothing to do with the ingredients or constituents that together give rise to the experience of the splendour in our bosom. In short, as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once said, "Truth, no doubt, is Light, but it is 'light' without its properties."
I AM VICTORY; I AM EFFORT, I AM THE GOODNESS IN THE GOOD --- As explained above, here also it is these qualities, nay, the "experiences" lived in the presence of these qualities, that gives us an occasion to live the Self. These qualities connote a certain mental condition created by the very special type of its thought-vibrations. When these are sustained for a long period, the bosom becomes quiet and still. The reflected glory of Awareness becomes, in such a bosom, almost as glorious as the Reality and, therefore, as we said earlier, here too, by employing a transferred-epithet, THE VERY QUALITIES ARE DECLARED AS THE SELF.
We should not forget that these FIFTY-FOUR items of analogy, given in this chapter to indicate "THE ONE IN THE MANY" are all meant to be as many items of contemplation, to be meditated upon by all sincere seekers. This is not an OBJECTIVE narration and, as such, no true student of the Geeta can ever expect his education to be complete unless he understands the true meaning of these stanzas in his SUBJECTIVE experience.
STILL IF YOU NEED ELABORATION, ARJUNA, YOU MAY HAVE SOME MORE. LISTEN:
OF THE VRISHNIS, I AM VAASUDEVA --- Among the Yadavas, the ancestor Yadu had a son Vrishni. All the descendants of Vrishni together constitute the tribe called the 'Vrishnis.' In this tribe was born Vasudeva as the great-great-grandson of Vrishni. Vasudeva married Devaki, the sister of the Mathura-tyrant, Kamsa, and to her was born Krishna. As the son of Vasudeva, the Lord is called "Vaasudeva."
OF THE PANDAVAS, I AM DHANANJAYA --- Just as Krishna was the mighty one that had given pride and glory to both the Yadavakula and the Vrishni-clan, because of which they have a glorious existence in the memory of man, so too among the Pandavas, He again was the soul-giving factor, but for whom, the five brothers would perhaps have achieved nothing. The term Dhananjaya literally means "the winner of wealth." Generally, this term is considered as a title of Arjuna, and therefore, this portion is usually translated as "I AM ARJUNA, AMONG THE PANDAVAS."
OF ALL THE SAINTS I AM VYASA --- This is not an unfair passage of self-advertisement thrown in by Vyasa himself, the author of the Geeta. Vyasa was a pen-name which came to symbolise the new style of literature that was discovered and introduced into the realm of philosophical and religious writings of that age. The style was revolutionary, for, till then, philosophical literature was in mantra-form --- "thoughts packed into small language-capsules." With the Puranas, a new style was initiated and developed, where elaboration was the motive and repeated over-emphasis of the fundamentals was the general technique. This was innovated by Krishna Dwaipayana under a suggestive pen-name, Vyasa, explaining in itself his own literary art of elaboration.
Thus "OF ALL THE MUNIS, I AM VYASA" should suggest that of all the men of reflection, the Lord is He, who is behind the stupendous work that stands today under the title 'Puranas.'
OF THE SEERS, I AM USHANA --- Nowhere do we find any mention of this seer in the available popular books. But Anandagiri somehow identifies Ushana with Shukra, though he too does not explain how he identifies these two together. The planet Venus, also called Shukra, was the son of Bhrigu, and the preceptor of the Daityas. Shukra is called Kavi in the Rig Veda.
In the Upanishads, Kavi means a seer of the Vedic mantras. Men of inspiration, declaring their experiences, without ego-centric awareness, were called Kavis; later on the term deteriorated to mean writers of poetry, who too, at the sight of the spectacular Universe got themselves lifted from themselves and seemed to enter into a realm of their own brilliant notions, from the caves of which they sang their harmonious rhythm of poetic cadence. Here, however, it is used in the original meaning as a seer.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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