Sanskrit
दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम् । मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् ॥ ३८ ॥
daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītir asmi jigīṣatām maunaṃ caivāsmi guhyānāṃ jñānaṃ jñānavatām aham
Translation
Of rulers I am the sceptre; of those that seek victory I am statesmanship; and of secrets I am also silence; the knowledge of knowers am I.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Silence claimed as a vibhuti (maunam) is a quiet counterpoint to verse 25’s Om and verse 33’s letter A — where those claim the foremost sound, this one claims the foremost absence of sound, alongside the sceptre and statesmanship as instruments of rule. Maunaṃ guhyānām — “silence among secrets” — the list that claimed the first sound (Oṃ, the letter A) now claims the foremost silence. Both the fullest utterance and its absence are Krishna.
Study deeper
Word by word
- daṇḍo damayatām asmiदण्डो दमयतां अस्मि
- among punishers I am the rod (daṇḍaḥ + damayatām + asmi)
- nītir asmi jigīṣatāmनीतिः अस्मि जिगीषतां
- among those who seek victory I am statecraft (nītiḥ + asmi + jigīṣatām)
- maunaṃ caivāsmi guhyānāṃमौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां
- among secrets I am silence (maunam + ca + eva + asmi + guhyānām)
- jñānaṃ jñānavatām ahamज्ञानं ज्ञानवतां अहं
- I am the knowledge of the knowing (jñānam + jñānavatām + aham)
Commentary
Site Commentary
This verse’s four clauses run from the most forceful example in the entire list, daṇḍa, the rod of coercive punishment, to among its quietest, mauna, silence itself, with statesmanship and knowledge sitting between them. The range inside one verse, from compelling others by force to compelling nothing at all, suggests the list isn’t ranking these by gentleness or virtue — force and stillness are simply two more instances of the same underlying principle.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Don't assume the forceful approach and the quiet approach to a problem are opposed in value — sometimes both are legitimate instances of the same underlying capability, applied to different situations, and the choice between them is contextual, not moral.
Professional
- Don't treat decisive directive action and quiet restraint as opposite leadership styles where only one is 'correct' — both draw on the same underlying judgment, deployed differently depending on what a given situation actually calls for.
Family & Social
- Firm boundary-setting and quiet patience with family aren't opposing philosophies — both can come from the same underlying care, chosen based on what the moment actually needs rather than which one feels more comfortable to default to.
Ask yourself
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