Bhagavad Gita 10.37 वृष्णीनां वासुदेवोऽस्मि पाण्डवानां धनञ्जयः

Bhagavad Gita 10.37 — word by word

Explanation

Among the Vrishnis I am Vasudeva, Krishna says; among the Pandavas I am Dhananjaya. Among the sages I am Vyasa, and among the seers I am Ushana, the poet-sage. Here the list moves from cosmic beings to people Arjuna knows personally, including Krishna and Arjuna themselves.

The Vrishnis are the Yadava clan into which Krishna was born, and Vasudeva, son of Vasudeva, is Krishna himself. Shankara notes that Krishna names his own human form as one of his manifestations. Dhananjaya, winner of wealth, is Arjuna, who earned the name by bringing back treasure for Yudhishthira's royal sacrifice; Krishna is telling his friend that he too is a vibhūti. Vyasa compiled the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata. Ushana is Shukracharya, the wise preceptor of the asuras; kavi here means a seer of deep wisdom, not merely a poet.

भावार्थ

वृष्णिवंशियों में मैं वासुदेव (स्वयं कृष्ण) हूँ, पाण्डवों में धनंजय (अर्जुन) हूँ, मुनियों में व्यास हूँ और कवियों (क्रान्तदर्शी ज्ञानियों) में शुक्राचार्य हूँ। यहाँ कवि का अर्थ गहरी दृष्टि वाला ज्ञानी है, और उशना असुरों के गुरु शुक्राचार्य हैं।

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