BG 10.37

वृष्णीनां वासुदेवोऽस्मि पाण्डवानां धनञ्जयः ।
मुनीनामप्यहं व्यासः कवीनामुशना कविः ॥
vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo ’smi pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañjayaḥ
munīnām apy ahaṁ vyāsaḥ kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ

Word-for-word meanings

vṛṣṇīnām — of the Vṛṣṇis;  asmi — I am;  vāsudevaḥ — Vāsudeva [Balarāma];  pāṇḍavānām — of the Pāṇḍavas;  dhanam-jayaḥ — [I am] Arjuna;  munīnām — of the sages;  api — also;  aham — I [am];  vyāsaḥ — Vyāsa;  kavīnām — [and] of the wise;  kaviḥ — [I am] the sagacious;  uśanā — Uśanā [Śukrācārya].

Translation

Among the Vṛṣṇis I am Vāsudeva (Balarāma*). Among the Pāṇḍavas I am Dhanañjaya (Arjuna). Among munis (great thinkers) I am Vyāsa, and among the wise, the sagacious Śukrācārya.

Notes

* The name Vāsudeva means “the son of Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa’s father,” and it usually refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In this case, however, since Kṛṣṇa cannot be His own vibhūti, the name is understood as referring to Balarāma instead, who was also a son of Vasudeva.

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SiddhantaBhagavad Gītā readerClosed — Satisfied

Asked 6 Oct 2026, 14:56

Reader question

Regarding the note here, some say that narayana or vishnu is the one speaking here through his form as krsna listing vasudeva or krsna as one of his vibhutis. I have always got confused by this, sri vishwanatha says vasudeva here means balarama but how to reconcile the fact that mahabharat uses vasudeva primarily for krsna.

  1. Admin Answered

    As the note clearly states, the reason Vāsudeva must be taken as Balarāma here, is that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot speak of Himself as His own vibhūti. Yes, Vāsudeva in the Mahābhārata is primarily for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but one has to consider who is referring to Him by that name. Context matters in interpretation.