Chapter X · Śloka 38
दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम् ।
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् ॥
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् ॥
daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītir asmi jigīṣatām |
maunaṃ caivāsmi guhyānāṃ jñānaṃ jñānavatām aham ||
maunaṃ caivāsmi guhyānāṃ jñānaṃ jñānavatām aham ||
Among measures of restraint I am the rod of punishment (daṇḍa); among those seeking victory I am statecraft (nīti); among secrets I am silence (mauna); and among the knowers I am knowledge.
Daṇḍa, the power of righteous punishment, is what upholds social order and dharma when wielded justly. Silence is declared the highest of all secrets because the deepest truths transcend verbal expression; and pure Self-knowledge is the ultimate vibhūti among all forms of knowing.