Bhagavad Gita 3.38 meaningWhy action matters
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Like smoke hides fire and dust hides a mirror, wanting hides wisdom.”
What it means
“As smoke covers fire, dust covers a mirror, and the womb covers an unborn child, desire covers wisdom.”
The original Sanskrit
धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च । यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् ॥
dhūmenāvriyate vahniryathādarśo malena ca yatholbenāvṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam
Translations
Literal translation
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dirt, and as a foetus remains enclosed in the womb, so in this shrouded by that.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
जैसे धुयें से अग्नि और धूलि से दर्पण ढक जाता है तथा जैसे भ्रूण गर्भाशय से ढका रहता है, वैसे उस (काम) के द्वारा यह (ज्ञान) आवृत होता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 3.39“Even the wisdom of the wise is hidden by this constant enemy — desire, a fire that is never satisfied.”