Bhagavad Gita 8.25 meaningWhat lasts beyond death
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“The path of smoke leads back to this world.”
What it means
“The path of smoke — night, the dark half of the month, the sun's southern journey — leads the seeker to the moon's light, and they return.”
The original Sanskrit
धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् । तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥
dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate
Translations
Literal translation
Smoke, night, as also the dark fortnight and the six months of the Southern solstice-following this Path the yogi having reached the lunar light, returns.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
धूम, रात्रि, कृष्णपक्ष और दक्षिणायन के छः मास वाले मार्ग से चन्द्रमा की ज्योति को प्रा प्त कर, योगी (संसार को) लौटता 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 · 8.26“These two paths, bright and dark, are said to be eternal. One leads to no return; the other leads back.”