FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 8.25

ధూమో రాత్రిస్తథా కృష్ణ: షణ్మాసా దక్షిణాయనమ్ । తత్ర చాన్ద్రమసం జ్యోతిర్యోగీ ప్రాప్య నివర్తతే ॥ ౨౫ ॥
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ
[dhoomo raatris tathaa krishnah]
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam
[shan-maasaa dakshinaayanam]
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir
[tatra chaandramasam jyotir]
yogī prāpya nivartate
[yogee praapya nivartate]
Word-for-word
dhūmaḥ — smoke rātriḥ — night tathā — also kṛṣṇaḥ — the fortnight of the dark moon ṣaṭ - māsāḥ — the six months dakṣiṇa - ayanam — when the sun passes on the southern side tatra — there cāndramasam — the moon planet jyotiḥ — the light yogī — the mystic prāpya — achieving nivartate — comes back .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ
dhūmaḥ
smoke
rātriḥ
night
tathā
also
kṛṣṇaḥ
the fortnight of the dark moon
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam
ṣaṭ - māsāḥ
the six months
dakṣiṇa - ayanam
when the sun passes on the southern side
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir
tatra
there
cāndramasam
the moon planet
jyotiḥ
the light
yogī prāpya nivartate
yogī
the mystic
prāpya
achieving
nivartate
comes back .
Important Words
  • dhūmaḥ — smoke
    From dhū — to shake, to fume. Smoke as opposed to flame — visible obscurity rather than visible light. The first sign of the dark-path chart, paired exactly against agni (fire) at the head of the bright path. The Sanskrit pairs the lists term for term.
  • rātriḥ — night
    Night — the sun's hidden phase. Paired against ahaḥ (day) in 8.24. Departing at night, in this Vedic mapping, correlates with returning rather than non-returning.
  • kṛṣṇaḥ — the fortnight of the dark moon
    Kṛṣṇa here is the adjective 'dark, black' — kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, the waning fortnight when the moon shrinks toward newness. Same word that names the speaker of the Gītā — and yes, the lexical irony is well known and well discussed in commentaries.
  • ṣaṭ - māsāḥ dakṣiṇa - ayanam — the six months when the sun passes on the southern side
    Dakṣiṇāyana — the sun's southward course, roughly summer solstice to winter solstice. The Vedic 'dakṣiṇa' is the inauspicious direction; departure in this period correlates with the returning path. Bhīṣma's wait makes sense in light of these verses.
  • cāndramasam jyotiḥ — the light of the moon planet
    Cāndramasa (lunar) + jyoti (light). The moon-light, the moon-planet itself. The yogi by these dark signs reaches Candraloka — bright in its own way, but a returning destination. The verse warns against confusing any luminosity with the bright-path.
  • prāpya — achieving
    Same absolutive as in 8.21 — 'having attained'. The dark-path yogi does attain — he is not punished with nothing. He attains the moon. But — the next word turns the achievement.
  • nivartate — comes back
    Ni + vṛt — turns back. The exact word negated in 8.21 (na nivartante). Here it appears in the affirmative: the moon-attained yogi does turn back, returns to earthly birth after exhausting his celestial merit. Same verb, opposite sign.
The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, the fortnight of the waning moon, or the six months when the sun passes to the south reaches the moon planet but again comes back.
Purport

In the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Kapila Muni mentions that those who are expert in fruitive activities and sacrificial methods on earth attain to the moon at death. These elevated souls live on the moon for about 10,000 years (by demigod calculations) and enjoy life by drinking soma-rasa. They eventually return to earth. This means that on the moon there are higher classes of living beings, though they may not be perceived by the gross senses.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
25. Departing on the path of smoke, the night, the waning fortnight, the southern course of the sun, and attaining Svargaloka, the karma-yogī returns.
Commentary

This verse describes the path of return taken by the karmī. Smoke indicates the deity of smoke, and similarly night indicates the deity of night. Similarly there are the deity of the dark fortnight and the deity of the dakṣiṇāyana. The karma-yogī who goes on the path represented by these devatās attains Svarga indicated by the words cāndramasaṁ jyotiḥ. Having enjoyed there, he returns.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
25. Departing on the path of smoke, night, the waning fortnight, the southern course of the sun, the moon, and attaining svarga loka, the karma yogī returns.
Commentary

Now the Lord speaks of the path of return. As in the previous verse, smoke, night, waning fortnight, and six months leading to the winder solstice refer to the respective presiding deities. The deities of the year, pitṛ loka, and ether should be added before the moon (cāndramasam). [Note: It is puzzling why Baladeva mentions the year here, since in the next quotation, it is stated that the person does not attain the year deity. It appears that in some versions of the commentary the quotation from the Chāndogya is misprinted to include the year.] Chāndogya Upaniṣad says: atha ya ime grāma iṣṭā-pūrte dattam ity upāsate te dhūmam abhisambhavanti | dhūmād rātriṁ rātrer apara-pakṣam apara-pakṣādyān ṣaḍ-dakṣiṇaiti māsāṁs tān naite saṁvatsaram abhiprāpnuvanti || māsebhyaḥ pitṛ-lokaṁ pitṛ-lokād ākāśam ākāśāc candramasam eṣa somo rājā tad devānām annaṁ taṁ devā bhakṣayanti | tasmin yavāt saṁpātam uṣitvāthaitam evādhvānaṁ punar nivartante The householders who perform sacrifices, social work and charities go to the deity of smoke. From there they go to the deity of night, the deity of the waning fortnight, the six months leading to the winter solstice, but do not reach the deity of the year. From the winter solstice deity they go the pita loka and from there to ether, from ether to the deity of the moon, King Soma. They become food for the deities, and the deities enjoy them. Having exhausted their puṇyas there, they then return to earth on the path. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.10.3-5 Attaining the planet of the moon by performance of kāmya karmas through the path protected by eight devatās carrying out the orders of the Lord (deities of smoke, night, waning fortnight, winter solstice, year, pitra loka, ether, and moon), after their enjoyment is over, they return to earth.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

The karma‑kandis they go to the heavenly planets, they reach the moon planet, enjoy 'soma‑rasa', but by the end of their lives, they have to come back. And when they do come back, their remnant karma is what their human body is made of. (as explained in 8:3)

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: These verses mention different ways to leave the body and thus achieving different

destination.

Devotees don’t worry about proper time to leave the body, but leave everything in Krishna’s hands and become fixed in devotion. This is because:
Krishna takes care and gives protection
Devotional service gives results of all other practices

WAYS OF LEAVING THE BODY

1. Path:

In light, influence of fiery God, auspicious moment of day,

Fort night of waxing moon, or 6 months when sun travels to north (8.24)

For whom:

Path of yogis and Jnanis

Destination:

Brahmajyoti

2. Path:

In darkness/night, during smoke, fortnight of waning moon or 6 months when sun

passes to south reaches the moon and again comes back (8.25)

For whom:

Path of Karma-kandis

Destination:

Attain heavenly planets, and then return to earth

3. Path:

At any time (8.27)

For whom:

Path of unalloyed devotees

Destination:

Krishna-loka

Focus of Learning

(a) Can a yogi choose time of leaving – an expert yogi can choose;

If not expert in choosing, then it depends upon accident or destiny

(b) Kala – refers to presiding deity of time

(c) Travel to moon planet

Eligibility – one expert in fruitive acts/sacrificial methods
Ref. Kapildev in Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3
Life duration – 10,000 years (demigod calculation)
Engagement – soma rasa and other pleasures
Fate – when credits finished, one return to earth

(d) Yoga-yukta – implies to engage constantly in Krishna Consciousness in all the activities.

Example – Rupa goswami’s yukta vairagya
Devotee does not worry about different paths and is undisturbed (8.27), because...
Firmly established in Krishna Consciousness and chant Hare Krishna
Best way to absorb – dovetail in the service of Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
8.25 Dhuman, smoke; and ratrih night, are the deities presiding over smoke and night. Similarly, krsnah, the dark fornight, means the deity of the dark fortnight. Just as before, by sanmasah daksinayanam the six months of the Southern solstice, also is verily meant a deity. Tatra, following this Path; yogi, the yogi who performs sacrifices etc., the man of actions; prapya, having reached; candramasam jyotih, the lunar light-having enjoyed the results (of his actions); nivartate, returns, on their exhaustion.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
8.25 This denotes the world of the manes etc., described by the term 'starting with smoke.' Here the term Yogin connotes one associated with good actions.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
8.24-25 Agnih etc. Dhumah etc. Northern : upper (or upward). Course : the one taken [by the sun] during the period of six months. This course, on account of its illuminating nature, is figuratively described by the words denoting fire etc., and the course, contrary to this, by opposite terms. This course is intercepted with the lunar parts of enjoyment. Hence [it leads to] the return for enjoyment.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
8.25 Attaining to the lunar light by smoke, night time, the dark fortnight also, the six months of the southern path of the sun (the southern solstice), the Yogi returns.
Commentary

8.25 धूमः smoke? रात्रिः night? तथा also? कृष्णः the dark (fortnight)? षण्मासाः the six months? दक्षिणायनम् the southern path of the sun? तत्र there? चान्द्रमसम् lunar? ज्योतिः light? योगी the Yogi? प्राप्य having attained? निवर्तते returns.Commentary This is the Pitriyana or the path of darkness or the path of the ancestors which leads to rirth. Those who do sacrifices to the gods and other charitable works with expectation of reward go to the Chandraloka through this path and come back to this world when the fruits of the Karmas are exhausted.Smoke? night time? the dark fortnight and the six months of the southern solstice are all deities who preside over them. They may denote the degree of ignorance? attachment and passion. There are smoke and darkcoloured objects throughout the course. There is no illumination when one passes along this path. It is reached by ignorance. Hence it is called the path of darkness or smoke.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
8.25 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.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
8.25 But if he departs in gloom, at night, during the fortnight of the waning moon and in the six months before the Southern solstice, then he reaches but lunar light and he will be born again.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 8.26 BG 9.21 BG 9.20 SB 2.2.26 SB 3.32.2 SB 11.25.22 CC Madhya 19.149 CC Madhya 24.141 CC Madhya 22.32 Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.10.3Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 6.2.16
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of southern movement — by these signs the yogi attains the moon and returns.
Practical Applications
  • Note the contrast: not all departures lead beyond return.
  • Don't romanticize 'lunar' realms — they return to material existence.
  • Aim for the path that does not return.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'lunar' (returning) attainment am I aiming at?
  • What would shifting aim require?
Analogy

The 'path of darkness' is like a traveler setting out in fog, at dusk, in the dark fortnight, when the sun is sinking — every condition pointing inward and downward. The verse names the lunar destination — bright, even — as still a return-path. Not all luminosity is liberation.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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