Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, Verse 25 (BG 8.25) — Meaning, Translation & 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.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

The path of return is called the Pitriyana, the way of the ancestors. The Moon presides over this path, symbolizing the material realm. Those who perform virtuous deeds without devotional practice—including acts of social service and ritual sacrifices—attain after death the realm of the ancestors, commonly known as heaven. In this celestial world, gained as the fruit of virtuous action, when beings exhaust their merit through sensory enjoyment, they must return to the mortal world to take on bodies suited to their remaining desires. Only in such embodied forms can those desires be expressed and satisfied. Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, and the southern course of the sun—all these indicate the path to the ancestral realm. The Moon symbolizes inert matter and presides over sensory enjoyment. Through its grace, after enjoying heavenly bliss for a time, the soul must return to the mortal world. In brief, these two verses teach that the seeker striving for ultimate liberation attains the supreme goal, while the person desiring enjoyment returns to embodied existence after experiencing pleasure, where he may choose either his elevation or his decline. Concluding this subject, the Blessed Lord speaks thus—