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Chapter 8 · Verse 25 · Akshara Brahma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 8.25

contemplative Moksha & Liberation Mind & Meditation Jnana & Wisdom

Sanskrit

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम्। तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते।।8.25।।

Transliteration

dhūmo rātris tathā kṛiṣhṇaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā dakṣhiṇāyanam tatra chāndramasaṁ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate

Word by Word

dhūmaḥ smoke
rātriḥ night
tathā and
kṛiṣhṇaḥ the dark fortnight of the moon
ṣhaṭ-māsāḥ six months
dakṣhiṇa-ayanam the sun’s southern course
tatra there
chāndra-masam lunar
jyotiḥ light
yogī a yogi
prāpya attain
nivartate comes back
Simplified Perspective

Krishna teaches here that there are two paths in the universe—one of return, one of no return. The path of smoke, night, and the dark fortnight leads the soul back to birth; but the path of light, reached through steady yoga practice, grants liberation.

When you cultivate unwavering awareness of the Divine through meditation and righteous living, you transcend the cycle of return and touch the eternal. In modern life, this invites us to examine whether our daily choices—our attention, our intentions, our disciplines—are pulling us toward distraction and repetition, or toward the light of genuine freedom.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 8.25 — BG 8.25

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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