Shloka 25
Akshara Brahma Yoga — Akshara Brahma Yoga
धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् । तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥ ८.२५ ॥
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam | tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate || 8.25 ||
Humo, noche, la quincena oscura, los seis meses del curso meridional del sol: partiendo entonces, el yogui alcanza la luz lunar y retorna.
Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the sun’s southern course—departing then, the yogin reaches the lunar light and returns.
Smoke, night, the dark (half-month), the six months of the sun’s southward course—attaining there the lunar light, the yogin returns.
The contrast with 8.24 marks a ‘returning’ route aligned with lunar imagery (often associated with ritual merit and cyclical rebirth in older Indian cosmologies). Interpretations range from literal post-mortem geography to symbolic psychology.
FAQs
Smoke/night imagery can indicate reduced clarity—states where desire, habit, or partial understanding lead one back into repetitive cycles rather than stable freedom.
It describes a route culminating in a ‘lunar’ state that is not final; it implies that certain attainments (often linked to merit/ritual results) remain within cyclic existence.
Paired with 8.24, it completes the twofold scheme: one route to non-return, another to return.
It can be applied as a caution that short-term rewards and partial goals, though valuable, may not resolve deeper dissatisfaction without transformative insight.