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 ||
Fumée, nuit, la quinzaine sombre, les six mois du parcours méridional du soleil : partant alors, le yogin atteint la lumière lunaire et revient.
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.