यथा प्रदीप्तं ज्वलनं पतङ्गाविशन्ति नाशाय समृद्धवेगाः ।
तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोकास्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः ॥
तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोकास्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
जैसे पतंगे मोहवश अपना नाश करनेके लिये बड़े वेगसे दौड़ते हुए प्रज्वलित अग्निमें प्रविष्ट होते हैं, ऐसे ही ये सब लोग भी मोहवश अपना नाश करनेके लिये बड़े वेगसे दौड़ते हुए आपके मुखोंमें प्रविष्ट हो रहे हैं ॥
English
As moths rush with great speed into a blazing fire to their destruction, so these people rush with great speed into your mouths to their destruction.
What this verse means
Arjuna sees people rushing helplessly into Krishna's blazing mouths, like moths flying into fire and destroying themselves.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is staring at Krishna's cosmic form. He sees warriors, kings, and armies rushing into those terrible, flaming mouths. The image is not instruction but horror: the war's end is already unfolding in divine sight.
Why this verse still matters
You keep walking toward the thing you know will burn you: a toxic relationship, a lie you can no longer sustain, a choice that feels inevitable and wrong.
The takeaway
Some forces are so overwhelming that resistance looks like self-destruction.
Word-by-word translation
यथा (just as) / प्रदीप्तम् (blazing) / ज्वलनम् (fire) / पतङ्गाः (moths) / विशन्ति (enter) / नाशाय (for destruction) / समृद्धवेगाः (with great speed) / तथा (so) / एव (indeed) / नाशाय (for destruction) / विशन्ति (enter) / लोकाः (people) / तव (your) / अपि (also) / वक्त्राणि (mouths) / समृद्धवेगाः (with great speed)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga — The Universal Form, which contains 55 verses.
Explore related themes: arjuna (52 verses), vishwarupa (50 verses), cosmic form (25 verses)