अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
जिस मार्गमें प्रकाशस्वरूप अग्निका अधिपति देवता, दिनका अधिपति देवता, शुक्लपक्षका अधिपति देवता, और छः महीनोंवाले उत्तरायणका अधिपति देवता है, शरीर छोड़कर उस मार्गसे गये हुए ब्रह्मवेत्ता पुरुष पहले ब्रह्मलोकको प्राप्त होकर पीछे ब्रह्माजीके साथ ब्रह्मको प्राप्त हो जाते हैं ॥
English
Fire, daylight, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the northward course: those who depart then, knowing the supreme reality, go to the supreme reality.
What this verse means
Those who leave the body during an auspicious path of light and know the supreme reality reach that supreme reality.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen before the war. Krishna turns from battle duty to the final question: how the knower of the supreme reality passes beyond return. This verse names the bright path of departure.
Why this verse still matters
You sit beside a hospital bed, signing a document you never wanted to sign. The mind wants certainty, but the teaching points to the quality of consciousness at the threshold, not the panic around it.
The takeaway
There is calm in knowing that awareness and timing matter more than fear.
Word-by-word translation
अग्निः (fire) / ज्योतिः (light) / अहः (day) / शुक्लः (bright) / षण्मासा (six months) / उत्तरायणम् (northward course) / तत्र (there) / प्रयाताः (having departed) / गच्छन्ति (go) / ब्रह्म (the supreme reality) / ब्रह्मविदः (knowers of the supreme reality) / जनाः (people)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8: Akshara Brahma Yoga — The Imperishable Absolute, which contains 28 verses.
Explore related themes: akshara (12 verses)