Bhagavad Gita · Karma YogaChapter 3, Shloka 38 (3.38)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
धूमेनाऽऽव्रियते वह्निर्यथाऽऽदर्शो मलेन च
यथोल्बेनाऽऽवृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम्
॥ 3.38 ॥
dhūmenā''vriyate vahniryathā''darśo malena ca
yatholbenā''vṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam
Translation
"As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and as an unborn child is enclosed by its membrane — so is this (knowledge) covered by that (desire)."
Interpretation
Three similes. Fire by smoke, a mirror by dust, an unborn child by its membrane.
"Idam" — what is covered? In the introduction to the next verse Shankaracharya asks — what is "idam"? The answer is in 3.39: jñānam — knowledge. Ramanuja: idaṃ jantu-jātam — this multitude of beings (that is, the knowledge of beings).
Shankaracharya: smoke is sahaja (born together with fire) and aprakāśātmaka (dark by nature); fire is prakāśātmaka (light by nature).
Madhusudana Sarasvati — three stages. Madhusudana links these three similes to three growing stages of desire:
- Subtle (before the body, in the form of latent impressions) — fire by smoke: even fire covered by smoke still does the work of burning.
- Gross (the stage of dwelling on the object) — a mirror by dust: the mirror shows no reflection, but the mirror itself can still be seen.
- Grossest (the stage of indulging in the object) — an unborn child by its membrane: the child can neither stretch its limbs nor be seen.
That is, the more desire grows, the more deeply knowledge is covered. (Shridhara too speaks of three kinds of covering.)
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.