Bhagavad Gita · Akshara Brahma YogaChapter 8, Shloka 25 (8.25)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम्
तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते
॥ 8.25 ॥
dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam
tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate
Translation
"Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, and the six months of the sun's southern course — by that path the yogi (of works) reaches the light of the moon and comes back."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Dhūmābhimāninī rātry-abhimāninī ca devatā — the deities presiding over smoke and night; tatra candramasi bhavaṃ cāndramasaṃ jyotiḥ phalam iṣṭādi-kārī yogī karmī prāpya bhuktvā tat-kṣayāt iha punaḥ nivartate — the person of action who performs ishta (yajnas) and the like obtains the fruit in the form of the moon's light, enjoys it, and when it is exhausted returns here.
Acharya Ramanuja. Etat ca dhūmādi-mārgastha-pitṛlokādeḥ pradarśanam — this indicates the world of the ancestors (pitriloka) and the rest on the path of smoke; atra yogi-śabda puṇya-karma-sambandhi-viṣayaḥ — here the word "yogi" refers to the doer of virtuous deeds.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.