Gita 08.25 – Yogi’s spiritual exit velocity needs to be greater than the world’s gravity pull
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir
yogī prāpya nivartate (Bg 8.25)
Word-for-word:
dhūmaḥ — smoke; rātriḥ — night; tathā — also; kṛṣṇaḥ — the fortnight of the dark moon; ṣaṭ-māsāḥ — the six months; dakṣiṇa-ayanam — when the sun passes on the southern side; tatra — there; cāndramasam — the moon planet; jyotiḥ — the light; yogī — the mystic; prāpya — achieving; nivartate — comes back.
Translation:
The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, the fortnight of the waning moon, or the six months when the sun passes to the south reaches the moon planet but again comes back.
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa, in verse 8.23, described two paths: the path of light and the path of darkness. He explains that brahma brahma-vido janāḥ—those who follow the path of light—attain liberation. In this verse, He says that those who follow the path of darkness return to this world. Yogī prāpya nivartate indicates that the yogī who goes on this path will come back again.
He then gives the factors that stand in contrast to those of the earlier path:
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ: smoke, night, and the fortnight of the waning moon,
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam: the six months of the sun’s southern course,
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir: on that path, one attains the moon planet,
yogī prāpya nivartate: but having reached it, the yogī returns to rebirth.
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s commentary—especially in his Govinda-bhāṣya on the Vedānta-sūtra—explains that this verse is best understood metaphorically. Kṛṣṇa is, on one level, speaking about time, as indicated in 8.23—yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim āvṛttiṁ caiva yoginaḥ—the time at which one departs and attains the supreme destination, and the time at which one departs and does not attain it. That appears to be His primary subject. Yet within this discussion of time, He also brings in specific elements such as smoke, night, and the waning moon.
Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains that these descriptions refer to the post-mortem journey of the soul and the devatās who assist the soul along that journey. The soul travels under the guidance of the Supersoul, who is always present with the individual soul. But as the soul moves, it must pass through various material realms. Navigating these realms under the Supersoul’s direction occurs through the supervision and assistance of different devatās.
Some of these devatās are known as Ātivāhika devatās. These phases of time and the objects associated with them each have their predominating deities, and kāla in this context refers to the path the soul follows. The overall purpose of this discussion is Kṛṣṇa’s caution that we should avoid living in a way that earns us a return ticket to this world. Instead, we should live in a way that secures an exit ticket.
Normally, devotees follow the path of light because that is the path that leads to liberation. Later, in verse 8.27, Kṛṣṇa says:
naite sṛtī pārtha jānan
yogī muhyati kaścana
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
yoga-yukto bhavārjuna
He explains that even after knowing both these paths, one should not become bewildered or anxious. Instead, He advises Arjuna to simply remain engaged in yoga at all times.
Essentially, Kṛṣṇa is speaking about the path that leads to liberation, and that path is śuddha-bhakti, kevala-bhakti—pure devotion. For pure devotees, Kṛṣṇa’s love is so deep, and their love for Him is so complete, that He personally comes for them. The Purāṇas describe that He arrives on Garuḍa, places His devotees beside Him, and takes them directly to Vaikuṇṭha. That, of course, is the destination of those who are completely pure.
For those who are not yet pure, the journey may involve traversing the path of light. By following that path, as mentioned in the earlier verses—brahma brahma-vido janāḥ—they too can move toward liberation.
We should be clear that Kṛṣṇa is not speaking here about people who are sinful or who remain absorbed in materialistic consciousness, continuing in the cycle of birth and death. Nor is He referring to those who go to hellish planets. He is speaking about transcendentalists—those who are at least aiming for a higher destination and who do become elevated, but not sufficiently elevated. They may reach the moon planet, but from there they return, as indicated in cāndramasaṁ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate.
He is speaking about those who are elevated, but not elevated enough. Consider a rocket launched from Earth: if it is meant to propel a satellite beyond Earth’s gravitational pull, it must have sufficient force. If the velocity is inadequate, the rocket will rise to a certain height and then fall back because it cannot overcome Earth’s gravitational pull. Similarly, for some yogīs, their “exit velocity” is not strong enough to free them from material attraction, and they fall back.
The best way to gain the exit velocity needed to transcend material existence is by practicing bhakti, because bhakti places us within the supreme gravitational pull of Kṛṣṇa. Once we come within His pull, He draws us upward. His spiritual attraction is far stronger than the pull of worldly objects, whose seductive appeal drags us down and keeps us trapped in material life. By cultivating devotion to Kṛṣṇa, we can advance toward liberation and ultimately attain it.
Thank you.
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