Bhagavad Gita BG 8.24
Chapter 8, Verse 24 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् । तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
agnir jyotir ahah shuklah shan-masa uttarayanam tatra prayata gacchanti brahma brahma-vido janah
Meaning
Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern path (uttarayana) — departing by these, those who know Brahman go to Brahman.
Understanding
The archana-marga or deva-yana (the bright path, the path of the gods). A sequence of luminous symbols: Agni (fire — the divine mediator), jyoti (light), aha (day), shukla (the bright/waxing fortnight), shan-masa uttarayana (six months of the sun's northward journey — the uttarayana, the ascending half of the year). Tatra prayata (departing by these — through these luminous stations) — brahma-vido janah (those who know Brahman) — gacchanti brahma (go to Brahman). The symbolism is multi-layered: cosmic timing, inner light, and the tradition of the two paths (two ways of the soul's journey after death) known since the Chandogya Upanishad.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अग्निः | agnih | fire (the divine mediator, purifier) |
| उत्तरायणम् | uttarayanam | the northern path — the sun's northward journey (six months) |
| ब्रह्मविदः | brahma-vidah | knowers of Brahman, those who have realized Brahman |
| षण्मासाः | shan-masah | six months |
| शुक्लः | shuklah | the bright/waxing fortnight, the bright half |
| अग्निः | agniḥ | fire |
| ज्योतिः | jyotiḥ | light |
| अहः | ahaḥ | daytime, day |
| शुक्लः | śuklaḥ | the bright fortnight |
| षण्-मासाः | ṣaṇ-māsāḥ | the six months |
| उत्तरायणम् | uttarāyaṇam | the northern course (of the sun) |
| तत्र | tatra | there, via that path |
| प्रयाताः | prayātāḥ | those who have departed |
| गच्छन्ति | gacchanti | go to, attain |
| ब्रह्म | brahma | Brahman |
| ब्रह्म-विदः | brahma-vidaḥ | knowers of Brahman |
| जनाः | janāḥ | people, souls |