Bhagavad Gita 8.26शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते।एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययाऽऽवर्तते पुनः ॥
śhukla-kṛiṣhṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śhāśhvate
mate ekayā yātyanāvṛittim anyayāvartate punaḥ
Sanskrit recitation
Leaving and returning · 8.23–8.28 · Teaching
Translation
The bright and dark paths of the world are thought to be eternal; one leads to no return, and the other leads to return.
Hindi translation
क्योंकि शुक्ल और कृष्ण -- ये दोनों गतियाँ अनादिकालसे जगत्-(प्राणिमात्र-) के साथ सम्बन्ध रखनेवाली मानी गई हैं। इनमेंसे एक गतिमें जानेवालेको लौटना नहीं पड़ता और दूसरी गतिमें जानेवालेको लौटना पड़ता है।
Meaning
The bright path is the path to the gods taken by the devotees. The dark path is of the manes taken by those who perform sacrifices or charitable acts with the expectation of rewards. These two paths are not open to the whole world. The bright path is open to the devotees and the dark one to those who are devoted to the rituals. These paths are as eternal as the Samsara.World here means devotees or people devoted to ritual.Pitriloka or Chandraloka is Svarga or heaven.
After Swami Sivananda
Leaving and returning· 8.23–8.28→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 8.23Now I will tell you, O chief of the Bharatas, the times of departure at which the Yogis…
- 8.24Fire, light, daytime, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern path of the sun…
- 8.25Attaining the lunar light through smoke, night time, the dark fortnight, and the six…
8.26The bright and dark paths of the world are thought to be eternal; one leads to no return,…
- 8.27Knowing these paths, O Arjuna, no yogi is deluded; therefore, at all times, be steadfast…
- 8.28Whatever fruit of merit is declared (in the scriptures) to accrue from (the study of) the…
Word-by-word→
- hi
- certainly
- ete
- these
- mate
- opinion
- gatī
- paths
- yāti
- goes
- ekayā
- by one
- anyayā
- by the other
- punaḥ
- again
- śhukla
- bright
- jagataḥ
- of the material world
- āvartate
- comes back
- śhāśhvate
- eternal
- anāvṛittim
- to non return
- kṛiṣhṇe
- dark
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