Chapter 3 · Verse 38·Spoken by Krishna
धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथाऽऽदर्शो मलेन च। यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम्
dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśho malena cha yatholbenāvṛito garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛitam
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Sanskrit recitation by Swami Brahmānanda
Audio from the Gītā Supersite, IIT Kanpur
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Reading set · 5 translations · 3 commentaries
Translation · 5 voices
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror is obscured by dirt, and as a fetus remains enclosed in the womb, so is this shrouded by that.
Swami Gambiranandaafter Śaṅkara's bhāṣya· paired with Śaṅkara
As a fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, and as an embryo is encased in the amniotic sac, so is this world enveloped by desire.
Swami Adidevanandaafter Rāmānuja's bhāṣya· paired with Rāmānuja
As fire is concealed by smoke, a mirror by dirt, and an embryo by its membrane-cover, so He is concealed by this foe.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayanafter Madhva's bhāṣya· paired with Madhva
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, and as an embryo is surrounded by the amniotic sac, so is this enveloped by that.
Swami SivanandaThe Bhagavad Gita
As fire is shrouded by smoke, a mirror is covered by dust, and a child is enveloped by the womb, so is the universe enveloped in desire.
Shri Purohit SwamiThe Geeta
As fire, whose nature is light, is covered over by smoke, born along with it, whose nature is not light; or as a mirror by dirt; or as an embryo is wrapped, covered, by the membrane, the caul that wraps the embryo: so by this is that covered. What, then, is the 'that' which is said to be covered by desire? He says.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.
This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.
As fire is veiled by smoke, as a mirror by dirt, and as the embryo is veiled by the caul, so by that desire is this whole brood of creatures veiled. The Lord states the manner of the veiling.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.
How is it the enemy? Because this is veiled by it. As fire, though of the nature of light, when veiled by smoke does not serve for others to see by, so is the supreme Self when veiled. As a mirror veiled by dirt does not become a cause of the manifesting of other things, so the inner organ, when veiled by desire, does not become a cause of the manifesting of the supreme Self and the rest. As the embryo, veiled by the caul, is held bound, so the living being is veiled by desire.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.