← Chapter 11: The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form

Verse 11.29

Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit

यथा प्रदीप्तं ज्वलनं पतङ्गा विशन्ति नाशाय समृद्धवेगाः | तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोकास्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः ||२९||

Transliteration (IAST)

yathā pradīptaṁ jvalanaṁ pataṅgā viśanti nāśāya samṛddha-vegāḥ | tathaiva nāśāya viśanti lokās tavāpi vaktrāṇi samṛddha-vegāḥ ||29||

Word-by-Word Meanings

yathā-as

pradīptam-blazing

jvalanam-fire

pataṅgāḥ-moths

nāśāya-for destruction

samṛddha-vegāḥ-with great speed

lokāḥ-people/worlds

vaktrāṇi-mouths

Translation

As moths rush with great speed into a blazing fire for their destruction, so also do these people rush into Your mouths with great speed for their destruction.

Commentary

The moth-and-flame simile adds the dimension of helpless attraction - beings rush toward their own destruction as if drawn by an irresistible force. Madhva explains that this illustrates the power of prārabdha karma - the momentum of past actions drives beings toward their destined end.

Themes

timekarma