8.24
अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues. This is the time of non-return, given as a list.
The verse
Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern course: departing there, people who know brahman go to brahman.
नेपालीमा
आगो, प्रकाश, दिन, उज्यालो पक्ष, उत्तर मार्गका छ महिना, त्यहाँबाट गएर ब्रह्म चिन्ने मानिसहरू ब्रह्ममा जान्छन्।
Where it sits
The first of the two times. Light, day, the bright half, the northern half-year. 8.25 will give the opposite list, and that one returns. The two together are the answer to vakṣyāmi (वक्ष्यामि).
Split: अग्निः + ज्योतिः + अहः + शुक्लः + षष्-मासाः + उत्तरायणम् + तत्र + प्रयाताः + गच्छन्ति + ब्रह्म + ब्रह्म-विदः + जनाः
agniḥ + jyotiḥ + ahaḥ + śuklaḥ + ṣaṣ-māsāḥ + uttarāyaṇam + tatra + prayātāḥ + gacchanti + brahma + brahma-vidaḥ + janāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अग्निः | agniḥ | nominative | fire. |
| ज्योतिः | jyotiḥ | nominative | light. |
| अहः | ahaḥ | nominative | day. |
| शुक्लः | śuklaḥ | nominative | the bright one, the bright fortnight. |
| षष्-मासाः | ṣaṣ-māsāḥ | nominative plural | the six months. ṣaṣ (षष्) "six," māsa (मास) "month." |
| उत्तरायणम् | uttarāyaṇam | accusative neuter | the northern course. uttara (उत्तर) "north," ayana (अयन) "course." |
| तत्र | tatra | indeclinable | there, by that path. |
| प्रयाताः | prayātāḥ | nominative plural | those who have departed. |
| गच्छन्ति | gacchanti | present, 3rd plural | they go. |
| ब्रह्म | brahma | accusative | to brahman. |
| ब्रह्म-विदः | brahma-vidaḥ | nominative plural | knowers of brahman. |
| जनाः | janāḥ | nominative plural | people. |
The phrases
agniḥ jyotiḥ ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsāḥ uttarāyaṇam (अग्निः ज्योतिः अहः शुक्लः षण्मासाः उत्तरायणम्) is the list he promised. Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months that are the northern course. They are not six separate journeys. They are one time, named in a row. uttarāyaṇam (उत्तरायणम्) is neuter accusative beside nominatives. In this list it names the course those six months are.
tatra prayātāḥ gacchanti brahma (तत्र प्रयाताः गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म) is what departing then does. Going out by that path, they go to brahman. brahmavidaḥ janāḥ (ब्रह्मविदः जनाः) is who. People who know brahman. This is the anāvṛtti (अनावृत्ति) of 8.23. The verse does not say "they return."
Sanskrit in this line
अग्निः + ज्योतिः + अहः agniḥ + jyotiḥ + ahaḥ is recited agnir jyotir ahaḥ (अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः). iḥ (इः) before a voiced consonant, and before a vowel, becomes ir (इर्). The source string of this verse prints jotiḥ (जोतिः), without य y. The word is jyotiḥ (ज्योतिः), light, and 8.25 spells it with the य y. This sitting memorizes jyotiḥ (ज्योतिः).
षण्मासाः + उत्तरायणम् ṣaṇmāsāḥ + uttarāyaṇam is recited ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam (षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्). āḥ (आः) before a vowel drops its visarga and leaves ā (आ).
Say it back
The bright list, in order, and that they go to brahman. If uttarāyaṇam (उत्तरायणम्) is swapped with the southern course, you are in 8.25.