Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 24
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 8 श्लोक 24

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः।।8.24।।



English Translation - Swami Gambirananda
8.24 Fire, light, daytime, the birght forrnight, the six months of the Northern solstice-by following this Path, persons who are knowers of Brahman attain Brahman when they die.


English Translation - Swami Sivananda
8.24 Fire, light daytime, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern path of the sun (the northern solstice)  departing then (by these) men who know Brahman go to Brahman.


English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
8.24. The northern course [of the sun]  consisting of six months, is fire, light, day and bright one. Departing in it, the Brahman-knowing men attain the Brahman .


English Commentary  - Swami Sivananda
8.24 अग्निः fire? ज्योतिः light? अहः day? शुक्लः the bright fortnight? षण्मासाः six months? उत्तरायणम् the northern path of the sun? तत्र there? प्रयाताः departed? गच्छन्ति go? ब्रह्म to Brahman? ब्रह्मविदः knowers of Brahman? जनाः people.Commentary This is the UttaraMarga or Devayana? the northern path or the path of light? by which the Yogis go to Brahman. This path leads to salvation. It takes the devotee to Brahmaloka. The six months of the northern solstice is from the middle of January to the middle of July. It is regarded as the better period for death. There is a vivid description in the Chhandogya Upanishad? the Kaushitaki Upanishad and the Brahma Sutras? chapter IV.3 and 4? ii. 18 and 21.On the road beginning with light (the departed soul proceeds)? on account of that being widely known.Having reached the path of the gods he comes to the world of Agni (fire)? to the world of Vayu (air)? to the world of Varuna (rain)? to the world of Indra (king of the gods)? to the world of Prajapati (the Creator)? to the world of Brahman.They go to the light? from the light to day? from day to the waxing half of the moon? from the waxing half of the moon to the six months when the sun goes to the north? from those months to the year? from the year to the sun.When the person goes away from this world he comes to Vayu (air). Then Vayu room for him like the hole of a wheel and through it he mounts higher. He comes to the sun.From the moon to the lightning there a person that is not human leads him to Brahman.Time is here used in the sense of the path or the stage on the path. Fire and light are the deities who preside over time. Daytime is the deity who presides over the day. The bright fortnight is the deity presiding over it. The six months of the northern solstice are the deity who presides over the northern path.This is the path of illumination that leads to liberation.The lifreaths of the liberated sages who have attained knowledge of the Self do not depart. They are absorbed in Brahman. The Jivanmuktas who attain KaivalyaMoksha or immediate,salvation or liberation have no place to go to or return from. They become one with the allpervading Brahman.Each step may mean a plane or a state of consciousness or the degree of purity or illumination. The more the purity the more the divine light. There are bright objects throughout the course of the path. There is illumination or knowledge when one passes along this path. Hence it is called the path of light.After Bhishma was mortally wounded? he lay on the bed of arrows till the onset of the northern solstice and then departed from here to the Abode of the Lord.


English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's
8.24 Agnih, fire-is a deity presiding over a period of time; similarly, jyotih, light-also is a deity presiding over a period of time. Or fire and light are the well-known Vedic deities.
As the expression mango grove is used with regard to a place where mango trees are more numerous, similarly, the expressions at which time and that time (in the earlier verse) are used in view of the predominance (of the deities presiding over time). [If the first two (fire and light) are taken as Vedic deities, then the remaining three are the only deities of time. Still, the latter being numerically greater, all the five deities are referred to as deities of time. The deities of both the Paths-of gods and manes, or of the Northern and the Southern Paths as they are called-who are gods of time, are referred to here as time by such words as day, fortnight, six months, etc.]
So also, ahah, daytime, means the deity of daytime. Suklah, the bright fortnight, implies the deity presiding over the bright fortnight. Sanmasah uttarayanam, the six months of the Northern solstice-here, too, is understood the deity presiding over the Path. This is the principle (of interpretation followed elsewhere (in the Upanisads also).
Tatra, following this Path; janah, persons; who are brahma-vidah, knowers of Brahman, those engaged in meditation on (the alified) Brahman; gacchanti, attain; brahma, Brahman; prayatah, when they die. It is understood that they attain Brahman through stages. Indeed, according to the Upanisadic text, His vital forces do not depart (Br. 4.4.46), there is neither going nor coming back for those established in full realization, who are fit for immediate Liberation. Having their organs merged in Brahman, they are suffused with Brahman, they are verily identified with Brahman.


English Translation of Commentary  - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
8.24 See Comment under 8.25


English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary
8.23 - 8.24 Here, the term time denotes a path, having many deities beginning with day and ending with year. The deities preside over divisions of time. The meaning is - I declare to you the path departing in which Yogins do not return and also the path departing in which the doers of good actions return. By the clause, Light in the form of fire, the day, bright fortnight, six months of the northern course, year also is denoted.


Commentary  - Chakravarthi Ji
He speaks in this verse about the path of no return. The words agnir jyotir (fire and light) indicate the presiding deity of the sun according to the sruti statement te ‘rcisam abhisambhavanti: theft go to the sun planet. Aha indicates the deity of the day, and sukla indicates the deity of the fortnight of the waxing moon. The six months of uttarayana means the deity who presides over the uttarayana. The jnanis (brahma vidah) who go on the path of these devatas, attain brahman. As the sruti says:
te ‘rcisam abhi sambhavanti arciso ‘rahna apuryamana-paksam apuryamana-paksad yan san-masanudannaditya eti malebhyo deva-lokam
They reach the deity of fire. From there they go to the deity of the day, from there to the deity of the waxing fortnight, and from there to the uttarayana deity. Chandogsya Upanisad 5.10.2


Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary




Lord Krishna is now stating the path of no return to material existence.
The words agnir jyotir meaning fire and illumination respectively is
indicative of the presiding demigod identified with such as written in the
Vedic scriptures. In the Chandogya Upanisad V.X.I it states: Those who know
the science of the five fires and those in the wilderness who meditate with
faith and penance reach the demigod Jyotih identified with illumination.
Day refers to the demigod identified with it, the bright half of the month
refers to the demigod identified with it as well and the same for the six
months the sun is in its northern waxing course etc. This also includes by
implication the demigods identified with the year, the realm of the
celestials etc. mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. Departing by the paths
of the aforementioned demigods, the devotees of the Supreme Lord attain the
realisation of the brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence
and are knowers of the brahman. The Brihadaranyaka Upanisad VI.II.XV
states: From the demigod identified with fire one reaches the demigod
identified with illumination and from there one goes to the demigod
identified with the day, then from him to the demigod identified with the
waxing moon, from him to the demigod identified with the six months which
the waxing sun goes on its northern course. From there one reaches the
demigod identified with the year and so on.


Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary




The word jyoti indicates illumination and is identified with the demigod
known as Archi. This is confirmed in the Narada Purana which states: After
reaching Agni the demigod of fire and then Archi the demigod of
illumination and thereafter Ahah the demigod of day etc. It should be
understood that Agni, Archi, Ahah and others are the presiding demigods of
the respective time periods. Otherwise it would not be in accordance with
the Vedic scriptures to say that during the daytime one reaches the bright
waxing time of the month. The Brahma Purana states: Since in essence there
only exists days which also includes nights, how can one situated in
equanimity be said to have achieved the brahman only in the day during the
bright waxing time of the month. So it is clear to the lucid that the
presiding demigods in tandem with their corresponding time periods is the
only logical interpretation in accordance with Vedic scriptures. The Garuda
Purana states: The knowers of spiritual knowledge honor the presiding
demigods of the respective time periods. Along with honouring the demigods
such as Agni the fire god, Archi of illumination, Ahah of the day,  Sukla
of the waxing moon, Satmasah of the suns northern course and others, the
presiding demigods of the Vishu or the passages travelled should also be
honoured. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana states: Honouring the presiding
demigods of the day, the night, the waxing and waning moons, the sun on its
northern and southern course as well as the Vishu; one who has realised the
brahman attains the Supreme Lord.


Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary




Time in this verse indicates the route where the presiding demigods over
the various time divisions from the day up to a year, reside in great
numbers. Their route is either that path going by which yogis or those
perfecting the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion
with the ultimate consciousness are not subject to rebirth; or that path
where persons of righteous deeds are born again. This last path Lord
Krishna is describing now. The mention of fire, illumination, day, waxing
moon and the suns six month sojourn on its waxing northern journey implies
the year as well.


Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary
Time in this verse indicates the route where the presiding demigods over
the various time divisions from the day up to a year, reside in great
numbers. Their route is either that path going by which yogis or those
perfecting the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion
with the ultimate consciousness are not subject to rebirth; or that path
where persons of righteous deeds are born again. This last path Lord
Krishna is describing now. The mention of fire, illumination, day, waxing
moon and the suns six month sojourn on its waxing northern journey implies
the year as well.


Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 8.24Agnijyotirahah shuklah shanmaasaa uttaraayanam;
Tatra prayaataa gacchanti brahma brahmavido janaah.


Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 8.24yatra—where; kāle—time; tu—certainly; anāvṛittim—no return; āvṛittim—return; cha—and; eva—certainly; yoginaḥ—a yogi; prayātāḥ—having departed; yānti—attain; tam—that; kālam—time; vakṣhyāmi—I shall describe; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—Arjun, the best of the Bharatas; agniḥ—fire; jyotiḥ—light; ahaḥ—day; śhuklaḥ—the bright fortnight of the moon; ṣhaṭ-māsāḥ—six months; uttara-ayanam—the sun’s northern course; tatra—there; prayātāḥ—departed; gachchhanti—go; brahma—Brahman; brahma-vidaḥ—those who know the Brahman; janāḥ—persons; dhūmaḥ—smoke; rātriḥ—night; tathā—and; kṛiṣhṇaḥ—the dark fortnight of the moon; ṣhaṭ-māsāḥ—six months; dakṣhiṇa-ayanam—the sun’s southern course; tatra—there; chāndra-masam—lunar; jyotiḥ—light; yogī—a yogi; prāpya—attain; nivartate—comes back; śhukla—bright; kṛiṣhṇe—dark; gatī—paths; hi—certainly; ete—these; jagataḥ—of the material world; śhāśhvate—eternal; mate—opinion; ekayā—by one; yāti—goes; anāvṛittim—to non return; anyayā—by the other; āvartate—comes back; punaḥ—again