धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् | तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ||८-२५||
dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam . tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate ||8-25||
Chapter 8 · Verse 25
Akshara Brahma Yoga
अक्षरब्रह्मयोग
In plain words
This is the Pitriyana or the path of darkness or the path of the ancestors which leads to rirth. Those who do sacrifices to the gods and other charitable works with expectation of reward go to the Chandraloka through this path and come back to this world when the fruits of the Karmas are exhausted. Smoke night time the dark fortnight and the six months of the southern solstice are all deities who preside over them.
Translation
8.25 Smoke, night, as also the dark fortnight and the six months of the Southern solstice-following this Path the yogi having reached the lunar light, returns. 8.25 Attaining to the lunar light by smoke, night time, the dark fortnight also, the six months of the southern path of the sun (the southern solstice), the Yogi returns. 8.25 Dhuman, smoke; and ratrih night, are the deities presiding over smoke and night. Similarly, krsnah, the dark fornight, means the deity of the dark fortnight. Just as before, by sanmasah daksinayanam the six months of the Southern solstice, also is verily meant a deity. Tatra, following this Path; yogi, the yogi who performs sacrifices etc., the man of actions; prapya, having reached; candramasam jyotih, the lunar light-having enjoyed the results (of his actions); nivartate, returns, on their exhaustion.
Meaning
This is the Pitriyana or the path of darkness or the path of the ancestors which leads to rirth. Those who do sacrifices to the gods and other charitable works with expectation of reward go to the Chandraloka through this path and come back to this world when the fruits of the Karmas are exhausted. Smoke night time the dark fortnight and the six months of the southern solstice are all deities who preside over them. They may denote the degree of ignorance attachment and passion. There are smoke and darkcoloured objects throughout the course. There is no illumination when one passes along this path. It is reached by ignorance. Hence it is called the path of darkness or smoke.
Word by word
धूमः smoke रात्रिः night तथा also कृष्णः the dark (fortnight) षण्मासाः the six months दक्षिणायनम् the southern path of the sun तत्र there चान्द्रमसम् lunar ज्योतिः light योगी the Yogi प्राप्य having attained निवर्तते returns.