Bhagavad-gītā 11.29
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यथा प्रदीप्तं ज्वलनं पतङ्गा विशन्ति नाशाय समृद्धवेगाः। तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोका स्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः।।11.29।।
yathā pradīptaṁ jvalanaṁ pataṅgā viśhanti nāśhāya samṛiddha-vegāḥ tathaiva nāśhāya viśhanti lokās tavāpi vaktrāṇi samṛiddha-vegāḥ
As moths precipitately rush into a blazing fire only to perish, even so do these creatures also precipitately rush into Thy mouths only to perish.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| yathā | as |
| pradīptam | blazing |
| jvalanam | fire |
| pataṅgāḥ | moths |
| viśhanti | enter |
| nāśhāya | to be perished |
| samṛiddha vegāḥ | with great speed |
| tathā eva | similarly |
| nāśhāya | to be perished |
| viśhanti | enter |
| lokāḥ | these people |
| tava | your |
| api | also |
| vaktrāṇi | mouths |
| samṛiddha-vegāḥ | with great speed |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through yathā (as), tathā eva (similarly), and samṛiddha-vegāḥ (with great speed). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the universal form and personal refuge. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 11.29.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Sequence request, granted sight, description, response, revelation, fear, apology and return to the familiar form.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
As moths precipitately rush into a blazing fire only to perish, even so do these creatures also precipitately rush into Thy mouths only to perish
- 2
yathā: as
- 3
tathā eva: similarly
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the universal form.
Link
Use the line starts: yathā pradīptaṁ / viśhanti nāśhāya / tathaiva nāśhāya / tavāpi vaktrāṇi.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 11.29, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 11.29 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 11.29 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 11.29 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 11.29, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition