Bhagavad-gītā 8.17
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः। रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः।।8.17।।
sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te ’ho-rātra-vido janāḥ
They who know (the true measure of) day and night, know the day of Brahmâ, which ends in a thousand Yugas, and the night which (also) ends in a thousand Yugas.
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 |
|---|---|
| sahasra | one thousand |
| yuga | age |
| paryantam | until |
| ahaḥ | one day |
| yat | which |
| brahmaṇaḥ | of Brahma |
| viduḥ | know |
| rātrim | night |
| yuga-sahasra-antām | lasts one thousand yugas |
| te | they |
| ahaḥ-rātra-vidaḥ | those who know his day and night |
| janāḥ | people |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from sahasra (one thousand), viduḥ (know), and janāḥ (people). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to remembrance that shapes one's destination. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 8.17.
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: Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
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
They who know (the true measure of) day and night, know the day of Brahmâ, which ends in a thousand Yugas
- 2
the night which (also) ends in a thousand Yugas
- 3
sahasra: one thousand
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture remembrance and destination.
Link
Use the line starts: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar / rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.17, 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 8.17 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 8.17 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 8.17 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.17, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition