Verse 24

In plain words

He now speaks of that time —

'Fire' here names the deity who presides over this stretch of time; and 'light,' likewise, is also a deity presiding over time. Or, taken another way, fire and light are simply two deities exactly as named. But mostly, this kind of language — 'at what time,' 'that time' — works the way 'mango grove' does: naming the whole by its most visible feature. In the same way, 'day' is the deity of daytime; 'the bright half' is the deity of the waxing moon; 'six months' is the sun's northward course, and there too a deity forms the very path itself — this holds true elsewhere as well. Along that path, having departed, having died, people who truly know Brahman, who worship Brahman, who have given themselves entirely to that worship, go to Brahman. And 'gradually' has to be understood, unstated, to complete the sense — because for those who are liberated on the spot, established in direct vision, there is no going anywhere and no coming back at all, exactly as the scripture says: 'his life-breaths do not depart' (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.6). Their breath has already merged into Brahman; they are made of Brahman itself — they have simply become Brahman.

Close to the Sanskrit

That time he states —

'Agni' is the deity presiding over time. Likewise 'jyotis' too is indeed a deity presiding over time. Or else, 'agni' and 'jyotis' are the two deities exactly as literally stated. But the designation, for the most part, is like 'at what time,' 'that time' — like the expression 'mango grove.' Likewise 'ahaḥ' is a deity presiding over day; 'śukla' is the deity of the bright fortnight; the six months are the northern course, and there too a deity constitutes the path — this principle is established elsewhere too. There, on that path, having departed, that is, having died, people who know Brahman, who worship Brahman, who are devoted to the worship of Brahman, go to Brahman. 'Gradually' is to be supplied to complete the sentence. For indeed there is no going or coming anywhere at all for those who enjoy immediate liberation, established in right vision, as per the scripture, 'his life-breaths do not depart' (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.6). Their life-breaths are merged in Brahman alone; they have indeed become Brahman itself.

In plain words

“Hear the answer to your question. Niṣkāma karma yogis and upāsakas journey along the path of time of fire, light, day and the bright fortnight, and the six months of Uttarāyaṇa, and attain Brahman. For them the first station, that is, the first place, is ‘fire’. This is also called ‘Devayāna’. This fire is what the Vedas call ‘arci’. It is also called ‘the Arcirādi path’. They begin in light, journey in light, and arrive in light itself. They do not take birth again. For such people it is the attainment of Brahman itself.”

In plain words

Now let us consider what the bright fortnight is. The period when the moon's light grows day by day is called the bright fortnight. If so, people may doubt, I wonder: what connection is there between that and a man's death? The moon and the Manas are closely connected. The moon is the symbol of the Manas. As it is said, “The moon was born from the Manas; from the eye the sun was born.” If we consider the inner meaning: just as the light of the gross moon grows day by day, so the holy, divine feelings in the Manas blossom day by day and reach fullness by the final hour, that is, by the time one leaves the body; such a holy time may be thought of as the very grace of the deity of the bright fortnight.

In plain words

Next, they also speak of Uttarāyaṇa. If we consider what it means, that doubt will be cleared and the matter settled. Worship done with understanding, sādhana done with understanding, purifies the heart; doubt and sloth are left behind. ‘Uttarāyaṇa’ means a clear sky. That is, the time when there are no clouds in the sky, no haze, no smoke of any other kind, and none comes, and the sun shines clearly, is called Uttarāyaṇa. This is the gross meaning, that is, the reckoning of time as it relates to the body.

Now, if we consider what the subtle inner sense is: the human heart itself is the inner sky. It is the Buddhi, the sun of Jñāna, shining in that sky of the heart with no clouds of Ajñāna, abhimāna and mamakāra. That is to say, the steady Buddhi itself is the sun of light. That pure Buddhi, not getting entangled in mamakāra and Ajñāna, becoming steady in the clear heart: this is what should be thought of as Uttarāyaṇa. Whatever the time may be, of those who leave the body at such a moment it may be said that theirs is the very time of Uttarāyaṇa.

Jñāna itself is called the sun. Pure Buddhi is named the sun of Jñāna. For one who journeys in such a state there is no rebirth. This too is called ‘the Arcirādi path’. Such people reach Brahman.