Sanskrit
यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः । प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥
yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim āvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha
Translation
That time wherein going forth Yogîs return not, and also that wherein going forth they return, that time shall I declare to thee, O prince of the Bhâratas.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna now announces the subject that will occupy the rest of the chapter: the timing, not just the mental content, of death that determines whether a yogi returns or not. This is a shift in register from “what you think of” in verses 5-7 to “when you go,” introducing the two-paths doctrine that verses 24-26 lay out. The register shift is from what to when: from the final thought to the season and hour of departure. The figure on the chapter page lays the two routes side by side.
Study deeper
Word by word
- yatra kāle tv anāvṛttimयत्र काले त्व् अनावृत्तिं
- at which time, [departing to] no-return (yatra + kāle + tu + anāvṛttim)
- āvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥआवृत्तिं चैव योगिनः
- and to return, the yogins (āvṛttim + ca + eva + yoginaḥ)
- prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃप्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं
- departing, go — that time (prayātāḥ + yānti + tam + kālam)
- vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabhaवक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ
- I shall tell, O bull of the Bharatas (vakṣyāmi + bharata-ṛṣabha)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The chapter has spent everything so far on mental content — what you think of, how steadily you hold it. This verse abruptly changes the variable under discussion to timing — when you go — without pausing to reconcile the two. It’s worth noticing that the text lets two different explanatory frameworks for the same outcome sit side by side without ever being asked to agree with each other.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you're troubleshooting why something in your life isn't working, notice if you keep switching between two different explanatory frameworks — your mindset, versus external timing or circumstance — without reconciling them; both may be partially true, but conflating them will confuse your response.
Professional
- When diagnosing a recurring failure, be explicit about which variable you're currently discussing — process discipline versus external timing or environment — because switching between explanatory frameworks mid-conversation without flagging it produces a debate that never actually resolves.
Family & Social
- When discussing a recurring family tension, be clear about which explanation you're offering — someone's mindset, or the timing and circumstances around it — because silently switching between the two mid-conversation makes it hard for the other person to know what you're actually claiming.
Ask yourself
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