Devanagari
अग्निर्ज्योतिरह: शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जना: ॥ २४ ॥
Verse text
agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti
brahma brahma-vido janāḥ
Synonyms
agniḥ
—
fire
;
jyotiḥ
—
light
;
ahaḥ
—
day
;
śuklaḥ
—
the white fortnight
;
ṣaṭ-māsāḥ
—
the six months
;
uttara-ayanam
—
when the sun passes on the northern side
;
tatra
—
there
;
prayātāḥ
—
those who pass away
;
gacchanti
—
go
;
brahma
—
to the Absolute
;
brahma-vidaḥ
—
who know the Absolute
;
janāḥ
—
persons.
Translation
Those who know the Supreme Brahman attain that Supreme by passing away from the world during the influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment of the day, during the fortnight of the waxing moon, or during the six months when the sun travels in the north.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
24. The knowers of Brahman (jṣānīs) who depart on the path of fire and light, the waxing fortnight, and the northern progress of the sun attain Brahman.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
24. The knowers of brahman who depart on the path of fire and light, the waxing fortnight, and the northern progress of the sun attain brahman.
Purport
When fire, light, day and the fortnight of the moon are mentioned, it is to be understood that over all of them there are various presiding deities who make arrangements for the passage of the soul. At the time of death, the mind carries one on the path to a new life. If one leaves the body at the time designated above, either accidentally or by arrangement, it is possible for him to attain the impersonal brahma-jyotir. Mystics who are advanced in yoga practice can arrange the time and place to leave the body. Others have no control – if by accident they leave at an auspicious moment, then they will not return to the cycle of birth and death, but otherwise there is every possibility that they will have to return. However, for the pure devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no fear of returning, whether he leaves the body at an auspicious or inauspicious moment, by accident or arrangement.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
He speaks in this verse about the path of no return. The words agnir jyotir (fire and light) indicate the presiding deity of the sun according to the śruti statement te ‘rcisam abhisambhavanti: they go to the sun planet. Aha indicates the deity of the day, and śukla indicates the deity of the fortnight of the waxing moon. The six months of uttarāyaṇa means the deity who presides over the uttarāyaṇa. The jṣānīs (brahma vidaḥ) who go on the path of these devatās attain Brahman. As the śruti says:
te ’rciṣam abhi sambhavanti arciṣo ’rahna āpūryamāṇa-pakṣam āpūryamāṇa-pakṣād yān ṣaṇ-māsānudaṅṅāditya eti mālebhyo deva-lokam
They reach the deity of fire. From there they go to the deity of the day, from there to the deity of the waxing fortnight, and from there to the uttarāyaṇa deity. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.10.2
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse speaks of the path of no return. The two words agni and jyoti indicate the presiding devatā of light, which is mentioned in the śrutis. Ahaḥ means the deity of the day. Śukla means the deity of the waxing fortnight. Ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam means the presiding deity of the six months leading up to the summer solstice. Understood here are also other deities such as the presiding deity of the year. Chāndogya Upaniṣad says:
atha yad u caivāsmin śavyaṁ kurvanti yadi ca nārciṣam evābhisaṁbhavanty arciṣo’haraha āpūryamāṇa-pakṣam āpūryamāṇa-pakṣādyān ṣaḍ-udaṇṇeti māsāṁs tān māsebhyaḥ saṁvatsaraṁ saṁvatsarād ādityam ādityāc candramasaṁ candramaso vidyutaṁ tat puruṣo’mānavaḥ sa enān brahma gamayaty eṣa deva-patho brahma-patha etena pratipadyamānā imaṁ mānavam āvartaṁ nāvartanta iti
On dying, such persons, whether they undergo cremation rites or not, go to the deity of light. From the deity of light, they go the deity of the day. From the deity of the day they go the deity of the waxing fortnight. From the deity of the waxing fortnight they go the deity of the six months leading to the summer solstice. From there they go to the deity of the year. From the deity of the year, they go to the deity of the sun, then the deity of the moon, and then the deity of lightning. A non-human form takes them to brahman. This is the path of the devas, the path of brahman. Those who go by this path do not return to repeated human birth. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.15.5
The meaning is this. When persons who worship brahman situated in the eye die (asmin), whether their sons or disciples perform cremation rites (śabyam) or not, in either case, because of their uninterrupted worship, those worshippers go to their object of worship by means of the deities starting with the deity of the light. The rest is clear. Between the deity of the year and the deity of the sun the deity of air should also be inserted. Following the deity of lightning, there should be inserted the deity of water, Indra, and Brahmā. From other śrutis these details of the path are understood. The non-human mentioned in the verse refers to an eternal associate of the Supreme Lord.
The writer of Vedānta has also mentioned these deities. ātivāhikās tal-liṅgāt: the words such as “light” refer to the names of the conducting deities, since this is indicated later in the text of the non-human who leads them to brahman. (Vedānta Sūtra 4.3.4)
Therefore the devotees go to the Lord by the path served by twelve devatās (light, day, waxing fortnight, six months leading to the summer solstice, year, air, sun, moon, lightning, water, Indra, Brahmā) who are following the orders of the Lord. They do not return to the material world.
The commentators have said:
arcir dina-sita-pakṣair ihottarāyaṇa-śaran-marud-ravibhiḥ
vidhu-vidyud-varuṇendra-druhiṇaiś cāgāt padaṁ harer muktaḥ
The liberated soul goes to the Lord through the light, the day, the waxing fortnight, the solstice, the year, air, the sun, the moon, lightning, water, Indra and Brahmā.
Surrender Unto Me
For one who is practicing jnana‑yoga, he has to deal with the precising deity of the fire, smoke and time.
This is like a 'mechanical' way to attain Brahman, which is divided into different segments. When one leaves by this method, the fire‑god takes him to a certain place and hands him over to the next demigod and like that he is passed on until he reaches Brahman through one demigod to another.
This is the fruit of jnana‑yoga. Next is for the karma‑kandi.